We’re back for season two of our very own Raising the Roof podcast where our CEO and host Nick Atkin sits down to tackle topical issues head on with some special guests.
We’ve hit the ground running in our first episode with Jenny Hill, Founder and Director of Ingo Interiors, and Beckie Hart, Regional Director for Yorkshire and the Humber at The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) as we looked at flexible working, the four-day week trial, Elon Musk’s controversial email to employees and workplace wellbeing.
Everyone was talking about that Elon Musk email where Tesla employees were told to get behind their desks or say goodbye. Apparently, companies that don’t have employees on site don’t innovate! Not something we agree with and neither did our guests.
Beckie Hart said: “A one size fits all method just doesn’t work, and our CBI guide to hybrid working explains why. We have to remember that there’s a cohort of employees coming into business who don’t know anything different!
“It’s very difficult to place candidates in businesses that are not offering any flexible or hybrid working arrangements, and employers are having to look at other ways they can make the work-life balance attractive because it’s not an option to keep increasing salaries all the time.”
So, is it all location, location, location when it comes to where we work?
Jenny sees each client’s brief as a character which translates into a design that works for them, “I think the Yorkshire Housing approach of Hub, Home and Roam is the way to go because people need all sorts of different support so having a friendly environment, like a hub, for colleagues helps both mental and physical wellbeing. I think the biggest thing is getting it out of our psyche that the workplace is somewhere where you’re told where to sit and what to do.”
3,300 employees.70 different businesses. One thing in common; the four-day week trial. The possibility of a three day weekend is on the cards in exchange for increased productivity, better wellbeing and boosted work-life balance… what’s not to love? Here at Yorkshire Housing, we did away with the typical 9-5 workday to give our colleagues better flexibility, and putting down that parental control means that colleagues regain responsibility. We’re all adults, right?
We loved Jenny’s analogy of the work week being like storage if the space is there we’ll fill it! It’s spot on and if we’re fulfilling our job descriptions does it matter what hours on which days we’re doing the work?
Thanks to our guests Beckie and Jenny for joining us on Raising the Roof. To hear the full conversation, or catch up on season one, head to Spotify or Apple Podcasts and follow our channel so you don’t miss the next one.