Work that works

So says PepsiCo with their new flexible working model, ‘work that works’... in this article

80,000 staff will never work a standard 9-5 working week again. 

“Instead, the business has empowered its managers to determine which of their team members are needed in the office and when, and what work can be completed remotely, on a project-by-project basis.”

Wow! It’s pretty big isn’t it. And yes, plenty of companies have been working like this for awhile (some for years) but for most leaders, this is new. 

This strategy has been 8 months in the planning and is rolling out across 200 locations. 

2.5 days in the office and it’s now all about ‘outputs’. 

Leaders will need to step up to higher levels of communication, engagement … and leadership! 

Good for employees? Yes, and PepsiCo says hybrid working is good for business too. 

As each company expresses publicly its hybrid strategy - or its ‘forever work from home’ strategy (hello Atlassian Twitter  Facebook  Unilever  Spotify  Square Microsoft Slack Google … and many more) - the competition for talent increases. And this could be some of the talent that’s currently working for you, with you. 

Don’t be complacent. What’s your ‘work that works’ strategy, PesioCo-style? 

Resisting the flexible future

It’s not that we have to work remotely, it’s that we are ‘clinging’ to office based practices. 

At least someone or some people are clinging. It may not be you. You might be good to go with a more flexible working arrangement. 

But clinging to old practices has happened for centuries. The new is uncertain. 

‘We’re not adopting new ways until we have proof that they work’, said a leader recently. ‘I’ll wait to see what the results are for others first, then I’ll consider whether I will adopt the new way,’ said another. 

These are examples of clinging. 

Waiting. 

Waiting to see. Watching others. Potentially you watch competitors moving first. And because there is greater flexibility on offer, many many more companies become your competitors …in the war for talent. 

The when, where and how we work are still clinging to location. 

And the meetings drain persists. 

There are absolutely better ways. I work with teams and leaders every day, helping them learn and experience new and better ways of working. We try things out, learn, experiment, get comfortable and do some new things. We do less clinging. 

This article in The Guardian by Alexia Cambon, Research Director at Gartner shares more. I’m keen to read her research, ‘Redesigning work for the hybrid world’. 👏🏽 

Let go some more. Experiment, learn and adapt with this change we are in. Less clinging. 

You know that ‘cooked’ or fried brain feeling ...

When we’re overloaded with too much information, our response might be to say, ‘I can’t take anymore, I’m done.’ 

The ‘I’m done’ statement sounds like we are cooked, roasted, ‘done’ 
and baked. 

And in a way, we are. 

Our brain feels fried and full and there isn’t any more space to take in more content, information or learning.

Whatever we try to add in, seems to overflow and doesn’t stick or stay there. This is cognitive overload. 

Like the overflowing of a dam wall, rising river waters in times of flood, a monster tide on the full moon or a 
glass overflowing at the kitchen sink: all of these situations show 
us what is happening in our brains with information. 

There’s too much information for the space available.

Our brain doesn’t seem to have evolved to cope with the huge amounts of information we’re expecting it to today. 

We don’t help ourselves by doing these 3 things: 

1. trying to just ‘soak up’ information 
2. multitasking with more than one device or source of information 
and
3. repeatedly switching between the sources. 

Look out for when you’re feeling cooked and ‘done’. It’s a clear signal to try a new or different way of handling information. And we don’t have to suffer this. 

Check if you’re doing any of the 3 things listed above. As you reduce these and bring in contrasting behaviours that help with cognitive load coping, you’ll feel better ... quickly. 

Read more in my book:
‘Argh! Too much information, not enough brain: A practical guide to outsmarting overwhelm’. 

Psychological safety in a hybrid world

The mix of some people here, some people there, some people anywhere, is creating this hybrid world of work. 

And it requires some subtle responses. 

Psychological safety is still psychological safety. No matter where people are working from. 

Amy Edmondson’s work is extended here in collaboration with Mark Mortensen in this Harvard Business Review article that’s a must read for leaders and managers. 

Navigating the hybrid world of work requires a step by step process. 

‘I love your posts and pictures!’, they said

‘Oh, thank you,’ I said. ‘Now theres a heap of them together ... in the one place.’ 

I’ve curated a collection of ideas, posts and imagery from the last year or so and published them in ‘Better Ways of Thinking and Working’. 

In this era of change, uncertainty and complexity, how are you adopting better ways of thinking and working? 

What are these better ways, anyway … and how do you get started?

In this 180 page full colour collection of practical and mind-shifting essays, you’ll find inspiration, insights and a path to better.

It also features the practical, creative and inspiring hand-drawn visuals that accompany many of my ideas. 

When you need a shot of insight, a change of perspective or a reframing about how you could do things, possibilities are on every page. 


‘Better Ways of Thinking and Working: How Changing The Way You Do Things, Changes What You Can Do’. 

Get it here