Work Life by Design

How can we create workplaces where our people are empowered? Where they are given autonomy and choice?

It all starts with culture.

Now that might sound overly simply, but at the grassroots of this, it's the everyday actions that leaders take that shift and create culture in their teams and organisations. And it really is the simple things that make the difference.

And today's guest, Meredith Wilson has written the book, on how you too can you use GRASS in your workplace to shift your culture.

Meredith makes culture simple and actionable. Working with executives, CEOs and leadership teams to shape, shift, strengthen and lead cultures. Having led culture at the Executive and Board level for more than 15 years, with ASX10 and global teams, Meredith is a published Author and recognised Culture Expert. Meredith works as a Culture Strategist, Speaker, and Mentor, building cultures that work.

In today's episode Meredith shares with us;

1. Her G.R.A.S.S model and the simple ways that we can start to rethink culture and how we can then take action everyday

2. The impact of Hope & Safety and how this is foundational in building any culture

3. The 4 things that you need to build a culture worth belonging too

4. The importance of symbols and rituals and how these show up in your workplace

Meredith and I have a shared passion for building communities and thriving cultures, with much of our work and language overlapping in various area's of workplace design and organisational leadership and culture, so it was an absolute privilege to have the opportunity to explore our ideas of what works more deeply in this episode.

LINKS

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Connect with Mel;

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Over centuries work has evolved from a labour some, back breaking manual task to what today some of us refer to as a "cushy office job"!

And we have the invention of machines and technology, a few key players and a pandemic to thank, as the catalysts for this change.

However, some things have very much stayed the same, even though the world we are living and working in today, is very different to the world in which these things were created for.

In today's episode I'm winding back the clock just over 100 years as we start to look at;

1. The impact of machines and technology on how we work
2. How and why, we work 8hrs and 5 days a week
3. How technology drove our need for workplaces and their design
4. The research on what our workplaces really need to do now and into the future.

This is one of my favourite conversations and I'm so excited to be sharing it with you here today!

LINKS

JOIN NOW! Workplace Dynamics Blueprint Program

Get your copy of Mel's new Book "The Next Workplace; Designing Dynamic Environments that Inspire Human Potential"

Connect with Mel;

Email | Insta | LinkedIn | Website | Website | Whitepaper - The Road Map to Employee Experience

Book a 30min Complimentary Discovery Call with Mel

Curating a community is not a passive activity. It takes conscious effort, care, and a respect for the people that you are embracing in this community.

But when you bringing together a community with no traditional "place" how can you engage with a place temporarily and make it your own?

This is exactly the work that today's guest, Imelda Miller, does in her role as the Curator of First Nations Cultures at Queensland Museum Kurilpa. A third generation Vanuatu woman, Imelda is a proud South Sea Islander and responsible for bringing together communities of origin through her work with the museum. Working with material culture an archival collections, Imelda's collaboration, and curatorial approach, combines cultural practice, community engagement and community lead research and development into her projects.

Hosting exhibitions, running workshops and leading teams in these activities, Imelda is consciously curating places for communities to come together to share their stories and create new ones.

Today's conversation is one of possibility and Imelda shares so many of her secrets in how she fosters this sense of community, to establish belonging, a sense of connection and storytelling that can be directly applied back to our building our own communities in our workplaces.

In today's conversation Imelda shares with us;

• How she uses place to create community, even when there is no ownership or relationship to place
• How objects enable people to connect, share stories and develop memory in place
• The fundamentals of curating a community atmosphere are
• The healing power that connection and community can create

Throughout this conversation I hear direct correlations to how I think about fostering community in our workplaces and the role that place plays. Establishing connection, creating belonging, and sharing stories, by communicating social contracts and norms and engaging in routine and ritual.

Imelda is a warm-hearted woman with much wisdom to share on how we can take even a little bit of this approach back to our workplaces.

