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I N D EPEN D EN T P U B L I C AT I O N BY RACONTEUR.NET #0739 2 7/ 0 5 / 2 0 2 1
FUTURE OF WORK
03 MAKING
CHANGE
A CAREER
09 HOW TO SPOT A TOXIC
WORKPLACE CULTURE 13 ADDRESSING THE ISSUE
OF PROXIMITY BIAS
File History People Help
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RACONTEUR.NET 02
CAREERS
FUTURE OF WORK
Distributed in
Making a career change
The pandemic has prompted career soul-searching among UK workers,
but what do people need to think about when considering making a change?
Diana Bentley sparked his interest in teaching as
Contributors
Saulo Mohana Unsplash
a new career. Now Teach helped
fter an unpredictable and Jerrom be an observer in several
Diana Bentley Katie Byrne A turbulent year, many work- schools. “That helped me see if
Legal and business Freelance journalist ers will find themselves teaching was what I really wanted,
journalist for more for a wide range moving into uncharted territory. and could, do,” he says. “Dealing
than two decades of publications,
Research undertaken by Aviva in with a class of young people is differ-
with a background in specialising in business,
legal practice, she has careers and self-
April found that 60 per cent of UK ent from being with your own chil-
contributed to a wide development. workers were planning to make a dren and needs another mindset.”
range of publications in change to their careers, while 9 per With the help of Now Teach,
the UK and abroad. Sam Forsdick cent intended to follow a completely Jerrom found a placement at Oasis
Raconteur's staff writer, different career path and around 12 Academy Shirley Park, Croydon,
with particular interest per cent want to turn their hobby as an unqualified teacher until he
MaryLou Costa in technology and the
into a part-time or full-time career. gained his teacher’s qualification in
Business writer covering future of work. He has
the future of work, previously written All represented increases over 2017. He now heads its year 12. “You
sustainability, innovation, for I-CIO, NS Business, the levels revealed in its 2020 sur- must ask yourself if you have, or can
technology, startups, Press Gazette and vey, indicating that the coronavirus acquire, the skills required for the
marketing and more. New Statesman. pandemic has prompted many to potential job. Maths, time manage-
Her work has featured
reassess their careers. Widespread ment and data were skills I could
in The Guardian, The
Observer, Business Insider, Sarah Vizard redundancies too have left many transfer, but I needed to develop
and others. Raconteur’s managing workers pondering what their next more empathy,” he says. “I learnt,
editor with 10 years of move should be. for example, that a troublesome
experience writing about For those contemplating a career child may have difficulties at home.
Bradley Gerrard business, technology
change there is help available. The “Teaching is still a high-pres-
Business and finance and marketing. She has
journalist with bylines in previously written for publicly funded National Careers sure job, but I’m excited by it and
the Daily Telegraph, FTfm Marketing Week and Service provides free professional have more time for my family and
and Investors Chronicle. The Guardian. careers information and advice in good holidays.’
England for all adults and young helpful information, including “Focus on your skills, values and Finding a new role within the
people. The sortyourfuture.com what qualifications may be needed achievements, not on your past job industry in which you’re already
website helps people identify good for a particular career, but personal titles and roles,” he adds. working may be the answer. The
career options. Then there are networking can be vital. Shadowing someone in the career Chartered Institute of Personnel
career guidance professionals, like “You may have friends or con- you have in mind or working in it for and Development reports that
members of the Career Development tacts involved in or with links to a short time is particularly helpful, teachers frequently move into
Institute (CDI), who provide bespoke the career you’re considering,” as Peter Jerrom discovered. A maths learning and development posi-
advice on a private basis. says Condle. “Don’t be afraid to ask graduate, Jerrom worked in for- tions in a range of organisations.
Various factors can prompt a for some of their time to help you eign-exchange trading in the City of Others may want to start their
career change from a desire for determine if it would be a good fit London, but long working days and own business.
