Return To Gathering

We at Tosha have been doing a lot of thinking alongside our clients about how we return to gathering in a hybrid model. How can we evolve, innovate and create in a new way that draws on the best of both worlds? We’d like to share with you some resources and ideas that could help as you explore this new hybrid working paradigm.

Resources

This podcast episode from Brene Brown's ‘Dare to Lead’ is in conversation with Priya Parker (author of The Art of Gathering) Where they discuss the questions individuals and organisations should be asking as we start returning to the office:

1. What have we learnt and what is needed now?

2. What is the role of a leader in managing a hybrid workforce?

3. How can we ensure access and equity in the hybrid model of work?

4. How do you restructure hybrid meetings to have full participation?

This article on how Google will be managing the return, including adjusting pay for location, redesigning their office with ‘campfire’ meeting circles in place of boardroom tables and providing everyone with 4 weeks to work anywhere they like in the world.

Ideas

Pulse Checks

We believe its now more important than ever to be regularly in conversation with your teams about whats working/ and whats not through asking insightful questions. This could be through facilitated listening circles, through anonymous surveys or by asking pre-set questions within team meetings and using breakouts to give an opportunity for discussion. We need regular pulse checks that allow everyone equal opportunity to share their opinions and have a voice in how you design your companies culture in this new world. Designing and adapting as we learn in a collaborative way is the only answer to a problem never faced before!

Coaching + 1:1s

Its not easy to gauge motivation levels, emotions and disagreement when working in-person and even less so when working remotely. Equipping your leaders with coaching skills and instituting a framework of questions, feedback sharing both ways and a cadence for regular 1:1s will support ensuring no-one gets left behind.

Facilitated connection

Holding regular online and in-person opportunities for people across teams and locations to gather, share and talk about topics outside of the day to day work will support building strong relationship and a sense of belonging at work that could otherwise be missing without everyone working together in one location. When facilitated well these types of sessions can really help people get to know each other at a much deeper level, it can help spark new ideas for the work and culture and it can open up new perspectives and thinking. This could be through Labs where there is a lot of discussion and experiential learning, Listening Circles, Employee Resource Groups or Discussions groups like book and film clubs and talks with Q+As.