Hi Community !

Are we changing our work habits ?
What are the proposed solutions
for tomorrow.

Do you struggle to wake up during the week? Do you dread opening up your work email inbox? Do
you hate team projects? Do the words “cross-disciplinary, communal, meetings, presentation” fill
you with anxiety? Keep on reading, this article is for you! Oh and if the things listed above don’t ring
any bells…still stick with us, there’s something for you too!
Do you know how much time we spend at work on average? Approximately 32 years… that’s a lot of
time spent in an unpleasant work environment, wouldn’t you say? Yes. We agree!
The work environment is an important factor in the fulfilment of employees. Stress, anguish and
anxiety and even discomfort should not be part of daily life for your employees. Management teams
are largely responsible for the creation of a pleasant and respectful work atmosphere for all workers,
but not just that! How do you create a positive work environment?
The first stage is very often the one that many overlook. Quite simply, take the temperature
within your teams. Listen to the rumblings in the corridors, observe the relationships
between colleagues. You’ll find that you’ll learn a lot about the environment in which they
operate. Pay attention to the body language they display, are they tense? Do they smile
readily? Do they complain a lot? Do coffee breaks go on a long time, too often? These are
easily identifiable signs which will help you to analyse the well-being of your employees.
Occasionally, they indicate the employees’ need to distance themselves from the tasks
assigned or even from their co-workers.

• Address the problem by opening up dialogue, conduct surveys, invite your workers to
  individual meetings. Go the extra mile! The well-being of your employees is the secret to
  their productivity. It’s down to these exchanges that you will be able to find actionable
  solutions in both the short and long term.
• Find actionable solutions. Discussing is all well and good but acting on things is really the
  way forward. Professional relationships are…still “RELATIONSHIPS” AND as with all
  relationships, actions speak louder than words. Your employees need to feel integrated and
  heard, considered, valued – should we continue with the adjectives or do you get the
  picture?? If positivity and peace of mind are your goals, then this needs to be felt through
  your actions: drafting a new internal rulebook, use of an occupational psychologist, etc.
  We would like to draw your attention to one thing, the work environment includes both tangible and
  intangible factors (atmosphere). It is impossible to deal with one and ignore the other. You see, it’s a
  bit like the question asked by children: “Would you prefer to cry in a Lamborghini or be happy on a
  bike? ". We all give an answer, but in truth we’d all prefer to be happy in a Lambo! Do you see where
  we're going with this little example? The tangible and intangible environment of your employees is
  equal.
  Look at the case for the bike: You get on really well with your colleagues but hate your desk… Your
  chair is so uncomfortable, your computer too low and then, wham! You end up spending 30 minutes
  looking for a physio because you have a bad back. You know it’s happened before, don’t lie, it’s
  clear… Your work environment is therefore not optimal and hinders the accomplishment of your
  tasks. And that, no-one wants. Equip teams knowingly, with the aim of providing comfort - this is a
  priority.

Illustration of the Lambo case: You work in the newest office space in town with an unobstructed
view of your stress and burnout. We hit the nail on the head, right? Haha. In all seriousness, no one
wants to work in an anxiety-inducing and emotionally exhausting atmosphere. Offering a pleasant
work experience to your employees through the business culture, values and even the content of
their tasks should also be a priority.
We told you at the beginning to stick with us, because we had something to tell everyone: the happy
and the not-so happy. It’s true that the work environment largely depends on the management and
HR department. What is also true is that in business, solidarity and openness to others is also vital!
To all those who are unhappy, don’t stay in your own little section, share your concerns with the
relevant people so that they can take action. And to all those who are happy, if you notice someone
is becoming increasingly detached or unhappy, say something. Be the proactive force for your
colleagues.

What COVID has taught the world of work

1. “This could have been an email”
2. “I’d like to return to the workplace but EVERY DAY…?? " 
3. “I don’t want to work on that all on my own in my section”
4. “Working from home, it’s practical but complicated at the same time”. 

Do you recognise yourself in any of these quotes? Never fear, you’re not alone! In reality, it’s about trends that we can see throughout the professional sphere in the west. Business leaders and managers must therefore adapt to the new aspirations of their employees. It is also necessary to find the perfect balance between working on site and remote working but also individual and collective tasks. Several solutions exist, both inside and outside the business:

First of all, internally: 

• The introduction of “Flexdesk” which allows each employee to change workplace according to their wishes as well as depending on the tasks to be completed. “Flexdesk” is a trend that has arrived from the United States and involves not allocating a desk to each employee. The desk or workstation is therefore flexible, from which the term “Flex-Desk” is coined. Those Americans are smart, aren’t they?

There are numerous advantages: It facilitates interaction between team members. It breaks the isolation felt by some employees. This method of organisation also allows the distance between management teams and their teams to be removed. Everything is much more accessible. 

Externally: Co-working spaces. 