Publishing manager Design more flexible working, greater job for you and what the routes into international travel left him little Helena Winter-Brown headed an
Helen Glynn Kellie Jerrard satisfaction or an increase in sal- this career may be.” CVs must be time for his wife and children. events team for a high street bank at
Colm McDermott ary. According to Dave Condle, carefully crafted before you enter Hearing Now Teach co-founder London’s Canary Wharf, which she
Managing editor Samuele Motta president of the CDI, a lack of ful- the job-hunting fray, he advises. Lucy Kellaway speak on the radio enjoyed but the long commute from
Sarah Vizard Nita Saroglou filment at work is the biggest trig- her home in Hertfordshire left lit-
Jack Woolrich
Deputy editor ger for career change. “Once there tle time for her family. She wanted
Sean Wyatt-Livesley
Francesca Cassidy was a pervading attitude that work THE NUMBER OF UK WORKERS PLANNING A CAREER CHANGE IS RISING to run her own business and one
Illustration wasn’t supposed to be fun. We’re that would help other women who
Associate editor
Sara Gelfgren not in that mindset now and usu- % of UK workers planning to make changes to their careers wanted to work flexibly.
Peter Archer
ally people want to find something Spotting an afternoon tea tent at
Art director
60%
Head of production
they’ll really enjoy and which will an event gave her the idea to estab-
Joanna Bird
Hannah Smallman support their lifestyle,” he says. lish Dottie About Cake in 2017. The
Design director Those unsure of how to approach business now delivers afternoon
Tim Whitlock a change in career should start by teas locally, supplies them for pri-
analysing their interests, values April 2021 vate functions like weddings, sells
and skills. Condle advises: “Once afternoon tea hampers and hires
Although this publication is funded through advertising and you do that your ideal job and what out vintage china.
sponsorship, all editorial is without bias and sponsored features will be appropriate for you will Winter-Brown works with ten
are clearly labelled. For an upcoming schedule, partnership become much clearer.” He urges local women who bake for the busi-
inquiries or feedback, please call +44 (0)20 3877 3800 or people to do something that truly ness and support its events across
email info@raconteur.net interests them. “Even if you’re good Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and
Raconteur is a leading publisher of special-interest content and
at something, you may not want to Buckinghamshire. She also has a tea
research. Its publications and articles cover a wide range of topics,
make it the focus of your career,” room in Potten End, Hertfordshire.
including business, finance, sustainability, healthcare, lifestyle and
technology. Raconteur special reports are published exclusively in he says. “Many people also define “I still work long hours, but going to
The Times and The Sunday Times as well as online at raconteur.net themselves by their existing job work each day is pure joy,” she says,
53%
The information contained in this publication has been obtained title and underestimate what their urging people to find a career that
from sources the Proprietors believe to be correct. However, transferable skills may be.” is meaningful for them. “My career
no legal liability can be accepted for any errors. No part of this Time usually needs to be invested change wasn’t just about a business
publication may be reproduced without the prior consent of the
in investigating what a possible idea. I had something else I wanted
Publisher. © Raconteur Media
career entails and what oppor- July 2020 to do too,” says Winter-Brown. Her
tunities it may offer. Professional advice to others who want to switch
@raconteur /raconteur.net @raconteur_london and trade associations can provide Aviva, 2021 careers: “Just do it.”
raconteur.net /future-of-work-may-2021
03 FUTURE OF WORK
than a decade, but Biden’s inter-
vention should prove pivotal,
according to Cobham.
THE US STANDS TO BENEFIT MOST FROM BIDEN’S PROPOSED GLOBAL MINIMUM CORPORATE TA X RATE
“This is a massive turning point,”
In US dollars he says. “The narrative shift from
Yellen and Biden, and their com-
mitment to end the race to the bot-
$25.8bn $39.4bn $59.7bn tom on corporate taxes, is dramatic.
In ten years’ time, we'll look back on
France Germany Japan
their pronouncements and see it as
the moment things shifted.”
But much remains in the balance,
as widespread co-operation will be
required. There has been a com-
mitment to reach a decision on the
planned reforms by the July 9
meeting of the G20’s finance min-
isters and central bank governors.
“There’s probably one shot at
someone tabling a proposal that
works, both politically and techni-
cally,” says Cobham.
So far, signs have been positive
that an agreement could be
reached, with the European
Commissioner for Economy Paolo
Gentiloni commenting that “in
principle” a deal could be reached
within the next few weeks.
Ireland, an OECD member, has
$166bn been one of the more vocal oppo-
nents of Biden’s proposals. A 12.5 per
US
cent corporate tax rate has helped
the country to attract numerous
multinational businesses, including
Apple and Google. Irish finance
minister Paschal Donohoe recently
reiterated his desire for “acceptable
$64.4bn tax competition” among countries
China to continue.
