Working in a New World
“Happy New Year everyone! Now that we are settling into the new year, I wanted to recap what I noticed from 2022 and where we are headed as a working culture in 2023 and beyond. Most of us experienced a long and draining 2022, trying to figure out how to gain new business, battling through recessionary challenges, fighting our way out of the supply chain mess, trying to figure out how to get our employees settled into new work schedules, working on our culture, trying to plan ahead for future scenarios, or just working on our mental health with new work/life balances.
We are definitely in a new world. So many things have changed so quickly, that it is hard to find our new normal. I felt like I was in a blur for a lot of the year. I felt motivated. Then I would feel unmotivated to do anything. I didn’t know where to start. I didn’t know what to focus on. The biggest help for me was talking to other business owners and focusing on driving forward and plowing through. The easiest way for me to do that is to connect with people and focus on networking and business development. For others, it’s not as easy and I know there are people still trying to figure out what their role is or what their futures look like. Some companies have figured it out with a good hybrid work model that works for their culture and employees. Many others are still struggling – either as a company or owner of a company or as an individual. One thing that I know is that the pandemic forced all of us to revisit our lives, our perspectives, our work/life balances, our mental health, and what is important to us. Everything is different now in our world. How we respond and where we go in the future will determine the amount of joy we get out of our work careers.”
“The hottest topic coming out of the pandemic is how people like to work vs. how employers like us to work. It’s a battle of employees wanting more out of their work experience vs. what they were used to pre-pandemic. I have the luxury of co-owning a Steelcase furniture dealership where we have access to Global research from Steelcase and other large companies such as Gensler and real estate giants CBRE and JLL. These companies literally study and survey employees around the globe to see what they want in their work experiences. By far out of all categories, people want flexibility. They want to work when they are at their best, they want to work from home when it makes sense, they want to travel whenever they want (and continue to work while traveling), and they definitely still want human connection. They want balance in all of these areas. Companies that have a strong culture, attention to employee career planning, and a strong flexible hybrid work schedule for their employees are in a great position. They are finding a good balance between empowering their employees to work when and where they do their best work and creating a great office experience for their employees when human connection and face-to-face work are needed. They don’t shove forced schedules down the throats of their employees. They show trust and empowerment while maintaining a strong culture. This is what I see works the best – and every company is different in how this actually gets executed.
Owning a coworking business has also been interesting to watch how people are working in the new world. Our members at Worklab come and go at all different times now – some come early in the morning, some come in mid-morning, some leave after lunch to work at home, and some come back in the evenings to work. People are choosing when they want to work. It used to be that we would see a morning rush and everyone would leave at 4:30 pm or 5 pm to go home. I also have noticed that our meeting room business is coming back. This means that people are remembering how important it is to meet off-site away from the office and distractions. Some meeting groups are meeting for the first time in person still. This amazes me that it’s been over 2+ years since they met in person! I’m also seeing a lot more strategic planning meetings where leadership teams are coming together to scenario plan more often for their companies. We have also started to promote corporate memberships heavily where companies can have their employees use our space on their “work from home days” because they know their employees will be in a professional environment away from the distractions at home.”
“Coworking spaces like ours at Worklab are a great tool to support working in this new world. Management can feel confident their employees are working in an environment that is designed for productivity. Giving employees a stipend or supporting a punch card expense can fit in perfectly with your company’s hybrid work model. Having an inspiring place to meet off-site is also a great way to get your team together away from your uninspiring office to work on strategic planning or scenario plans for the uncertain future we all face.
I truly believe 2023 will be a refreshing year for all of us as we figure out how to work in this new world we all live in today. I believe companies will settle into their new normal and will do everything in their power to create positive work experiences for their employees. If we all focus on pushing through and creating positive new experiences while being open to new ways of working, we will all begin to flourish in this crazy new world.”
-Mark Custer, owner of Worklab by Custer