Posts Categorized: The Future of Work

Rising Tide of Remote Work: Public Service Leads the Way

February 23 2024

In a transformative shift, the number of Australian federal public servants working from home has more than doubled since the pre-pandemic era, with nearly 40% of the 180,000 APS staff now opting for remote work two to three days a week. The APSC census, published late 2023, showcases the broad increase since 2019, with 57% of staff taking advantage of remote work—up from 22%. And flexible work is a key part of most organisations’ Employee Value Proposition (EVP) now –… Read more »

Navigating the workplace of 2024: economic shifts amidst the hybrid work revolution

February 9 2024

This article was generated in 15 minutes as our first experiment using the assistance of AI. In the ever-evolving landscape of the job market, 2024 is set to bring about significant changes, and leading company directors are sounding the alarm on a potential shake-out. From wage pressures to the impacts of regulatory changes, the directors on the boards of major companies across diverse sectors are foreseeing a challenging year ahead. Economic Soft Landing but Hiring Freezes While many anticipate a… Read more »

Middle Managers need help (in the new world of work)

September 28 2022

The shift to remote work is particularly impacting on middle managers in all larger organisations. We should address this now. Middle managers play a vital role, and it’s just not on to let the role – or the incumbents – languish, when we actually can meet the challenge. Why are these roles so important? Middle management roles are critical positions in all mid to large organisations; indeed, the impact of middle managers on business success can be ‘make or break’:… Read more »

Anthropology and e-mobility – the unexpected connection!

August 26 2022

Highlights: Young leader traits for 2022. Coming to grips with the new normal. Anthropology and e-mobility? Maybe the arts are a key to business leadership and innovation. The broader theme of this story is answering the question – what does it take to be a successful leader in the post-pandemic environment? You might remember a favourite acronym of mine – VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity) – a term that well describes the apparent chaos and pace of change in… Read more »

Hybrid work platforms – time to take stock?

July 20 2022

One major challenge of supporting a hybrid approach to working, is the increase in costs involved. This can extend to a full workspace makeover, but at the minimum it will involve software, particularly as it’s used for virtual team meetings, collaboration, and project management… And  despite their dominance, there are options that are alternatives to MS Teams and zoom, and some that work with them. It’s a matter of making it fit your organisation… And it’s not straightforward – shifting… Read more »

It’s REBOOT – and time to dream again

October 19 2021

Key points: WFH is now a real option, at least part-time, for many organisations. While away, many staff have been plotting a career shift, some, a drastic one. Many businesses may now have to factor in “The Great Resignation”. This will all impact on workplace design, workforce planning, and recruiting. Managers: it’s time for some new thinking. Back in 2019, a request…. Remember this scene in pre-2019? A typical employee in a typical workplace lodges a request to work from… Read more »

Michael Caton: “tell ‘im he’s dreaming”

The four keys to a great post-Covid workplace reboot

August 17 2021

Even if it looks in doubt again this week, there really will eventually be some sort of ongoing return to the workplace! So, are there any keys to a successful reboot? Yes, and being a ‘resilient’ could describe some features you as an executive can take into your workplace. I’ve just read Return as a muscle: How lessons from COVID-19 can shape a robust operating model for hybrid and beyond, authored by four partners at McKinsey. It’s very consistent with… Read more »

Leading through 2021 – more pivoting!

January 27 2021

What, more pivoting?? Some colleagues felt ‘pivot’ was one of our over-used words in 2020. In fact, one named it their least favourite 2020 word (mine was ‘seeding’, awfully overdone by politicians in particular). But if 2020 was indeed the year to pivot, what is 2021 to be? Of course for a start, it depends on the circumstances for any person, business, organisation or nation. Consider: The volatility of operating environments. The susceptibility of changes to funding or income streams…. Read more »