In Conversation with... Philip Ross and Jeremy Myerson

03/07/23 • 27 min

In the third episode of our “In Conversation with...” podcast series for 2023, Lucy Lewis, Partner at Lewis Silkin LLP, speaks to Philip Ross, Founder and CEO of UnGroup and Cordless Group and Jeremy Myerson, Director of WORKTECH Academy.

Jeremy and Philip recently co-authored the book ‘Unworking: The Reinvention of the Modern Office’ and, in this episode, they share their insights into the future of the office. Philip and Jeremy consider the habits and rituals we will need to ‘unlearn’ in order to reimagine the workplace of the future, with a particular focus on rethinking both learning and leadership, as well as how to make the workplace as inclusive as possible.

Key takeaways from the conversation:

Leadership is being reimagined: Leadership will be less focussed on presenteeism and more focussed on outputs and purpose. Leaders must drive a sense of purpose and belonging, and organisations will need to rethink their physical spaces to align with this vision.
Space will no longer define status: While workspace does not dictate culture, it reinforces and supports it. Organisations are moving away from the idea of modern efficiency – rectangular spaces in box-like buildings – towards more democratic spaces, such as circular and curvilinear spaces.
Workplace experience is key: Companies need to take workplace experience seriously. Many are introducing workplace experience apps to enhance workplace experience and drive a sense of purpose and belonging.
Office design should support diversity and inclusion: A diverse workforce has diverse needs, and employees may work best in different conditions and environments. To be truly inclusive, the workplace of the future must be heterogeneous and provide employees with genuine choice and variety.
Organisations need to rethink learning: Hybrid working has resulted in a rapid shift away from the ‘eavesdropping’ model of learning, requiring companies to rethink their current practices and invest in new and emerging technologies.

Key takeaways from the conversation:

Leadership is being reimagined: Leadership will be less focussed on presenteeism and more focussed on outputs and purpose. Leaders must drive a sense of purpose and belonging, and organisations will need to rethink their physical spaces to align with this vision.
Space will no longer define status: While workspace does not dictate culture, it reinforces and supports it. Organisations are moving away from the idea of modern efficiency – rectangular spaces in box-like buildings – towards more democratic spaces, such as circular and curvilinear spaces.
Workplace experience is key: Companies need to take workplace experience seriously. Many are introducing workplace experience apps to enhance workplace experience and drive a sense of purpose and belonging.
Office design should support diversity and inclusion: A diverse workforce has diverse needs, and employees may work best in different conditions and environments. To be truly inclusive, the workplace of the future must be heterogeneous and provide employees with genuine choice and variety.
Organisations need to rethink learning: Hybrid working has resulted in a rapid shift away from the ‘eavesdropping’ model of learning, requiring companies to rethink their current practices and invest in new and emerging technologies.

Previous Episode

In Conversation with... Penelope Mantzaris

In the second episode of our “In Conversation with...” podcast series for 2023, Partner Lucy Lewis speaks to Penelope Mantzaris, Senior Vice President at Edelman Data & Intelligence about trust and how it is evolving.

“Trust is the foundation that allows an organisation to take responsible risk and to innovate and, if it makes mistakes, to rebound from them”.

With the 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer hot off the press, Penelope and Lucy consider the role that trust has to play in an increasingly polarised society and what this means for employers.

Key takeaways from the conversation:

Factors such as distrust in the government, a lack of shared identity in communities and economic pessimism are leading to intense polarisation in society. However, trust in employers remains high.
Trust is local. People trust those that they have real interactions with like their neighbours, co-workers and the CEO of their own employer.
Consumers and employees are applying pressure to business, buying brands which match their values and choosing to work for companies that have a positive societal impact. CEO behaviour matters.
To build trust, leaders must place their trust in employees first, provide information about contentious issues and make employees feel comfortable voicing their opinions.
Businesses should use trusted voices at each level of the organisation, particularly if difficult decisions need to be taken.

For more on this topic, visit the Future of Work Hub.

Next Episode

In Conversation with... Nita Clarke

In the fourth episode of our “In Conversation with...” podcast series for 2023, Lucy Lewis, Partner at Lewis Silkin LLP speaks to Nita Clarke OBE. Nita is the Director of the Involvement and Participation Association, a leading organisation delivering employee engagement, partnership and employee voice in the workplace.

“People want respect and fairness and to be listened to, and to have their diverse needs thought about. That operates in workplaces now in a way I genuinely don’t think it did a generation ago”.

Nita and Lucy discuss the important role employee voice has to play in building organisational trust as well as the challenges and opportunities that the evolving landscape of collective and individual voice presents for employers.

Key takeaways from the conversation:

Unions are not the only mechanism for employee voice: works councils, employee forums as well as individual employee voice all have an important role to play. Assimilating different forms of employee voice can be challenging but extremely beneficial for employers.
Employee voice must be informed: to get the most out of employee voice, employers must share strategic information with their workforce to empower them to engage in a more developed discussion.
Trust is key: to succeed, employers must trust their staff and treat them as serious stakeholders in their organisation. Building a culture of trust and listening to employees also protects organisations from reputational risk.
Employee engagement can benefit society: effective engagement strategies could help to solve the UK’s productivity puzzle by increasing performance and productivity.
Management styles need to change: shifting generational attitudes and expectations at work mean that organisations taking a command and control management style will lose out.