While no one knows what the new normal will look like, there’s no going back to the old normal. How can businesses build a new workplace culture? COMUNiTI’s Katie Hamilton shares her thoughts.
“We’ve been talking about the future of work for years, and just like that, this future of work has now become reality,” says Hamilton, experience manager for workplace strategy and design firm 
COMUNiTI.
“Businesses have been forced into a pressure cooker and the whole foundations of how they have traditionally been operating is being tested.”
It’s not just the ability to produce work that is under stress, Hamilton adds. It’s how teams come together to adapt to change and stay connected.
“Businesses have been given an opportunity to really evaluate their workplace cultures and see how they stand up to different ways of operating.” So how can workplaces set the foundations for this new world of work?
1. Consider your organisation’s true purpose
Purpose is the new currency of business, Hamilton says. “Working with and for a purpose is one of the most underrated desires of modern-day employees. If your organisation’s purpose is more about the why, your team is more likely to be truly connected to it and you are more likely to adapt and innovate in times of disruption.” If you need to kick-start the process, watch Simon Sinek’s clip Start with Why. Hamilton says a company’s purpose should “incite an emotive response”.
2. Take stock of your values
“Have you been using your values to guide your decisions?” Hamilton asks. “If the answer is no, don’t dismay. Instead, dig a little deeper to diagnose this further. How enabled and empowered are your teams to live by the values? And what resources and structures have you got in place to bring these to life?”
“We are also seeing a lot of businesses start to evolve their values after recognising that as their business starts to transform, so do the values and behaviours need to become more future-proof,” Hamilton adds.
3. Cultivate human-centred leaders
“The leadership landscape of now is vastly different,” Hamilton says. “Now is a great opportunity to upskill your leaders.” Human-centred leaders create psychological safety, demonstrate empathy and compassion, ‘coach’ instead of manage, and display high emotional and social intelligence, Hamilton adds.
4. Revaluate the true purpose of your workplace
An organisation’s purpose and values set the foundation of culture; the next “piece of the puzzle” is the physical workplace, Hamilton explains. “If most employees can perform work from anywhere, what is the purpose of your physical office?” Workplaces should foster human interaction and connection, “so how is your workplace set up to facilitate this, whether that be in the office, or as a virtual environment?”.
“A lot of businesses are focusing on creating a new employee experience, now that the ‘workplace’ is online”.
The way we work may have changed, but the fundamentals of success have not, Hamilton adds.
“Organisations with the right foundations in place will be – and always have been – the best placed to succeed, regardless of what comes their way.”