You couldn’t work from there ... could you?

How many work places and work spaces might you have? 

One? Two? Three?

‘Third place’ is a term from Ray Oldenburg, sociologist and author of ‘The Great Good Place’. 

The third place came about as suburbs grew : ‘if our homes were the “first” place, and our offices the “second” place, then the “third” place was most everything in between - or the more informal places where community gatherings would occur.’

As remote and hybrid work keeps evolving at speed, this third space has the potential to become more mainstream for many of us. 

What makes a good third space? 

Think about the places that ‘encourage repetitive visits and longer stays’. 

Cafes. 
Parks. 
Bank foyers. 
Building lobbies. 
Clubs. 
Co-working spaces. 
Your car. 
A friend’s place. 

Where else would you hang out to work? 

▶️ Read more in this article by Kaley Overstreet on the third place. 

Your brain fog is real

The thick, foggy feels of the past year aren’t only happening to you or just in your mind ... it’s a real thing. 

“After a year of lockdown, many of us are finding it hard to think clearly, or remember what happened when”.

Less social interaction, heightened uncertainty, a low-grade kind of trauma underpinning our life ... 

“People are finding themselves more sluggish – their physical and mental weight is somehow heavier, hard to carry around”. 

If you’re leading a team, and you’re not acknowledging or noticing this, it’s time to. 

And if you’ve felt it but aren’t doing anything but persisting and pushing on through, it’s also time to acknowledge it... 

Psychologists say, “For some of us, brain fog will be a temporary state, and will clear as we begin to live more varied lives.”

The sooner you can vary things, at home, at your desk, in your surroundings, throughout your day... the sooner the fog will lift. 

Read more in this great article in The Guardian ... and acknowledge the fog. 

The overwork of remote work

Productivity might be up but the dangers of overworking are right there too. 

With thinner lines between work time and home time, and the office just a virtual click away, the dangers of overworking have been revealed in the Microsoft Work Trends Index. 

It’s not sustainable ... even if it’s easy to work longer hours. 

It’s not healthy ... even if you forget to take a break. 

It’s not truly being productive ... if you’re exhausted. 

Leaders of remote and hybrid teams must engage in ways that uncover the well-being of that team. 

Look at your working day : 
- do you ‘push through’ or take breaks? 
- do you work anywhere anytime or have boundaries? 
- do you keep going and work through what would have been commute time? 

Change to the nature of work requires adaptability from us humans. But take care... the trends of the last year are revealing our tendency to overwork. 

Would you work in a tent

Leave a door open and someone may scold us with, ‘Were you born in a tent? Close the door!’

Tents and forts made from blankets and furniture are a playful memory from many childhoods. 

And while there are pro and anti camping camps out there (you know, ‘I don’t do camping/We only do glamping’) there’s an interesting use of tents that’s popping up. 

Providing shelter, protection, coziness and keeping people safely distant at work ... how about this: would you work in a tent? 

This article shares some of the thinking and benefits to segregated spaces in covid safe workplaces. 

As a long time camper, I am here for the tent!

And don’t get me started on caravans ... particularly the retro allure of an Airstream. I reckon that’s got productivity and creativity written all over it!

Would you? Work in a tent? 

12 insights on how workplaces are changing

Traditional workplaces are changing. And we have to change with the change! 

Check out these 12 insights from Harvard Business School faculty members like Amy Edmondson, Tsedal Neeley, Raffaella Sadun and more. 

Whether you agree with them all or not, they show the scope and extent of how workplaces are changing. 

Here’s the 12 :

1 Prioritise face time at the office
2 Have honest conversations with employees
3 Weigh the risks of loneliness
4 Consider a flexible hybrid approach
5 Be honest about the company’s needs
6 Keep talking about caregiving obligations
7 Show compassion amid the stress
8 Be sensitive to trauma and burn out
9 Lead with empathy
10 Prove that your building is healthy
11 Reject virtual work at your company’s peril
12 Be fair when deciding who works remotely

And .... 
13 make work inspiring at the office or not. 

Each one opens up a range of questions for conversation and consideration. 

Which of them are ringing bells for you? 

Read the full article or bookmark it for a later read. It’s a beauty!