Ian Borman, a London-based
partner at international law firm
Winston & Strawn, sympathises
with Ireland’s cause. “There’s no
Tax Justice Network, 2021
moral imperative to having a high
corporate tax rate. There are just
alternative systems,” he argues.
“All countries set their tax rates to
achieve complex outcomes in the
TA X Sam Forsdick real world; these are not just
Could Biden’s
dreamt up.”
he US government’s pro- to work in practice will not be Irish opposition to a global tax
T posal for a global mini- straightforward. floor may not be enough to prevent
mum corporate tax rate is A massive upsurge in profit shifting its implementation. If the world’s
global
gathering momentum, with the in recent years has highlighted the largest economies, where the cor-
European Commission and, more need for global co-ordination in porate giants make most of their
recently, Canadian finance minis- reforming the system. So says Alex profits, were to agree to the US pro-
ter Chrystia Freeland voicing Cobham, chief executive of the Tax posals, that would remove the
minimum
their support. Justice Network, an independent financial incentive for a multina-
Outlined in April by US treasury research and advocacy organisation. tional business to move to Ireland,
secretary Janet Yellen, the plans Pointing to research showing US as the company would have to pay
would set a global minimum cor- multinationals went from shifting tax in the countries where its eco-
corporate tax
poration tax rate of 21 per cent and about 5 per cent of their profits in 1990 nomic activities actually take place.
also force giant multinationals to to 30 per cent by the 2010s, he says: Cobham believes Ireland should
pay tax in the countries where they “You're talking about trillions of dol- just be left with the multinationals
sell their goods and services, lars a year being shifted: a first-order they already have. He says: “There’s
rate work?
instead of in the lower-tax jurisdic- global economic problem.” still a value for them, as the country
tions to which they have routinely The 37 OECD nations have been offers market access, human capital
shifted their profits. discussing how to overhaul the tax and infrastructure: the real stuff, as
Although the US treasury is likely rules for multinationals for more it were. In which case, if you’re
to push for the higher rate, it has Ireland, why wouldn’t you just put
signalled that it is willing to com- your rate up to 21 per cent and take
promise. In the latest round of dis- the tax revenue?
As White House plans to halt profit cussions with the Organisation for “What's slightly worrying is the
shifting and eradicate tax havens gain Economic Co-operation
Development (OECD), treasury
and Irish government appears to have
done nothing to prepare for the new
traction, how effective could these be at officials set out a 15 per cent global
minimum tax as the minimum it
world that might be just around the
corner. If your entire business
levelling the economic playing field would move to in negotiations. model is about to go, you should
The Biden administration claims Even if we went to a flat tax, probably be doing some planning.”
the measures would end a race to Dr Marcel Olbert, assistant profes-
the bottom in which nations have there are too many tentacles sor of accounting at London
lured big businesses to their shores for that to be a simple change. Business School whose research
by undercutting other countries’ focuses on the effects of corporate
corporation tax rates. The UK’s top If governments want to taxation, says there may not be an
rate has dropped from 26 to 19 per
cent over the past decade, for
incentivise certain industries, immediate reaction from multina-
tionals in Ireland should the Biden
instance. But getting these plans they can provide tax breaks reforms be implemented.
RACONTEUR.NET 04
Commercial feature
Devi Bones Shutterstock
CONNEX ONE BY THE NUMBERS
233%
increased productivity
15m 600+
transactions handled businesses partner with
experienced by companies every day Connex One
35%
average saving when switching to our platform
41%
increase your CSAT score
25%
increase in sales in the first 4 weeks
The hidden profitability
“It’s important to remember that
of CX wellbeing
55%
taxes aren’t everything,” he
stresses. “Dublin is a huge hub for
tech companies, so a rate change
probably wouldn’t cause a mass Nick Mealey, CEO and founder of cloud customer engagement
exodus. But it will affect corporate
decisions in the future, because platform Connex One, reveals how some companies have
research has shown businesses do
react to fiscal incentives.”