Mel

LINKS

Join the Waitlist for the Workplace Dynamics Blueprint Program

Get your copy of Mel's new Book "The Next Workplace; Designing Dynamic Environments that Inspire Human Potential"

Connect with the Imelda;

You can engage with Imelda's work here;

https://www.slq.qld.gov.au/discover/exhibitions/plantation-voices

https://www.museum.qld.gov.au/collections-and-research/projects/australian-south-sea-islander-lived-identities

Connect with Mel;

Email [email protected]

Website melissamarsden.com.au

Website comuniti.com.au

Instagram @melmar

Linkedin Melissa Marsden

Whitepaper – The Road Map to Employee Experience

To listen to more of my episodes, head to my website !!!

Hey!

Have you read Priya Parkers book, The Art of Gathering? If you haven't yet, I highly recommend you do, it's a good read!

In her book Priya shares:

"gatherings in our lives are often vague & unproductive"

And I would argue that our workplaces are in fact a place where we gather, rather than places we "go to" to "work", and if we want people to come to the workplace, we need to be offering them an experience. It needs to be a purposeful, and productive contribution to their lives.

In today's episode I'm expanding on the framework that I share with you in Eps. 139, It's not about mandates, it's about Fostering Community, to dive deeper into the final layer of the framework, Placemaking.

Because the art of placemaking is a complex task, that requires its own framework to fully optimise the creation of a plan that builds community. Plus, I share with you some tangible examples of how place has been used for centuries as a central hub, an anchos, a container for holding and creating community.

If you're ready to learn more about creating your community in your workplace, you can either;

1. Grab a copy of my book "The Next Workplace"
2. Join me in the "Workplace Dynamics Blueprint | The Program" Waitlist now OPEN!
3. Or book a complimentary discovery call with me to chat more!

Until next time, Mel x

USEFUL LINKS:

Workplace Dynamics Blueprint | The Program - DOORS OPEN! Are your ready to learn the Art & Science of creating your next Workplace?!?!

Creating your next workplace is a complex task! It requires the input of multiple players within your organisation and the expert guidance of specialist consultants.

BUT it also presents an incredible opportunity for your organisation! Typically, businesses only refresh their space every 10 years. That's a long time in today's fast paced world. So many changes, from technology, to operational delivery, organisational structures, ways of working and more.

Optimising this unique opportunity requires a plan. In this self-paced program, you will learn about the five pillars that underpin the dynamics in your organisation, how to leverage them against your organisations strategic objectives and gain the confidence you need to embark on this journey armed with the knowledge and know how to optimise your next workplace.

Enabling you to inspire the human potential in your organisation.

Join the waitlist and be the first to know when doors open!

Join the waitlist here - https://www.melissamarsden.com.au/blueprint

Get your copy of Mel's new Book "The Next Workplace; Designing Dynamic Environments that Inspire Human Potential"

Connect with Mel;

Email [email protected]

Website melissamarsden.com.au

Website comuniti.com.au

Instagram @melmar

Whitepaper – The Road Map to Employee Experience

Book a 30min Complimentary Discovery Call with Mel https://calendly.com/melissa-marsden/30min

"When work starts to work again, it becomes a place where people want to be"

Creating a thriving workplace where people want to be, voluntarily, requires us to take a different perspective to the "productivity" approach that our workplaces once swore by.

Today's guest is Sharon Darmody. With a background in Occupational Therapy, Sharon is an Organisational Consultant, Mediator and the Founding Director of Strive Occupational Rehabilitation.

With over 25 years consulting to organisations, she identified a recurring theme, leading her to develop her M.A.G.I.C model to help businesses, teams and individuals rediscover what makes work, work for them.

In today's conversation Sharon and I delve into;

• The foundations of what she's observed to foster community within organisations
• We explore her M.A.G.I.C model and how you can explore aspects of this within your business
• The challenges and opportunities that organisations have to fostering community
• How simple Ground Rules, can support individuals, teams and organisations to thrive
• Plus, Sharon shares a personal story of how humanising a workplace and building an authentic community puts people first and the ripple effect of this on individuals, families and their surrounding communities, changing lives.

