It all started with a conversation….
Whilst being interviewed by Michelle Bookoff–Bajdek onSkillsoft’s excellent podcast The Edge I mentioned that I’d like to see some research on unwritten rules of work.
👉🏽Those things that nobody says but we all assume to be true and build a story around.
👉🏽The accidental culture that gets created in a communication void.
👉🏽The ‘them and us’ relationship that is evident in many organisations.
The rise in remote and hybrid working offers a new opportunity to re-write the unwritten rules of your organisation – to intentionally create a way of being that allows you to do your best work and feel great doing it!
One example is how we undermine our own influence without even knowing it. During the Zoom revolution, I counted how many times people introduced themselves or said hello with an apology. Here are some corkers:
I’m sorry about having a messy background/my camera off/being on the sofa
I’m sorry I have a cat/children/builders outside…
And my all time favourite one…
I’m sorry I haven’t finished the fake tan on my legs!
The ‘sorry for having an actual life’ hello was especially noticeable from women.
Why do we introduce ourselves by apologising for what is sometimes simply taking up space?
🥁Introducing – The New Unwritten Rules 🥁
You can listen to the podcast interview here and download the resulting collaborative ebook, ‘Rewriting The Unwritten Rules of The Workplace’, developed with HR leaders here.
We explore the often accidentally created unwritten rules, how they affect employees and businesses, and how the pandemic has caused many of these rules to be questioned for all the right reasons.
Whether you’re an employee trying to achieve a healthier work-life balance, or an employer hoping to minimise turnover and increase productivity while embedding high standards of wellbeing across your organisation, this ebook offers helpful insight into navigating the post-pandemic workplace.
Which New Unwritten Rules will you take into your workplace to make positive change?
Here’s where you’ll find me…