Work's Not Working... Let's Fix It!

The pandemic gave many of us a time to reflect on what we wanted from life and where our values lay. So it’s perhaps no surprise organizations were suddenly faced with what became known as The Great Resignation in 2021. This was the trend in which employees voluntarily resigned from their jobs in what appeared to be a mass exodus as they rethought their work conditions, careers and long-term career goals.

One of the reasons cited for the Great Resignation has been the lack of career advancement opportunities. We’re not getting enough opportunity to grow in work. But is this the fault of organisations or ourselves?
Top #10 Business Thinker Whitney Johnson reveals the forces that are stopping us from growing, the six stages of growth – including Explorer and Collector - and how we can use this to chart our growth.

Whitney Johnson is the CEO of Disruption Advisors, a tech-enabled talent development company. She was named a 2021 Top #10 Business Thinker by Thinkers50, and is a globally recognized thought-leader, keynote speaker, executive coach, and consultant. A LinkedIn Top Voice since 2019 with 1.8 million followers, Whitney has a passion for personal disruption, helping individuals transform their lives, careers, teams, and companies. Her LinkedIn Learning course Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship has been viewed more than 1 million times.

Interested in insights about people leadership, HR and the future of work?
Seize and shape the future of work with The People Space, a leading digital HR magazine for forward-thinking leaders. We empower you to put people at the heart of work, navigating the evolving intersection of technology, business and human insight. Join us in building a future where people and machines collaborate for a more human-centric workplace

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Productivity growth has slowed down in many economies since the global financial crisis of 2008. Despite advances in technology and investment in workforce training and development, productivity growth has remained low, puzzling economists and policymakers. Wages are stagnant or declining.

Traditionally technology has been the primary driver of productivity gain – and today technology is advancing at an exponential rate. So why aren’t we seeing the growth we would expect? Is it that too often technology in the workplace today is a distraction? Are there just too many tools? And what about the dark side of tech, such as employee surveillance? What is its impact on productivity?

In this episode international people operations partner Natasha Wallace discusses:
• Why it is so hard to solve the productivity puzzle
• What makes a highly productive organisation?
• New research which identifies the most important differences between high and low productivity organisations
• Are new ways of working helping or hindering productivity?
• Employee monitoring - a necessary evil or productivity shackle?
• Using technology to improve productivity
• The importance of a strong and inclusive culture
• Natasha's personal productivity tip

Natasha Wallace is the international people partner at ClickUp, an all-in-one workplace productivity platform that flexes to the way that people want to work.
She joined the ClickUp team to do what she does best – making sure people feel valued and supported in their roles and driving business initiatives. As a seasoned professional with over eight years of experience working with global technology companies, Natasha has spent time honing her skills in many areas of HR including employee development, performance management, organisational design and wellbeing at work.
With an LLB Law degree specialising in employment and discrimination law, and a post-grad certificate in international law, Natasha decided to bring her legal know-how to the world of HR, where she could use her expertise to help companies build a people-focused strategy. She says she likes to help scale regions in hypergrowth businesses.

ClickUp is currently valued at $4 billion and has some 8 million users across 1.6 million teams. Natasha is part of the EMEA team, which has around 200 people and serves nearly 600,000 teams.

Interested in insights about people leadership, HR and the future of work?
Seize and shape the future of work with The People Space, a leading digital HR magazine for forward-thinking leaders. We empower you to put people at the heart of work, navigating the evolving intersection of technology, business and human insight. Join us in building a future where people and machines collaborate for a more human-centric workplace

• Sign up for our free fortnightly newsletter
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In this episode of Work's Not Working... Let's Fix It, Siân Harrington chats to celebrated comedian and communications expert Neil Mullarkey about why we need to improve communication in the workplace and the potential of improvisation as a tool for doing so.

Neil recounts his journey from teaming up with Mike Myers in the 1980s and co-founding the Comedy Store Players to exploring how improvisation can enhance workplace collaboration. Delving into the business realm, he emphasizes how crucial 'soft skills' like listening and adaptability have become, especially with research highlighting the lack of communication skills in modern work environments. In fact, poor communication has been estimated to cost businesses dearly in terms of productivity.
Key takeaways:

• Modern communication platforms (eg emails, WhatsApp, Teams) have increased, leading to confusion and overwhelm
• Pandemic lockdown revealed an abundance of formal communication but a lack of informal communication, affecting rapport-building
• The importance of oracy: the ability to express oneself fluently in speech.
• Key improv skills: the philosophy of 'Yes, and,' where one listens, accepts and then adds to the conversation.
• From LAGER to LASER: tools to approach improvisation
• Tips for improving virtual collaboration
• In a fast-changing world, predictability is a myth; leaders should be prepared for uncertainty
• How to bridge the gap between structured strategy and spontaneous adaptability
• How leaders can develop an 'In the Moment' mindset
• Humour's role in work today
• Siân and Neil do some live improv!

If you want to cultivate environments where effective communication fosters productivity, creativity and confidence - or you want to build these skills - then this episode is for you.
About Neil Mullarkey

Neil is a communication expert based in London, UK. He has delivered hundreds of keynotes and workshops to various organizations across the world in 25 countries and counting including Microsoft, KPMG, WPP, Saatchi & Saatchi, Vodafone, EY, Google, Deloitte and GSK. He is a guest speaker at London Business School, London Business Forum and Bayes Business School.
He is also a prominent comedian. He performs weekly with the Comedy Store Players, Europe’s top improv troupe which he co-founded in 1985 and often appears on TV and radio shows such as QI and The Pentaverate. He has also appeared in two Austin Powers movies. He is author of In the Moment: Build your confidence, communication and creativity at work published by Kogan Page.

