Redesigning Work Life with Dr Sharon Parker

Without notice, the coronavirus pandemic forced companies to radically change how their people worked.  Nearly 90% of businesses globally mandated or encouraged their employees to work from home, as the virus spread exponentially (Gartner, 2020).

Twelve months later, with vaccines being rolled out, organisations are developing return-to-work strategies.  Leaders have a unique opportunity to engineer smarter ways of working.  The research indicates that for many organisations working-life will look very different to pre-2020 norms.  A recent Gartner study reports that close to half of all employees will work remotely at least some of the time in the post-pandemic world, compared with 30% before Covid-19.  

A larger remote workforce will force leaders to rethink their approaches to leading teams. Many challenges surfaced last year including trust issues between remote managers and staff working from home. The cost of working in isolation and losing the social aspect of the office also became apparent.  So how can we skilfully redesign post-pandemic work-life?  

In this episode, Sharon Longridge turns to the science of work design in this timely conversation with the Director of the Center for Transformative Work Design at Curtin University, Dr Sharon Parker.  

Dr Parker is an acclaimed expert on organisational behaviour and she has created the ‘SMART' work design model. If you haven’t come across it then you must stay tuned. She explains that this evidence-based model can positively impact wellness, performance and retention levels.  Don't miss this episode if workforce engagement and return-to-work issues are front-of-mind for you. 

What we cover:

• Tethered or Trusted?: Triggering trust issues between managers and teams
• Remote working: What effective remote work looks like for a company
• Return-to-work: How to reintegrate teams back into the office effectively
• SMART model:  ‘SMART' work design and its advantages and benefits
• Offsite disconnection: The risks involved with 100% remote working
• Check-in vs check-up: How leaders can offer skilful support
• Acceleration of AI: The effects on post-pandemic work 
• Recovery activities: Energy management and detaching in downtown

Resources:

• Connect with Sharon Parker at the Center for Transformative Work Design
• Sharon Parker on Linkedin
• Smart Work Design
• The University of Western Australia
• Australian Academy of Science
• Here are the Top Five Leadership Challenges During the Pandemic by Nihar Chhaya
• Sign up for Leadium mailing list and access exclusive offers