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#40, Start a Workstyle Revolution: Why flexible working isn’t working w/ Lizzie Penny & Alex Hirst

2022/12/13

Anatomy of a Leader with Maria Hvorostovsky

Shownotes Transcript

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“Flexible working is our nemesis. It’s embarrassing that our collective imagination has only been able to tweak the 9 to 5 working day” said Lizzie Penny and Alex Hirst founders of Hoxby and co-authors of Workstyle Revolution: A revolution for wellbeing, productivity and society, a Sunday Times Bestseller.

When I found out about Lizzie’s and Alex’s book Workstyle - I knew immediately I had to have them on the show, as their perspective throws another light on why hybrid and flexible working has been baffling HR Directors and leaders everywhere.

Hoxby is a purpose-led organisation born out of the necessity to create ‘a happier, more fulfilled society through a world of work without bias’.

They employ more than 1,000 diverse freelancers who all work remotely across 30 countries and have been a case study in how to create digital first, successful, collaborative, productive and happy teams without a physical office.

In Episode 40 Lizzie, Alex and I talk about the perils of presenteeism, disrupting the outdated 9 to 5 model, diversity and inclusion, the dark side of autonomy and how to tackle it.

Their book Workstyle Revolution is a beacon of hope in our burnout culture, an alternative to the massively outdated 9 to 5.

If you are an HR Director, CEO or are grappling with employee engagement - this is a must watch / listen.

WE DISCUSS

02:08 - In which way the world of work is broken?

07:35 - Flexible working vs workstyle

11:54 - How can companies relinquish control?

24:34 - The dark side of autonomy

38:03 - Is being fulfilled in work a modern phenomenon?

43:54 - Why is Lizzie’s name first in the book?

47:32 - Diversity and inclusion for HR directors

52:10 - What’s the biggest obstacle to making workstyle the default way of working?

58:59 - Introverts vs Extroverts going back to the office