It's DO-BE Time

In the second part of this conversation, Brendon, Tony, and Brian focus on the role of the manager in today’s business environment. Brendon refers to the “flexibility revolution,” and describes the need to let go of micromanagement and focus on empowerment. He calls on managers to self-examine, ensure that they are bringing empathy to their roles, and shift their focus from the working time of their employees to the outcomes of the time put in. He concludes with counsel to employees whose managers are not hearing them.

Australian change practitioner Brendon Baker shares his insights on “the Great Reshuffling” that he is witnessing. He, Tony, and Brian look at the parallels between what is occurring in Oz and the US, including “forced flexibility,” and the apparent lessening of trust by employers despite the performance of their remote employees over the past two years.

Organizational culture is at the heart of addressing the challenges of the Great Resignation. A 4 Day Work week – whether fixed or flexible – may be a key element of the solution. Joe O’Connor (Coordinator with the US team of the 4 Day Week Pilot), Tony, and Brian continue to delve into the realities of surviving and thriving in today’s disrupted business environment.

In collaboration with the 4-day week global movement, US Companies are preparing to launch their 4-day week pilots in April. In the UK, 500 companies have signed up for information sessions on joining the pilot program there. In this replay, Joe O’Connor, a Research Fellow at Cornell University on Workweek Time Reduction, Coordinator with the US team of the 4 Day Week Pilot, and Chair of the 4 Day Week Ireland, joins Tony and Brian to explore the intersection of the Great Resignation with the 4 Day Work Week movement.

This episode is excerpted from a one-hour webinar presented in collaboration with Puzzle HR, KettleSpace, and Ripple Analytics. It has been close to seven decades since the evolution of office worker to knowledge worker began. While office workers required a top-down “command and control” management style, that approach to management is ineffective with today’s knowledge worker and is a key factor driving the Great Resignation. After reviewing the evolution of management practices over the years, Tony and Brian compare the former approach (labeled Theory X in Douglas McGregor’s 1960 book The Human Side of Enterprise) with the latter (Theory Y) across the multiple factors driving the Great Resignation.

In this episode of it’s DO-BE time, Tony and Brian introduce their longtime focus on “enlightened management.” By the 1950’s, the workforce was shifting from order-takers to knowledge workers. Up until that time, organizations were structured based on an early twentieth century military model – command and control. While the workforce has continued to evolve over the past seventy years, in many organizations management has not. The Covid pandemic has amplified what millennial employees have been telling us since they entered the workforce; command and control management is not the way to motivate, engage, or retain today’s workforce. It’s time to ensure that your management is enlightened!

In the second part of the conversation, Meghan, Tony, and Brian continue to dig into factors contributing to Wanderlust’s successful transition to a 4-day work week a year and a half ago. The lessons they have learned are valuable for any organization planning to make this shift.

Wanderlust, an outdoor technology company, is another organization that has successfully implemented the 4-day work week. In part 1 of this conversation with Tony and Brian, Wanderlust’s CMO Meghan Keaney Anderson talks about their transition to the 4-day model, the metrics that they use to track the impact of this shift, compliance, and the benefits for team members.

It won’t be instant, nor should it be, but the 4-day work week is coming. The movement that started in New Zealand and spread around the globe is formally launching in the United States. Participating organizations begin their training, preparation, and onboarding in January 2022 and launch their six-month trials in April. In part 2 of their conversation, Charlotte, Tony, and Brian discuss the role that a 4-day work week can play in helping to address the Great Resignation as well as the importance of piloting the program and engaging employees in its design. This is about 100% of current pay for 80% of the current work week in exchange for 100% of current productivity. What is your future of work?

As 2021 draws to an end and we prepare for 2022, there is great uncertainty for business owners, leaders, and employees. What will be the continuing impact of Covid and its variants in the new year? What, if any, “return to office” date can employers and employees count on? How long will the great resignation continue? How do organizations not only survive, but thrive in this uncertainty? In part 1 of this 2-part podcast, Charlotte Lockhart, Tony, and Brian discuss the genesis of the 4-day week global movement and the role it can play in addressing many of the factors driving the great resignation. As you think about your own organization’s future and/or career path heading into the new year, this podcast will give you a great deal of food for thought.