If you're looking for ways to re-engage and ignite your teams, you're going to enjoy this episode!

If we're still talking about getting people back to the office, we're having the wrong conversation".

I don't know about you but I'm getting frustrated with all this RTO talk! I think those that are stuck in this vortex, are completely missing the point!

What we should be talking about, is what makes a workplace a COMMUNITY.

In the work that I do, creating a workplace where people WANT to be is key, BUT while the physical environment plays a large part, it's not the whole story.

"For centuries our communities have centred around sharing an imagined reality crafted out of words, which has enabled large numbers of strangers to come together to coordinate effectively"

Yuval Harari, Author of Sapiens.

At COMUNiTI, we use our Workplace Dynamics Blueprintä to dive deep with our clients to understand the purpose of place and the fundamentals that needs of a place. By using our five pillars we can identify the opportunities and the gaps across the organisation to co-create a space that lays the foundations to building a community.

In today's episode, I'm sharing with you the framework that I've developed to building community in organisations, from the foundations up!

LINKS

Doors to our Workplae Dynamics Blueprint program opening soon - join the watilist here!

Get your copy of Mel's new Book "The Next Workplace; Designing Dynamic Environments that Inspire Human Potential"

Connect with Mel;

Email | Insta | LinkedIn | Website | Website | Whitepaper - The Road Map to Employee Experience

Book a 30min Complimentary Discovery Call with Mel https://calendly.com/melissa-marsden/30min

🎉🎉🎉 Welcome back for SEASON 6!!! 🎉🎉🎉

As I hit record for this episode, #138, I had a nostalgic moment as I reflected on how much the world has changed since I first started the podcast back in July 2020.

We were all living in limbo, as we were very much still in the midst of adjusting to the impacts of the pandemic, in and out of lockdowns.

Four years on and SOOOOO much has changed;

· The way we THINK about work has changed

· HOW we work has changed

· WHERE we work has changed

· And as such WORKPLACES have changed!

And one of the greatest revelations that I believe that come for us all from the pandemic, was the way our mindsets shifted to thinking about our workplaces as COMMUNITIES.

This is a way of thinking that we here at COMUNiTI have acknowledged for some time. It's our namesake! As a team of workplace dynamic strategists, design advisors and change leaders, we support organisations to get clear on the strategic goals, understand their people and align their workplace to enable them to achieve and thrive.

At the heart of this sits our purpose; to foster the creation of communities where people feel connected.

So in this season of the Work Life by Design podcast, you can expect to hear more about how you can celebrate community within your organisation. What it takes to create community, with guests from Thought leaders, Academics and Curators of community to share their experiences.

I'm excited to share this season with you, it's going to be a good one!

LINKS

Doors to our Workplae Dynamics Blueprint program opening soon - join the watilist here!

Get your copy of Mel's new Book "The Next Workplace; Designing Dynamic Environments that Inspire Human Potential"

Connect with Mel;

Email | Insta | LinkedIn | Website | Website | Whitepaper - The Road Map to Employee Experience

Book a 30min Complimentary Discovery Call with Mel https://calendly.com/melissa-marsden/30min

Well, that's it for another season!

After kicking off season 5 back in November last year, I think it's well and truly time to switch off the mic for a while!

This season has definitely taken on a life of its own and it really snuck up on me that we've been going straight for 48 episodes, almost a whole year! I've had the pleasure of engaging some incredibly intelligent, wise, and generous guests in conversation over this time which has what has kept me wanting to do "just one more!" episode.

But here at COMUNiTI we are heading into our busiest season of the year in the final sprint to Christmas so it's time to take a breath and make the space needed to ensure we finish the year strong.

So, in this episode I'm sharing with you the highlights of 48 episodes, marking some incredible milestones including;

1. 📕🥂 The release of my book "The Next Workplace" and the conversations from the book launch
2. 🎉 Hitting a 100 episodes of the podcast
3. 🥳 Celebrating COMUNiTI's 10th Birthday
4. Plus a recap on some of the impactful conversations that I've had over the course of the season that have influenced my own thinking on work and the workplace

So, while I take a break there are 136 other episodes for you to dive back into. Thank you for joining me here each and every week and I look forward to being back in your ears with some fresh content very soon!

