Making Hybrid Working Work with Gary Cookson

Lucinda welcomes back Gary Cookson from Epic HR to discuss his upcoming book, "Making Hybrid Working Work." They delve into the current landscape of hybrid working, exploring why some organisations are pushing for a return to the office while others successfully embrace hybrid models. Gary also highlights the demographic factors influencing leadership decisions and the importance of trust in managing remote teams. KEY TAKEAWAYS Organisations that are struggling with hybrid working often haven't fully committed to making it work. Successful hybrid models require genuine effort and adaptation rather than superficial adjustments. The push for a return to the office is often driven by senior leadership teams that may not represent the broader employee demographic. This lack of diversity in leadership can skew perceptions of what works best for the workforce. Managers who have traditionally operated in face-to-face environments may struggle with trust in remote settings. Effective hybrid management requires unlearning old habits and developing new skills to foster trust and engagement. Establishing a management contract between managers and employees can clarify expectations and support needs. This approach encourages open communication about how individuals prefer to be managed in a hybrid environment. BEST MOMENTS "The common theme... is that they haven't really tried to make it work in the first place... they haven't really put a lot of effort into it." "The people who are making these decisions... do tend to be white, middle-aged male. And that does seem to be driving the return to office mandates." "It's almost lazy in that sense, like you have to work slightly harder to be lazy." "What you think hybrid work is, is different than anybody else listening to this. And that's because your context matters." VALUABLE RESOURCES The HR Uprising Podcast | Apple | Spotify | Stitcher   The HR Uprising LinkedIn Group How to Prioritise Self-Care (The HR Uprising) How To Be A Change Superhero - by Lucinda Carney HR Uprising Mastermind - https://hruprising.com/mastermind/   www.changesuperhero.com www.hruprising.com            Get your copy of How To Be A Change Superhero by emailing at info@actus.co.uk  Epic HR - https://epichr.co.uk/ ABOUT THE HOST Lucinda Carney is a Business Psychologist with 15 years in Senior Corporate L&D roles and a further 10 as CEO of Actus Software where she worked closely with HR colleagues helping them to solve the same challenges across a huge range of industries. It was this breadth of experience that inspired Lucinda to set up the HR Uprising community to facilitate greater collaboration across HR professionals in different sectors, helping them to ‘rise up’ together. “If you look up, you rise up” CONTACT METHOD HR Uprising Join the LinkedIn community - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13714397/ Email: Lucinda@advancechange.co.uk Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucindacarney/ Twitter: @lucindacarney Instagram: @hruprising Facebook: @hruprising Actus Software Website: https://www.actus.co.uk LinkedIn Instagram Facebook YouTube X / Twitter HR podcast, The HR Uprising, Diversity, Equality & Inclusion, Learning and Development, Culture & Change: https://hruprising.com/hr-podcasts/

Om Podcasten

Welcome to the HR Uprising Podcast. This engaging podcast explores HR ‘hot’ topics and challenges through conversations with relevant experts and real-life HR; O.D. or L&D professionals. HR Uprising is about creating an inclusive forum that enables us to share and learn from experts and everyday professionals. Hosted by Actus CEO Lucinda Carney a Business Psychologist; Chartered Psychologist; Experienced HR Change Agent; Entrepreneur; Speaker and Coach. There are two types of show formats: The ‘In focus’ episodes where Lucinda delves into a specialist topic in some depth and the ‘Conversations with’ series where we interview experts and people like you. Our hope is that our shows are both informative and fun. The HR Uprising Podcast is all about learning through collaboration; taking evidence-based action and helping colleagues to have the confidence and skills to rise-up through their organisations by delivering real, lasting business value.  You can access more information on each Podcast including resources or links mentioned in the show at our website www.hruprising.com. If you are a forward-thinking HR; L&D or O.D. professional who has a success story or challenge that others can learn from and you would like to be featured in future podcasts you can get in touch through one of the routes below. Connect with us here:                                                                                                                      Join the LinkedIn community: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13714397/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucindacarney/  Instagram: @hruprising | Facebook: @hruprising | X (Twitter): @hruprising | YouTube: @ActusSoftware    Lucinda is the founder and CEO of Actus Software, which offers a fully integrated HR solution designed to simplify performance management. Our comprehensive Performance, Learning, and Talent Suite enhances employee development and engagement. For more information, please visit our website at www.actus.co.uk and request a free demo from one of our HR experts. Our products include: Performance Management, Learning Management (LMS), Talent Management, 360 Feedback and Survey, Onboarding, HRIS and HR Compliance.  Connect with Actus here: LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/2400060/admin/dashboard/  Instagram: @actussoftware | Facebook: @actussoftware | YouTube: @ActusSoftware | X (Twitter): @ActusSoftware Lucinda also offers bespoke, high-quality HR training through Actus’ learning solutions. Topics include: Dealing with Underperformance, Managing for High Performance, Change Superhero Training and Bite Size Training. For more information see the Training section on the Actus website.