The Red Thread at WORKTECH '23: The Power of People Data

After presenting across six WORKTECH events around the world in 2023, it became clear to our team that V+C's key differentiator as leaders in workplace strategy remains in our insistence on a people-centric approach. As the founding organisation of Activity Based Working (ABW), many of our conversations around this topic internally, or with our clients, are even more relevant now than almost 35 years ago when we pioneered ABW.  Drawing on direct experience at the conferences while co-presenting with clients like Scotiabank, CHANEL and University of Technology Sydney College (to name a few), it's become clear that we attract clients who want that, too.

Our collaborations involve leaders who want to do the deeper work required to support their people in finding a better way of working.

In contrast to our approach, at many events this year we witnessed an overwhelming emphasis on the bells and whistles of the future of work - that is to say, a focus on the latest technology and its ability to drive a more "connected workplace." While we are solid proponents that an updated environment and helpful tools are instrumental in ensuring appropriate support for day-to-day activities, it was unanimous across our global team of consultants that the focus of our content and message highlight the foundation that can truly future-proof an organisation - investing in and understanding its people.

 KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The red thread connecting the six events we presented at was our strong commitment to centring workplace strategy around people data and behaviour-led leadership.

• Our approach as independent workplace strategy consultants recognises the need for a balanced focus on the bricks (environment), bytes (technology), and behaviours (with a particular emphasis on the latter) because we know it often gets the short end of the stick.
• In a hybrid era, leadership looks somewhat different than in the past, and we must hold our focus on employee engagement and advocacy as a key element of that leadership transition.

5 BOLD IDEAS FROM OUR GLOBAL WORKPLACE STRATEGY TOUR

After a well-rounded world tour through Australia, Singapore, Europe (Amsterdam and Stockholm), and North America (NYC and Toronto) we've had some time to reflect on our experience as a sponsor of this year's WORKTECH conference series. In this article we offer you five themes to inspire your thinking as we wind down the year. 

1. CREATE INTENTIONAL SPACES TO SUPPORT MEANINGFUL INTERACTION

A highlight for our North American team was the curated roundtable discussion that facilitated learning among industry players. Not often together in person (and certainly not with the stunning lake view from Sun Life Toronto), our team took the opportunity to connect with local industry leaders. 

By carving out the time and providing the space for in-person connection, participants could openly discuss the topics and challenges most top of mind at their organisations. The intentionality of the gathering led to a fruitful discussion and outcome. In debriefing about the event, many also commented on their appreciation for returning to in-person events for these moments after a couple years of online-first interactions.

2. GET BACK TO (BRAIN-FRIENDLY) BASICS

AI and sustainable buildings seemed to be hot topics on the future of work, but often the 'shiny new thing'  can distract us away from the fundamentals: behaviours are the glue in a workplace transformation. 

This sentiment was echoed by our Jonas Thelandersson, who hosted a brain-friendly panel in Stockholm with Peggie Rothe (Leesman),  Michael Kirk-Jensen (Predictio) and Jerker Davidson (iManagement). From all three perspectives (physical, digital, and cultural), they explored how people data consistently informed their areas of expertise.  

Some highlights from the discussion: 

• People and workplace strategies must be better interlinked and connected to the overall process. 
• Data on well-being shows that employees desire a healthy work-rest-play balance, yet few organisations prioritise brain-friendly behaviours in the workplace strategy agenda. 
• Technology is developing superfast, but our brains are not. We need help to clear the clutter to minimise silos, create cohesion, and nurture desired subcultures at work. 

3. TAKE A 'YES AND' APPROACH TO QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE DATA

We need to both deeply understand workplace data and workplace dynamics.

Two of our speakers mentioned the importance of both data sets, first by Eoin Higgins of our Australian team, who reiterated that layering quantitative and qualitative data sets helps build nuanced insights.

Ben Baldwin, speaker on a panel led by Senior Consultant Zoe Chen at WorkTech NYC also expressed his multi-prong approach to data gathering that provided him with unexpected insights about what's most meaningful to his team. The answer is often not fancy; in this case it was having a monitor available to plug into.

What this tells us is it's the combined approach to data gathering that will most likely lead to better solutions.

4. KEEP PEOPLE DATA AT THE CORE OF WORKPLACE STRATEGIES

In Stockholm, our panel made it clear from a brain perspective why the tangibility of environment (bricks) and tools (bytes) often take precedence in investment over the intangible people data (behaviours).

Our experience tells us that despite this tendency, it's the people advocacy that will be the backbone to any meaningful transformation integration. Keenly observing and listening to team needs must feel like a supportive process. Luckily orienting change using people-centric data is our specialty. 

"The biggest trap is losing that passion for people. What we should be is continuing to advocate for our employees and their needs. Understand your people and fight for what they need." 

Ben Baldwin
Fidelity | Director, Workplace Insights

5. STRIVE FOR BEHAVIOUR-FIRST LEADERSHIP

Over the course of six events around the globe, it's clear that leaders continue to contemplate the best way to support a hybrid environment. In our conversations with attendees regarding the challenges and opportunities associated with new ways of working, common asks are:

• How do we uphold a sense of belonging?
• How can we best balance flexibility while encouraging social interaction and cross-department collaboration?
• How do we secure the well-being of teams?

Leaders should take a step back to find the intersection between the existing challenges and then guide the team towards behaviours that support the desired vision. That means their vision must be clear - leaders often need support to hold sufficient space for these kinds of discussions.

"Hybrid is intentionally put in place but without the design that compliments the behaviours, what does that actually mean? Do you know your people well enough to know how they will put hybrid into practice?"

Iris Walenkamp
IW Consulting | Founder/Consultant

It starts by fostering an authentic relationship, gathering the right people data, and enabling teams to consciously choose when, where and with whom they work.

WE GUIDE TEAMS TOWARDS A PEOPLE-FIRST WORKPLACE

At Veldhoen + Company, we sync strategy with your objectives, promoting a behaviours-first approach. Seek guidance from V+C to guarantee your workplace strategy adapts to the changing needs of your organisation and its workforce, resulting in enhanced productivity, employee engagement, and a better world of work.