We saw a surge in co-working spaces well before the pandemic, however they have really seen a huge uptake in recent months? Why? Because they are just so practical!! On a more serious note, co-working spaces are work spaces that individuals and companies hire as and when needed. Less costly compared to traditional offices, they are also living and exchange spaces. Available in most large towns, they are used as meeting and conference spaces as well as a place to work. There are packages available for all types of users. Whether you’re a business creator, student or even the manager of a large organisation, you’re sure to find something to suit. We guarantee it! 

Why do employees favour these work spaces? 

Be honest, aren’t you fed up with video conferences in the kitchen because it’s “the best place in your apartment”? YES. There’s the reason! But also because co-working spaces provide an answer to all the quotes listed above. Let's have a reminder? 

1. “This could have been an email”. We have all seen that some meetings could have been covered in an email. Some journeys could also have been substituted with a Zoom or Google Meet invitation. Remotely, from your preferred co-working space, for example.
2. “I’d like to return to the workplace but EVERY DAY…?? ". It’s not easy having to get up every day, travel across the city on public transport or be trapped in traffic jams at 8 in the morning. Even good coffee still makes that a hard pill to swallow. The advantage of co-working spaces is that there are located all across our cities. Very often right next door to your home, the daycare facility for your children or your Thursday evening cookery course.
3. “I don’t want to work on that all on my own in my section”. As you’ve no doubt already figured, once again co-working spaces save the day. You can connect with your colleagues or even with other workers and share your problems. Nothing better than interacting with people who are working on issues other than your own. They can often shed light or experience on what is causing problems for you.
4. “Working from home, it’s practical but complicated at the same time”.  Need we say more? By co-working, you’re not working at home anymore and that makes it easier to concentrate! 

As you will have grasped, whether it’s internal or external, the trend is for greater flexibility for employees. New trends such as the use of Flexdesks or even co-working are the perfect solutions to meet the need for flexibility expressed by employees!

We’re back again today to talk about a new subject: “Networking” or “network creation”. There are several ways to meet people and expand your professional network. Trade fairs, seminars and conferences are very traditional networking methods. 

Well, that was before COVID...since then everything has gone virtual. Business lunches have disappeared, seminars have become webinars, coffee breaks have gone virtual. Networking 2.0 is here and it’s all about connection (in both senses!) So we've got a good picture of the situation...now, let’s look at some useful advice. 

• All the advice that you could have been given: Create quality white papers, post on LinkedIn every day, increase the number of web conferences, webinars, virtual coffee breaks, spam your business network, have a new business card created. These are valid tips, but this isn’t really our message today. 

Here are the real pieces of advice we want to give you. We’ll give them to you in a specific order, but after that, it’s up to you whether you follow. Tell us your news.

1. Focus on your professional life.

There is no point investing time, money and energy to only realise in the end that in fact… you would like to do something else, be elsewhere, change your job, company, sector. Ask yourself the right questions and don’t be afraid of the answers. It’s your career, you’re free to choose the direction you want to follow. The earlier you make this personal evaluation, the more effective the following step will be. 

2. Evaluate your information needs 

What makes networking effective, is the information that you have or that your entourage can bring. In networking, it’s necessary to be spontaneous and dynamic but not freestyle. Freestyling is really the worst strategy to adopt and we strongly advise against it.

3. You make a list before going shopping

Before adding people to your network, make a list!!! This will help you determine what types of profiles you’re interested in and will be beneficial. Progress your networking search by knowing different influential people in your sector or desired sector. By searching for specific profiles, you will also come across unexpected people who will push your career forward in a single bound! List the attributes, jobs, academic careers, relationships, subjects of interest, EVERYTHING. These will be the keywords that will enable you to be effective in your selection. You may also come across people who you get on well with and their forthcoming projects or events.  Well, yes, why waste time in the umpteenth conference “hoping” to come across someone who might interest you WHEN you could select the events highlighted by people who really interest you?

4. Be yourself!

Do you know who the most important person in your network is? YOU! You are the epicentre, your network gravitates around you and your story. You are a bit like a politician who selects his teams, are people drawn to your personality and potential? Would you choose a leader if you couldn’t identify them (at least partially?). Isn’t that right? We didn’t really want to talk about politics but now we’ve gone down a rabbit hole! But, well, politicians illustrate our point perfectly. It’s difficult to unite around an unknown. It’s difficult to network around an unknown too. Right, now the political digression is over, you can stop wincing. Social networks, notably LinkedIn have seen this shift with discourse more inspired by real life and people’s personalities for this reason. We like, we follow what we know or what resonates with us. 

5. Create your personalised strategy

Your communication and network strategy must also be based on this. Network but in your style. Choose the networking methods that fit with your values and personality. Use all the tools available to you, whether that be attending events, exhibitions, training sessions, publishing posts on LinkedIn, direct approaches, etc. There are so many options and the combinations are endless! 

And a final word: Make, Evaluate, Do, Be, Create, note our use of action verbs? Don’t worry, we’re not about to get poetical! We just want to reiterate that networking is something practical that requires you to be proactive! Get out there and look for the opportunities and people that you need to develop your career.