Most workplaces require a ‘reformation’, consultant Blaire Palmer will tell the Travel Convention in October. With just three weeks to go to the Convention, she explained why to Ian Taylor
Business leaders need to rethink how they lead, according to business consultant and author Blaire Palmer who will make the case for “a workplace reformation” when she addresses Abta’s Travel Convention in October.
Palmer argues: “We talk about mental health, wellbeing and workplace culture, but we operate very much on an industrial age model at work.”
She suggests the Covid-19 pandemic “surfaced the deep frustration” of a lot of employees at work, arguing: “People are asking ‘Is my work worth the sacrifice?’ A new generation is saying ‘I’m not going to work beyond my hours’.
“Business leaders are realising what used to work doesn’t work anymore. They see a tension between what employees want and what they need from employees.”
We’ve seen a widespread switch to flexible working, but Palmer argues: “We’ve misunderstood what hybrid working should be about, [thinking] it’s about a better work-life balance [when] the real question is ‘How can people do their best work?’”
She notes: “There is work that requires deep thought where there is no advantage to being in an office, and there is work that requires collaborative effort that requires you be in the office.”
The problem, according to Palmer, is that most leaders “don’t really trust people”. Yet she argues: “Most people find huge reward in doing a good job. So, the question is, what is the best environment for people to work?”
She adds: “One of the pressures on leaders is to come up with answers. But they should come up with better questions so people closer to problems come up with solutions.
“Leaders often say they want people to step up and take ownership of an issue. They say they want empowerment, but businesses still have a command-and-control style of leadership. They don’t want to empower people There is no vacuum for people to step into.”
Palmer insists: “Leaders need to distribute decision making and support people to make better decisions.”
She says: “I’m not saying self-management is the answer. Employees talk a lot about wanting autonomy. But what you really want is for employees to see themselves as citizens of an organisation. That is different to being autonomous.”
Palmer tells business leaders: “If you want your business to exist in five years, you have to do something different. Do you trust your people? What if you loosened the reins?
“The system of work now keeps a lot of talent trapped. That is why people complain when they get home. The standard models of leadership don’t work. A good CEO should be wondering what their job is because everyone is doing it.”
But she argues: “You don’t have to rip everything up and start again. I call it a workplace reformation, not a revolution.”