The post-maternity-leave return to work is not an experience which is widely known for its relaxing qualities. I mean, it's true that I spent the last two weeks of my own maternity leave joking to my friends that the workplace would feel like a spa weekend in comparison to looking after a small child 24/7…
Last Spring, I went to the gorgeous, glorious wedding of a friend who works in AI. The bride was radiant, the groom beaming, and the vicar performed a heart-warming service. In many ways, it was a very traditional occasion. But when we came to the wedding breakfast, the Best Man's speech had a very modern twist. It had been written by ChatGPT.
This week, for the first time, we realised that it was light when we awoke. It's funny how such a small thing can lift your heart so much, isn't it? And in our newly-cheery state, we've noticed other tentative suggestions that winter might finally be drawing to a close. The cherry blossom at the school gate is cutting a dash through the grey afternoons. When the sun does come out, the March sky is so intensely blue - so sharp and crisp - that it almost hurts to look at it. They're tiny, incremental steps, but every day feels a little brighter here at 9-2-3 HQ. We're looking forward with renewed excitement to the months to come.
Leaving your children for the first time is a big step - there's just no getting around it. Whether you're re-joining the workforce after a career break or your maternity leave is coming to an end, the return to work can be nerve wracking.
Michael Georgiou from Aligned Career Coaching, helps professionals who have fallen out of love with the work they do find careers that both fulfil them and bring them joy. We asked Michael what falling out of love with a career might look like, and what professionals can do to start the process of finding a job they love…
It was, as always, wonderful to see so many of the fantastic companies we work with or know at our "Flex: A Whole New World" event. As well as listening to some truly inspirational speakers, we had the chance to talk to many of you about the future of your businesses and how you see the world of flex moving forwards.
Whatever your working pattern of choice – part time work, remote work, compressed hours – there’s no question that flexible working has made a huge difference to our lives. Forget Biff, Chip and Kipper - for millions of us, flexibility has been the magic key to unlocking a better work-life balance. It’s enabled us to cheer on our kids at sports days. To provide a listening ear for elderly relatives. To volunteer in our communities. For some of us, flexible working is what makes our worlds go around.
As the New Year dawns, with the added joys of lockdown #3, you might be forgiven for thinking it’s a rather grey and uninspiring dawn. However, here at 9-2-3, we’ve been thinking about the months and years to come and we’re feeling hopeful about the post-pandemic landscape for businesses; there are definitely signs of a brighter future shining through the clouds.
THE FUTURE OF THE OFFICE
There is so much being discussed about the future of the office... How to make offices "Covid-safe" etc. But are we actually seeing the death of the office as we know it?
Have we outgrown the office?
It feels like we are witnessing era-defining moments in our workplaces.
The list of companies embracing home working policies is growing. Twitter has announced it's allowing staff to work from home “forever”. Faceboook is “aggressively opening up remote hiring”. Slater and Gordon (law firm) is to close its London base as staff gear up for working from home permanently from September onwards.
The boss of Barclays, Jes Staley, says "The notion of putting 7,000 people in a building may be a thing of the past"; while James Gorman, Morgan Stanley's chief said the bank will have "much less real estate" and has “proven we can operate with no footprint”. Businessman Sir Martin Sorrell said he'd rather invest the £35m he spends on expensive offices in people instead. While Ann Francke OBE (CEO of the Chartered Management Institute) says: “[This pandemic] may change the workplace forever.”
So it’s clear that remote work is here to stay long after the pandemic subsides. Quite apart from the health implications, study after study has shown open offices to foster seclusion more than innovation. Often in order to combat noise, the loss of privacy and the sense of being watched, people in an open office put on headphones, talk less, and feel terrible. But it’s not all bad. Done right, the office can enable collaboration and team spirit.
Here at 923 Jobs we've always loved the feeling of collaboration in our office - but always felt that more “deep work” was done in the (pre-Covid) peace of home. So tended to mix up working from home, with working in the office. We’ve always tried to focus on productivity over presenteeism.
There are clear benefits to businesses enabling remote working… Research in recent years points to reduction in office costs, increased productivity, easier to attract and retain staff (who take fewer sick days). Plus of course the benefit to employees of a reduced commute – something thousands of us have benefited from in recent months (#silverlining). Ordinarily 66% of commuters will feel stressed at least once a week – wouldn’t it be fantastic to be able to alleviate this stress, and have a happier less flustered workforce? The thought of easing congestion in our towns and cities, and reducing our carbon footprint is also a huge plus.
So how about using offices as places to meet colleagues and clients? To collaborate. To catch up. To enjoy some real face-to-face time (remember that?). Afterall, we have proven that we can sit and look at a screen for 40 hours a week from home. Who needs to go into an office at set times to do that?
Moving forward, I'm hoping that companies are likely to be more accepting of employee requests to work from home. I'm always up for a chat if anyone wants a sounding board!
By Helen Wright (Founder of 9-2-3 Jobs)
Now, I know that a blog about the logistical challenges of implementing flex in the workplace is not the most inspiring topic in the world. As a passionate advocate of flexible working, it is all too easy for me to reel off reasons why it is so powerful. The benefits to business are not in dispute - proven advantages include a happier, more productive workforce, less sick days taken by staff, increased profits, I could (and on many occasions, do) go on …………… But what people don’t hear about quite so often is exactly HOW businesses make flexible working work within their organisation.
