From Baby Boomers to Generation Alpha - examining how to manage a multi-generational workforce, how to appeal across the ages and how to recognise how behaviours are changing - this has never been more important as we emerge out of the pandemic. Dr. Eliza Filby
Building for Better Human Connection Dr. Eliza Filby, Generations Expert and Future of Work Specialist www.elizafilby.com The future of the office remains at the crossroads, shaped by the ongoing remote debate in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. For the last few years leaders and managers have adopted both a carrot-and-stick approach to entice workers back, without considering what an office itself is for. Many employees have understandably felt ambivalent about a place where they just sit at their desk with their headphones on in constant meetings with others who happen to be working remotely. Let's remember how the best workplaces have functioned in the past. The office has historically been a key space for forging friendships, mentoring relationships and yes, often romantic partnerships. In a post-Covid era where the digital world dominates, we humans crave this human connection more than ever, but are today's offices fit for purpose? In our increasingly digitalized working day—where meetings have surged by 150% since the pandemic—there's little time or space left for meaningful human interaction. Only 45% of global workers would say that their social wellbeing is good or excellent. As artificial intelligence continues to dominate, it's now critical that we think of the office as a key space to nurture our social health. In short, we need buildings that build human connection. A place where people can truly interrelate—where laughter flows, conversations unfold, and yes, even gossip thrives. That is how the most meaningful employee loyalty is built. The key to re-engaging workers with the office isn’t recreating a culture of presenteeism linked to promotions, but something even more enticing: creating a sense of FOMO, that they are missing out on the human connection of a socially thriving office, one that simply can’t be replicated at home or in a café.
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