Special Episode: LEGO Workplace Symposium 2022 (Part 2) - Finding a Strong Purpose to Return to The Office, No It’s Not “Culture”

Be a fly on the wall in two hot topic discussions that took place in the LEGO Workplace Symposium: 

1. What is the purpose of the workplace? 
2. Hybrid headaches over the past year 

You’ll listen in on groups of executives from many large companies like Microsoft, Netflix, Unilever, Spotify, Ikea, and Booking.com discuss a range of topics about finding a compelling purpose for returning to the office and how to minimize the speedbumps that come with hybrid work. 

A recurrent theme within the discussions is that hybrid work and returning to the office is forcing companies to be more intentional with what in-person work looks and feels like.  

Tune in to reflect on the many different ideas being thrown around the room answering the question: how can we make the workplace work harder for us? You’ll also hear interesting ideas about How to recreate on-site experiences as off-site experiences. 

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Timestamps

[00:30] Hot topic discussion(1/4): What is the purpose of the workplace? What is our end goal? 

[01:02] Is the purpose of hybrid work to provide flexibility or to cut costs?

[06:07] Have people always wanted hybrid work or do they want it because of the pandemic?

[09:06] How hybrid work changes the face of society (and the responsibility that comes with it)

[10:07] “We build culture in the office” is a weak purpose for in-person work (how to be deliberate with why we meet in person)

[12:10] Consequences of not having a hybrid option

[17:47] “Build the experience you want to be part of, and they will come”

[19:43] The risk of hybrid work and the shifting power dynamic 

[23:08] How hybridity is affecting retail businesses

[25:33] Hot topic discussion (2/4): Hybrid headaches

[26:50] Lessons from experimenting with hybrid over the past year  

[30:03] How remote work steals your “reclaimed” time

[31:46] Why do some people never want to return to the office again?  

[34:13] How do we recreate the coffee machine connection in hybrid mode?

[38:36] Why do people work where they work? 

[42:01] Will we always feel like a little dot on the screen in remote meetings? 

5 Key Takeaways 

1. If there is a clear purpose explaining why work needs to be in-person, hybrid, or remote - it’s much easier to get the buy-in of your team to comply with the rules. You have to give people something to believe in. 
2. People have likely always wanted the flexibility that hybrid work offers. However, the pandemic empowered them to seek what they want. 
3. Having beautiful offices is not a compelling enough reason for people to want to return to the office. You have to think of what experience they want to be a part of. Think of it this way: what kind of experience will make people feel the urge to return to the office?
4. When mandating a specific number of days per week for in-person work, your reasoning has to be grounded in data or else people will see through it. If you expect people to come into the office 3 out of 5 days, you’ll have to explain why it’s 3 and 2 or why it’s 3 and not 4. 
5. The power dynamic between employees and their employers is shifting. People have more choices and feel more empowered now. The shifting power dynamic poses a major risk for employers who don’t adapt. 

Links
The Workplace Leader Podcast
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