Interested in insights about people leadership, HR and the future of work?
Seize and shape the future of work with The People Space, a leading digital HR magazine for forward-thinking leaders. We empower you to put people at the heart of work, navigating the evolving intersection of technology, business and human insight. Join us in building a future where people and machines collaborate for a more human-centric workplace

• Sign up for our free fortnightly newsletter
• Follow Siân on LinkedIn
• HR vendor or consultant? Check our the HR PR and Content Marketing Tips Blog
• Follow The People Space on Facebook

In this episode of Work’s Not Working, Siân Harrington sits down with Steve Hearsum to debunk one of the most seductive myths in leadership and organisational change – the myth of the "silver bullet." From tales of vampires and werewolves to the Lone Ranger’s legendary single shot, Steve uses storytelling to explore why leaders are so often tempted by the idea that a single, magical solution can solve their organisation’s most complex problems.

Steve takes aim at quick fixes, challenging the traditional ways leadership development is approached and questioning why companies are still pouring millions into programmes that deliver little more than "better sameness." He highlights the flawed model of consulting firms that run on the backs of "grinders, minders and finders," revealing how this dependency perpetuates superficial change rather than real transformation.

The conversation also tackles the role of AI in organisations, as Steve asks whether AI is being hailed as the next silver bullet – spoiler: it’s not. He explains why our obsession with technological solutions often distracts from addressing the deeper human challenges in leadership and change.

Steve doesn’t shy away from uncomfortable truths, pointing out the existential fear that drives leaders to look for certainty and quick solutions.

Key Takeaways

• The Myth of the Silver Bullet: Using metaphors from folklore and myth, Steve explains why the search for a single perfect solution – whether it’s in leadership or AI – fails to address the complexity of organisational challenges.
• Grinders, Minders and Finders: Steve critiques the consulting industry’s business model, which prioritises profit over genuine capability-building, creating a cycle of dependency rather than true leadership growth.
• The Problem with Performative Leadership Development: Many leadership programmes are disconnected from real-world challenges, focusing on theory rather than practice. Steve advocates for reflexivity and applied learning.
• AI: Not the Next Silver Bullet: While AI has potential Steve warns against seeing it as a magic fix for organisational problems. Leaders must focus on how technology supports human intelligence, not replaces it.
• Leadership in a Complex World: Effective leadership isn’t about following rigid frameworks, it’s about navigating uncertainty, challenging assumptions, and being willing to step into the discomfort of not knowing.
• HR’s Role in Change: HR departments can fall prey to the allure of quick fixes, but they also mirror the wider leadership culture. Steve urges HR to ask uncomfortable questions and push for deeper, systemic change.

Throughout the episode Steve offers practical advice on how leaders can shift their mindset, develop critical thinking skills, and move away from a reliance on "fix-it-all" solutions.

Interested in insights about people leadership, HR and the future of work?
Seize and shape the future of work with The People Space, a leading digital HR magazine for forward-thinking leaders. We empower you to put people at the heart of work, navigating the evolving intersection of technology, business and human insight. Join us in building a future where people and machines collaborate for a more human-centric workplace

• Sign up for our free fortnightly newsletter
• Follow Siân on LinkedIn
• HR vendor or consultant? Check our the HR PR and Content Marketing Tips Blog
• Follow The People Space on Facebook

In this episode, Siân Harrington interviews Catherine Garrod, author of Conscious Inclusion: How to ‘do’ EDI one decision at time who helped entertainment company Sky become the Most Inclusive Employer in the UK, about why, despite billions of dollars of investment, little progress has been made in the area of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in organizations.

We discuss the importance of inclusion in the workplace, the challenges organizations face in creating more inclusive cultures and the practical steps they can take to make progress. We also talk about the traps that organizations can fall into when trying to create more inclusive cultures and how to avoid these traps to make real progress towards inclusion.

Key takeaways:

• Inclusion is not about ticking boxes or meeting quotas. It's about creating a workplace where everyone feels valued, heard and involved
• There are three main traps that organizations can fall into when trying to create more inclusive cultures: fear, accountability and the illusion of inclusion
• The first step to creating a more inclusive culture is to start with inclusion, not diversity
• Create a clear plan for inclusion and track progress regularly
• Identify the good things that you're already doing and the gaps that need to be filled
• Be aware of the challenges of flexible working and the evolution of technology and how to ensure that these changes are inclusive for everyone.

If you're interested in learning more about how to make your organization more inclusive, then this episode is for you.

About Catherine Garrod

Catherine is the founder of Compelling Culture and author of Conscious Inclusion: How to ‘do’ EDI one decision at time. She led Sky to become the Most Inclusive Employer in the UK, with 80% of teams increasing their diversity. Now as a consultant, she combines the power of listening, employee engagement, diversity and inclusion, to make the complex simple. And collaborates to define practical actions people can implement today, tomorrow and the day after, to transform the organisations she works with. Clients using her inclusion diagnostic are achieving a 15% improvement within 18 months.

Interested in insights about people leadership, HR and the future of work?
Seize and shape the future of work with The People Space, a leading digital HR magazine for forward-thinking leaders. We empower you to put people at the heart of work, navigating the evolving intersection of technology, business and human insight. Join us in building a future where people and machines collaborate for a more human-centric workplace

• Sign up for our free fortnightly newsletter
• Follow Siân on LinkedIn
• HR vendor or consultant? Check our the HR PR and Content Marketing Tips Blog
• Follow The People Space on Facebook