I wonder when we will stop talking about if it’s more productive to work from home…work from an office…or work from Bali…?
I wonder how we make a new workflow that suits everyone, and yet no one, depending on your frame, preference, life stage and style.
After all, we are all different and that’s to be celebrated.
I wonder if the summer cold will ever return or if we will continue to ask, ‘is it just a cough’…? ‘Have you tested’?
Either way, and until then, why we keep measuring a task related outcome (productivity) to a relationship-based problem (community) is beyond me.
Whether it be huddled in an offsite to solve client issues; special space in the office to celebrate work or grabbing your work bestie for coffee and a wee moan, being together, consistently, in some common space was never just about productivity. We are not factory robots.
It was, and always will be about community.
Community is much more than the things we ‘produce’.
It’s the people that produce communications to make them meaningful.
It’s what we do together, how we grow together, and where we find the lines together.
The ‘just enough’, ‘not enough’ or ‘too much’ of work.
Our ability to hustle around issues, help clients and brands go to market, and to deliver at pace like no other industry can. (That’s another issue in itself.)
And it is one achieved through humans, with tech, to help understand, adapt and focus on what’s next. No matter what the change, the consistent element to ‘success’ is the critical nature of being human.
To help people get there, to ‘get it’.
To help clients shine.
To cut through the ‘we need it all now’, with sound human reasoning when doing it all is not an option.
To help each other.
Our community is more than how we make tech and a ‘screens’ call work. It’s a space to share ideas, a place to test boundaries, a chance to learn about others and ourselves, even when we don’t want to… why would we want to lose that?
Maybe because we have forgotten, or some have never known, what a great office vibe can be like. What a strong work community is.
As a core part of our societal tapestry for years, the sense of community ‘our work’ creates should not be ignored or understated.
Babies have been born, marriages made, sports committees founded, charities started and friends for life made, real friends, great friends…
Along, of course, with a few arguments, walk outs and ‘OMFG’ moments along the way.
It’s not perfect.
But it shouldn’t be.
Its messy, its life. It’s humans.
And we do it best, when we do it together.
So, is this just another ‘BTO rally call’? No. It’s less what we should or shouldn’t do, and more a call not to ignore what could be, what has been…
And let’s be real, we no longer have to do ‘it’ (the office thing), like we used to anyway…
…3 years ago, flexible jobs as a rule, not an exception, would be unthinkable.
…3 years ago, Friday work from home would be a dream. We could barely get ‘summer Friday’ 4pm finishes away.
…3 years ago, choosing most of the time when and where you work, would be unheard of.
But this is all now our new normal.
And we have two very important and learned new values as humans who work.
Acceptance as a standard, and time value as a right.
Just pause on that.
It is a whole new way of thinking.
And it’s great.
No more sneer downs or chin stroking, just curiosity and allowance.
That’s great and it’s right, and it will never go back to 100% of 100% of 100%.
But I would like to see a day when we can stop talking BTO, WLB, WFH, IRL, MST…(WTF!?)
Anchor days, connected days, touch points…
We spend so much time discussing how we stay ‘productive’, we’ve forgotten what we lost.
Community.
You can’t build that innate and unseen sense of community, or trust, comradery and shared ambition through a screen.
As someone who has worked in many places, my work community has been vital over the years.
Too much so? Maybe at times, but for all the late nights, WTF moments, last minute client deadlines and loads of ‘do you need a template for that?’, I wouldn’t change any of it for the people I’ve met, the friends I’ve made and the fun I have had. The bosses that have inspired and led me, and of course all the people that have challenged me along the way too.
Not only does this natural connection happen less through a screen, but if it does it’s probably more intense that it needs to be, more structured than it might be.
What should be causal and organic at times, becomes forced and specific. Hard.
We aren’t built like that.
We need the time between the time. The space for things not said.
The random moments and laughs that only community can create.
And to see things in ourselves, and each other that are more than delivery through tech, but a sense of self, of each other.
Of community.
If there is one more value I’d like to see added to this new sense of true acceptance and value of time, and that is true environmental adaptation.
Our workspaces, and our commute places, should be available to all people, irrespective of life stage or ability. This is still sorely lacking in so many building and public transport systems, all over the world.
If we are going to ‘build back’, can we please do it this time with all humans in mind. Not just ‘efficiency’. After all, the most important space we need is the one for ourselves & each other.
In summary
Productivity is important, but community is vital.
Being together is more than hours logged, it’s vibes shared. Its problems halved.
