The Big Debate: Is Flexible Working REALLY The Future Of Work?

Sandra Panara, Director of Workplace Strategy at Relogix, and Robert Kenward, Chief Talent Officer and co-founder of YOU search and select, joins Bold Founder, Caleb Parker, to bring their different perspectives to the future of work conversation.

1. Should not being in the office be an excuse for not building relationships?
2. Will society fall back on tradition because that's what's worked in the past?
3. Will the office continue to be central to creating culture going forward?
4. Is establishing and maintaining culture more about proximity, or is it about curating an environment where people feel they belong?

In this episode we talk about the pros and cons of flexible working, the feeling of forced cultures, and how companies and talent should be aligning on shared values.

Tune in to hear how they (respectfully!) dual it out!

 

Connect with Sandra Panara on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/spanara/ 

Connect with Robert Kenward on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertkenwardeventprofs/  

Connect with Caleb Parker on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/calebparker/ 

If you have any questions or feedback on this episode, email podcast@workbold.co

 

Value Bombs

• We are seeing the hospitality and commercial real estate industries colliding – Caleb Parker
• We don't have to agree on everything, but dialogue and listening are key to understanding – Caleb Parker
• I think the future is the hybrid working and hybrid for me is a mix of what the employer needs and also what candidates need – Robert Kenward
• The Monday to Friday 9-5 is gone, it’s dead. And I think that's a wonderful thing that should be celebrated – Robert Kenward
• I think that flexible working has always existed. It's just never been formalized and as widely enjoyed by people as much as it has been in the last two years – Sandra Panara
• Some companies are using flexible working as a talent attraction & retention tool, and to compete with other companies that are going after the same talent – Caleb Parker
• What you'll start to see is hybrid working as talent attraction, but it needs boundaries – Robert Kenward
• Flexible working should be a personal choice - Sandra Panara
• Decentralization of the office might mean the same amount of space, but just better distributed to address some of the pain points that have been raised by the pandemic – Sandra Panara
• If you're not offering flexible working then you will lose talent – Robert Kenward
• Flexible is two way and the employer has to have a say in it – Robert Kenward
• People don’t achieve great things on command – Sandra Panara
• Companies need to trust their employees more– Sandra Panara
• Management is still managing based on old school thinking that you have to be in the office because that makes managing people easier – Sandra Panara

Resources

• Relogix website www.relogix.com 
• YOU search and select site www.yousas.co.uk 
• Robert’s events industry jobs board: The Hub.jobs https://www.thehub.jobs/cm/employers/about 
• Sandra’s podcast: Let's Get Real

 

Shout Outs 

• Fay Sharpe 
• Gabby Austen-Browne

 

About Sandra Panara

https://www.linkedin.com/in/spanara/ 

Sandra is Director of Workplace Insights and Strategy at Relogix, who help companies transform the experience of work using data to inform workplace professionals on space utilization and employee engagement as they transform offices for hybrid working. Sandra has both a deep and wide understanding of corporate real estate and technology with over 25 years hands-on experience, and she applies non-traditional approaches to extract deep learning from the most unsuspecting places in order to drive strategy. Her expertise ranges broadly from commercial real estate portfolio research, analytics and insights, workforce planning, space and occupancy planning, and work place strategy. 

 

About Robert Kenward

https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertkenwardeventprofs/ 

Robert is Chief Talent Officer, and co-founder of YOU search and select, a talent acquisition firm for the events industry here in the UK. Robert has over 20 years experience in the recruitment and events sectors, and brings a unique perspective of hiring from all angles as a candidate, a client, and a recruiter. He brings an honest and pragmatic approach to recruitment, matching the personal and career aspirations of candidates to a company's business growth plans. In 2020, he launched The Hub, a global and industry specific people in jobs board to help people in the events industry find work, and for employers and recruiters to find the right industry specific talent. He also helps agencies attract and retain director and C-level talent by providing #executivesearch and selection services through his specialist recruitment business, Fitability®. This bespoke programme enables Robert to match a candidate’s personal and career aspirations to a company’s growth plan which in turn supports retention.

 

Sponsors

Fortune Favours the Bold

Bold merges property management & Space-as-a-Service to drive asset value and help office customers grow faster. Now part of NewFlex (www.workbold.co) 

 

Future Proof Your Portfolio with NewFlex

NewFlex delivers and manages a range of branded solutions for every type of building, in every type of location, for every type of occupier. Including the flexibility to develop your own brand. All enabled by flexible management contracts where we are invested in making money for you. (www.newflex.com)

 

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