HR Leaders Workshop: May 17th
Session #1
How to Enhance the Employee Experience that Prioritises Wellbeing by Taking a Collaborative Approach
As organisations around the world embrace hybrid work, they’re looking to level the playing field across all work and collaboration touchpoints. They want to know how to build connections with their teams ensuring everyone can participate fully, no matter where or how they join a meeting or a brainstorm session. Organisations who enable a hybrid work experience that enhances collaboration, strengthens human connection, and increases wellbeing for every employee — wherever and however they work — will see an increase in productivity, drive employee retention and attract new talent.
What you will learn:
How do people working "somewhere else" stay connected with those in the office?
How can all employees better manage their time and attention?
How can technology support wellbeing, so everyone can maximize their impact?
Session #2
Reimagining the Workplace Culture: How to build Trust between Employees and Employers in a Hybrid Working World?
Hybrid Working World is here to stay and if done right it will lead to strong benefits including employee retention, higher productivity and better well-being. In fact there is a lot of research showing that remote and hybrid working has provided a short-term productivity boost in most workplaces. However, productivity and performance gains may have come at the expense of longer term employee trust. Leadership and culture are crucial areas of execution risk. So how do leaders and companies cultivate a constructive culture when people aren’t in the office together?
What you will learn:
How to sustain company culture In a hybrid work model?
What are the concrete tactics to create the conditions for effective culture in a hybrid environment?
What role does technology play in company culture and bringing employees and employers together in a meaningful way without putting a strain on well-being?
Thanks to Google for partnering with us to bring you this content
Find out why hybrid is about more than just where you work, and learn how Google transitioned to a hybrid workplace.
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Chris: So, let's dive in. I want to start with the most important question of this whole interview; what's your favourite LEGO set, and why?
Melissa: I love the 1989 LEGO Batmobile. Any Batman product, really! I love that movie. I remember watching it and wanting to be Batman back in the day.
Chris: That's pretty cool. I love the fact you're specific about the date as well.
Melissa: Absolutely! There's a lot of different Batmobiles out there.
Loren: When you're a fan of Batman, you need to get the specifics right.
Melissa: Absolutely!
Chris: What about you, Loren? Last time we spoke, there was a lot of LEGO in the background.
Loren: It's super tough. There's always a lot of LEGO sets in my office, but probably my favourite at the moment, which you may have seen in our last call, which is the Titanic.
It's not only my favourite because it looks absolutely extraordinary when it's built – it's a huge build! 10,000 pieces – but I got to build it with my nephew and don't tell anyone, but he built 99% of it. I put a few bricks. But it's just a phenomenal set. The details are extraordinary.
James: So, for me, my favourite set of movies is Star Wars. The Y-Wing from 1977 is just like the ultimate! And I was so pleased when it was brought out because I still remember the original movie: the Y-Wing going into a town, the attack run; I think it's one of the most underrepresented spacecrafts. Everyone loves the Millennium Falcon, but the Y-Wing I built 2 Christmas's ago.
Chris: I love that. I love the fact that in each of you, it evokes an emotion and the memory - the childhood memory - of you watching the movie, and it brings it all back, right?
For me, it was the Millennium Falcon. We couldn't afford it growing up, but my mum came home from a market and she somehow got hold of one. I treasured that thing. I was like, “Literally mine!” None of my brothers and sister could play with it, as well. But it's like the emotional connection that you have to it; it sticks with you as part of your childhood. Right?
Loren: Yeah, and that's what's so wonderful about the LEGO brand. When you tell people that you work for the LEGO Group, including border official, the guys or gals who take your passports, often they'll ask, “What are you doing here?” I'll say, “Oh, I work for the LEGO Group.” And they not only smile, they give you a story.
Chris: Exactly. No matter what country, or culture, or background, LEGO transcends all cultures and all languages, which is pretty cool. On that point, then, what would you say is the 'why' and 'purpose' of LEGO?
Loren: This is very important.
Chris: No pressure.
Loren: The mission of the company is very clearly stated. I think it is synonymous with our purpose, which is to ‘inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow’, the builders of tomorrow being the children who are going to inherit the planet from us and, you know, how to inspire them in a fun and exciting way through learning, through play experiences, through building experiences, the joy of building, the pride of creation; to hopefully build a better world for themselves and for future generations.
Chris: I don't think you can add to that now?
Melissa: (Laughing) No!
Chris: How would you say, Melissa, it alines with your own purpose?
Melissa: So, my own purpose loosely canters with ‘horses through tangled spider webs’. It's basically about trying to drive value – envision - through chaos and disorder. Whenever you're delivering change or growing a new function, it's exciting and chaotic, especially to navigate that change successfully so you achieve the value at the end. I get a lot of energy from it. So, of course, I'm doing all of that to try to support the overall LEGO brand mission, which is super exciting.
Chris: It's interesting when you talk about purpose; LEGO is a company that so many of the leaders have gone through the 'Leading With Purpose Programmes' that you do, ot whenever I speak to someone at LEGO, the fact that every single leader can define it so clearly and concisely, it always amazes me.
Loren: We have – probably approaching – 1500 colleagues who have been through the programme. It is important you have individuals who are clear about their own purpose and what's meaningful for them, what’s useful for them as an individual, then we all understand and connect with the LEGO Group's purpose. Then to find that intersection, that overlap, is where work becomes more than a job but something of a vocation, and something that we're all passionate about.
Chris: Yeah, definitely. James?
James: The process you go through is very powerful. So, my purpose is to spark the fire of potential because I have faith that ‘fish can climb rocks’. Going into that process, I knew that I was very driven by potential in people, in organisations, in systems. But, as you go through the 'purpose' development process, it's actually the diversity of inputs that helps you. I only landed at my purpose because five or six other colleagues spent two days with me, listening to my stories, listening to why I was the person I was, and helped me shape that.
Chris: Isn't that interesting, because when I went into the programme with Melissa, that was my biggest takeaway. What others could see in me, and helped me to define my purpose, was to be the Unbreakable Artists; that ‘Dance's into Life’. Growing up, I went through a lot of trauma at home. My escape was in creativity; whether it was LEGO, or painting, or drawing, sort of the Unbreakable Artist. I realised that where I get energy is from creativity, and creating, and I didn't even see that. It was actually the group that came to that realisation, and then dances you to life. I actually dance, so the ‘Dancer into Life’ is really around talent development. One of my biggest passions is seeing someone coming and helping them grow and develop and thrive. I didn't even realise it myself, but through that discovery of the group, super powerful, what people can see.
Loren: Absolutely. We actually did it before Melissa joined, which is why she went on a separate process. But when you do it as a group - and we have built on the experience - it builds a lot of cohesion amongst the team members, and I think we'll get to some of the themes of how we worked as a team, but I think some of the bedrock of how we function as a HR Leadership team was really formed on the back of that programme, and sharing our histories, our narratives, our stories, and playing back to each other. You know, what we saw as other people's gifts.
Chris: Yeah, I remember myself and Shane got a call from Nick at the time saying, “Come along”. I was like, “Aw, I don't have time for that, it's very fluffy.” I was very sceptical! I'm being honest. Then, one hour in, I'm sharing my most traumatic times as a child and my crucible story with the group and, suddenly, you've created this really strong bond. I've shared more with the strangers than I have with some of my closest friends and family members. That’s how me and Melissa met!