It's DO-BE Time

In the third part of our Blabbit interview, Tony and Brian discusses with hosts Paul Geiger and Glen Ingram the importance of recognizing that every employee matters as you define your New Normal 2.0. We also look at the contributions that a hybrid and/or 4-day work week makes to the environment, the economy, and personal health.

With the “great resignation” underway, some industries are leading the way while others cling to failing paradigms. Your New Normal 2.0 has to be tailored to your customers, your employees, and your business. In part two of our Blabbit conversation, Tony and Brian discuss with hosts Paul Geiger and Glen Ingram how business owners can successfully define their New Normal 2.0. Acting now is critical to keeping your best employees and giving you the ability to hire the best employees from anywhere.

On August 20, Tony and Brian sat down with Blabbit hosts Paul Geiger and Glen Ingram to discuss the Great Resignation, New Normal 2.0, and the 4-Day Work Week. In this, the first part of that conversation, we discuss our own evolution of our 4-day work week belief and approach. We also lay the foundation for exploring the alignment between the great resignation, the new normal 2.0 that is beginning to emerge, and the 4-day work week.

In this episode of it’s DO-BE time, Tony and Brian continue their exploration of the disconnect between business owners and leaders and their workforce. Taking the right steps now can be a competitive advantage in both retaining your best employees and attracting the best from your competitors. Taking the wrong approach can result in undermining all that you have worked so hard to build. Listen as we discuss what you need to be doing, and who you need to be being, to successfully address the Great Resignation.

Although the voices of many corporate leaders continue to proclaim the importance of everyone returning to the office, the data doesn't support that conclusion. While they may not like having empty offices or not having management eyes on workers for 8 hours a day or more, "in the office" is not what drives performance. As one recent guest said, "just because people are at their desks it doesn't mean they are working." While the outbreak of Covid-19 certainly caused a disruption in productivity in the short-term, that turned around long-ago for most businesses. Some even created their own version of a 4-day work week, and found that their productivity held steady or increased. In this replay on the economics of the 4-day work week, Tony and Brian present some of the data supporting the economic benefits of the 4-day work week.

If you are expecting your employees to come back to the office or workplace, the commute, the hours, the stress, take a minute to stop and think about it. In large numbers, that is not what the workforce wants. In this episode, Tony and Brian begin by looking at the 2016 findings of Gallup when they researched what Millennials want from work. As Millennial turnover has long demonstrated, it isn’t what the traditional workplace was providing. As we emerge from the pandemic, many Gen-X and Boomers are raising their voices, along with the Millennials, and are saying “no” to coming back. If you want to retain your best employees, now is the time to act. Listen to the voices of your workforce and co-create with them your version of a 4-Day Work Week tailored to serve your clients and customers, your employees, your business, and you.

Now is not the time to make decisions about the future of your business without consulting your workforce. In this episode, Tim Morton, Founder and President of Prompta AI, shares what the data is saying about employee sentiment as more and more companies call for some form of “back to normal.” Tim discusses with Tony and Brian why back to normal is being rejected by so many people and how real time data is helping employers make better, more informed decisions and co-create the future with their employees.

Futurist, author, and speaker Joyce Gioia shares the workplace trends she is uncovering as we emerge from the disruption of Covid-19. Work from home has driven a major re-evaluation of values, creating a significant gulf between employers who are calling for a “return back to normal” and employees who are seeking to move forward to Normal 2.0. Joyce describes Normal 2.0 to Tony and Brian as “flex place, flex space, and flex time,” aligning with the Do-Be Associates own version of the 4-day work week.

In this, the second part of our conversation with Ira Wolfe (Geeks, Geezers, and Googlization), we explore ways to navigate today’s change challenges. In the course of the conversation, we uncover some of the risks of black and white thinking (work from home vs. return to the workplace); challenge assumptions that many leaders are bringing to their decision-making; and discuss some of the factors that should be explored to inform decisions about whether to move to a hybrid (workplace and work from home) solution.

Ira Wolfe (Geeks, Geezers, and Googlization) joins Tony and Brian in the first segment of this two-part podcast on the challenges faced by entrepreneurs, business owners, and leaders as pandemic restrictions are lifted. In this episode, Ira discusses VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity), the ever-increasing pace of change, and the dynamic disruption of the past year as he and the Do-Be’s begin to explore what all of this means for you and the future of work.