LINKS Get your copy of Mel's new Book "The Next Workplace; Designing Dynamic Environments that Inspire Human Potential"

Connect with Mel;

Email | Insta | LinkedIn | Website | Website | Whitepaper - The Road Map to Employee Experience Book a 30min Complimentary Discovery Call with Mel

The art of focus in our modern worlds has become just that. An art.

With books like Johan Hari's Stolen Focus and past guest Dr Kristy Goodwin's, Dear Digital we need to talk, the constant disruption, distraction mulit-tasking and task switching that we are all succumbing to is impacting our ability to truly focus.

Add to this all the pressures and competing demands of daily life and we are quickly looking at fatigue, exhaustion and burnout.

And whilst the rise of flexible working has given us more freedom to design our days and work lives, it's a bit of a double edged sword. As many of us have relied on the routine, ritual and structure that our daily to commute has given to us to support our cognitive function and the daily need to "do our job".

We now need to develop a new skill. The ability to distinguish what is worth our attention, to do this intentionally and then to be able to focus.

And that's what today's guest is here to share with us.

Angela Lockwood is on a mission. To empower individuals to thrive amidst the distraction of modern life.

As an Occupational Therapist with a wealth of real-world experience working alongside both children and adults, she has developed a unique approach to unlocking the power of our thinking and actions in ever-changing environments.

After sustaining a life-changing head injury she became obsessed with learning how we can use our time and energy to thrive and has focused her career on helping others do the same.

She is the author of two business self-help books, "The Power of Conscious Choice" and "Switch Off and Find Calm" and the engaging host of "A Kid's Life" Podcast.

She's been featured on Channel 9 Today EXTRA, The Australian Financial Review, Good Health magazine, Huffington Post, Mamamia, Radio 2UE and numerous parenting and lifestyle publications. She also has a regular segment on The Luke and Susie Show which is syndicated across Australia.

Angela has an infectious energy and she's highly relatable.

So in today's episode Ange and I are going to look at;

• Why the conversation about focus has become such a prevalent one
• Intentional Focus – what it means and how to manage it
• The importance of switching off
• The difference between time management and energy management
• Plus she's also sharing with us some tools to get us started

A great conversation on how to focus your attention on the things that really matter so that you have more energy for life!

LINKS Get your copy of Mel's new Book "The Next Workplace; Designing Dynamic Environments that Inspire Human Potential"

Connect with Angela;

LinkedIn | Insta | Website

Connect with Mel;

Email | Insta | LinkedIn | Website | Website | Whitepaper - The Road Map to Employee Experience Book a 30min Complimentary Discovery Call with Mel

One of the biggest misconceptions about "a new office" is that it is simply that. A new place for us to conduct our business from. A design and construction project.

This could not be further from the truth. "A new office" is a whole of business opportunity and at its core it is actually a "cultural transformation project".

Everything about the way the new office looks, feels, operates is all new. It's in a new location, with a new commute and with that comes a whole new set of routines and rituals.

Now while some of your team might be excited by the change, there are going to be a lot of your team who will not be. And regardless of where they sit on the continuum of change experience, they are going to bring their own perceptions to the process, until they are guided, communicated to, informed, and educated about what the new workplace will entail.

Because, in the absence of information it is human nature to Make. It. Up!

So, in today's episode I'm sharing with you why it's important to support your people through change, and what you can do to prepare you and your business to make the most of this unique opportunity.

Remember, creating a new workplace for your business is typically a once in 10 year event, and just think about the ripple effect that doing an outstanding job of supporting your people through this change will have on the next 10 years of your business.

LINKS Get your copy of Mel's new Book "The Next Workplace; Designing Dynamic Environments that Inspire Human Potential"

Connect with Mel;

Email | Insta | LinkedIn | Website | Website | Whitepaper - The Road Map to Employee Experience