No one is perfect. Our industry is built on imperfection and change. And we do it well.
To stay relevant and responsive over years in constant change is a feat in itself, and it speaks volumes on the kind of people we are.
Smart, adaptable, resilient, and light humoured.
We can fix a million-dollar annual plan in one beat, then be down the pub or gym for team banter soon after. We know more than most how to adapt, how to shape shift, and when to jump in for each other, for the troops.
We always rise, because we are there.
We pick up for each other – we support each other, team, mates, clients, and yes, even the boss.
Because community is about us all.
No one gets left behind.
After all, it takes all of us to do this thing called life, and work.
So, you can keep productivity, create community and the rest will flow.
If you want more on the ‘how’, here in support of community and the love of team, 3 beliefs to share, as a boss, coach, teammate, human.
They aren’t rocket science, but I think some are worth a reminder.
- Business is people
- You don’t know what you don’t know
- A problem shared is a problem halved (or escalated)
1. Business is people
Whether you use TRR, RECMA, client Apprais or otherwise, we have great platforms to measure our best practice, as agencies and marketing teams. We also, more and more, have amazing AI & automation to improve our business practice and efficiencies.
These tools are great, and they are here to support us, to support YOU.
They don’t replace YOU.
They not are not the human touch.
They are not YOU.
When the **** hits the fan, we don’t ask AI to call a client and resolve it. We respond, humans respond.
So what?
- Business is being ‘in relation’, no matter what the tool to help. So, get clear on what that looks like, on your team, your ‘EQ’.
- Don’t forget the value of what YOU bring as a human, your way and style, not just the work itself. Plan your human way and be proud of it.
2. You don’t know what you don’t know.
20% of all learning is done by observation, both conscious and sub consciously. It’s what’s called ‘osmosis learning’.
This isn’t to be taken lightly.
Many academics also suggest that of this osmosis learning, the main part of it is on the vital stuff, the soft skills which are often the hardest ones; how to interact with people, how to manage conflict, what to do in crisis, and so on.
You can be ‘trained online’ in some of these, but it is way more valuable to see someone do it, right and wrong, and to then overlay it with your own way of doing these human tasks.
Only if you make the space to be present, to observe, will you allow yourself to see, to feel your way. Vital human lessons don’t come through a screen.
So what?
- Make the time to study and practice active listening and presence. People feel it; you will feel it.
- Listen to what’s not being said. Stay open and curious about what you don’t know, versus just trying to power through to ‘get it done’ and ‘get off screen’.
- You learn outside your comfort zone as your neural pathways reset. So be curious about being in it, to be comfortable with the discomfort.
3. A Problem shared is a problem halved (or escalated if you don’t watch out)
Anxiety on the rise, isolation is one of our biggest social crises.
There are more people living alone than ever in history. And less babies being born.
A Forbes study shows that in large cities (Japan/ London/ NY) at least 40% of occupants are now solo.
Wow.
At a time when we seem to need each other most, in a polysocial, economic, and financial crisis, we have never seemed more apart.
That’s heartbreaking.
Is the office the answer to all that? No, it’s family structure, community residence and other factors. But a work community is a large part that can help.
And we know it works.
Haroon Uni in Hawaii did a study on team anxiety, namely presenting to a crowd. They found that the team who were encouraged to interact, share war stories, coffees and fears showed significantly less anxiety than isolated groups or people. No surprise really.
So even if being in a big crowd isn’t always fun for all, it’s not 24/7. And you find a lot of people like you, who need quiet time and time alone.
So what?
- A lot of problem solving is the maintenance of perspective. And an isolated perspective can be damaging. Stay in flow, don’t get stuck alone, or pull back in fear.
- Others can help, and people generally like to help. It makes them feel valued.
- It doesn’t always have to be all of you but bringing at least just a bit of you will serve you too. Allow your brilliance to come through and share the load.
In summary
As a bunch of humans, we are a vital part of our economy. We matter.
Representing $53 billion to the nation’s economy, (2.1% of Australia’s total GDP) (Ref: Deloitte and the AANA) our industry’s role in society and the economy is not to be sneered at. Indeed, it’s one we should lean in to and used for good as much as we can.
BTO isn’t about generation versus generation, or boss versus team, it’s about connection and community.
It’s about getting what you thought you didn’t need – both the good and the bad - and the friends you create, often for life. The life lessons we learn.
Together.
Fiona Johnston, dentsu AU CEO, Client and Commercial.