experienced a 233% increase in productivity
Olbert believes territories with
The United Arab Emirates has
the strongest economic activity the highest corporate tax rate in
have the most to gain from the the world Through all the disruption to including email, WhatsApp, live chat, Gamification is a breath of fresh air
Biden reforms. “It's logical to pro- workforce models over the last and voice. With all communication inte- in terms of employee engagement. In
ject that countries with large con- year, what has defined the organ- grated into one singular place, it makes a traditionally high-pressure world of
10
sumer markets in Europe, such as isations which have thrived? it easierfor the customer service oper- customer service, Gamification turns
Germany, France and Italy, would Organisations that have excelled ator to pick up directly from where they the stick into a carrot and empowers
benefit the most,” he says. “On a through the pandemic have last left off. Whatsmore, by opening up individuals to become self-motivated
more global scale, it would mean a been those which have adopted a different inbound channels for com- to achieve targets. Sales and Customer
lot of tax revenue could be allo- cloud-based work solution that keeps munication, companies are afforded Service teams facilitate high vol-
cated to India and China too.” customers and employees happy and insights into demographical prefer- umes of interactions which demands
Business leaders may even appre- The number of countries that engaged while ensuring both qual- ences which can positively impact the constant top-of-your-game perfor-
ciate the implementation of a charge a 0% corporate tax rate ity and security remains a high prior- success rate of future campaigns. mance for every single interaction.
higher standard rate of corpora- ity. Being scalable and adaptable has By creating fun, engaging challenges
tion tax, argues Olbert, who been incredibly important, but organ- What role will artificial intelli- that incentivises positive behaviours,
23.65%
explains: “Many digital companies isations that were not cloud-based gence play in maintaining strong our clients see an instant increase in
are concerned about the introduc- struggled to achieve these attributes customer engagement? productivity and staff retention. Our
tion of digital services taxes across when employees started working from AI is becoming increasingly customers have seen a 35% average
Europe. Having different regula- home during the lockdown. important for customer engage- saving when switching to our platform.
tions between countries increases The future of work will rely heavily ment strategies, especially for moni- One of our financial services clients
their compliance costs, so some on technology that transcends the toring customer satisfaction on inter- were able to boost their productivity
multinationals might actually wel- increase in volumes of digital-based actions. This enables businesses to by 233% after adopting Gamification,
come a co-ordinated approach. The global average corporate interactions and can provide a true understand why they are losing or driving over £1 billion of revenue.
Investors also like certainty, so tax rate understanding of customer inten- gaining customers through detailed Equally, Gamification is a strong tool
global co-ordination on tax policy tion and satisfaction, ensuring com- interaction and sentiment analysis, and for companies to ascertain their team’s
is probably more valuable than a KPMG 2021 panies can adapt and thrive in an ensuring agents follow mandatory pro- wellbeing, identifying when agents
slightly lower rate to corporate evolving market. cess flows. AI-based skills routing also might be struggling and allowing man-
decision-makers.” plays a key role, allowing customers to agers or team members to reach out
But James Mastracchio, partner What will great customer quickly and seamlessly reach agents and offer support. A simple “are you
and co-leader of Winston & issue”. The tech giant’s relatively engagement look like in the that are best skilled and suited for their ok?” can change a life, and it’s impor-
Strawn’s tax controversy practice low profit margins mean that it post-pandemic world of work? needs, saving time and frustration. tant for employees to feel that they are
in Washington, believes it would could find itself exempt under cur- In an age of instant gratification, Chatbots can streamline customer part of a team, even if they are apart.
be highly unlikely that the reforms, rent plans which would only users demand good quality and support, allowing for quick answers or Through our powerful next generation
if implemented, would produce all require the 100 “largest and most prompt customer service, or they go transferring to an agent for more com- technology, we can give companies the
the outcomes desired by profitable” multinationals to pay elsewhere. Customer retention and plicated inquiries. capabilities they need to revolutionise
their proponents. taxes where its consumers nurture is the pinnacle for any organi- their customer engagement strategy.
He says: “Even if we went to a flat are located. sation, particularly in a sales or support How is Connex One helping This ripples positivity throughout the
tax, there are too many tentacles Chancellor of the Exchequer environment. Connex One innovations companies achieve these cus- business, impacting everything from
for that to be a simple change. If Rishi Sunak referenced this issue such as Athena Interaction & Sentiment tomer and employee benefits? their internal teams, to CSAT scores, to
governments want to incentivise when stating he wanted more AI Analysis provide an accurate meas- Connex One is a new age the bottom line.
certain industries, they can pro- assurances such US tech compa- urement for CSAT scores, as well as pro- omnichannel platform, facilitating
vide tax breaks. For example, tech nies would be covered before sup- viding businesses with visibility on staff smooth customer journeys with clever
companies get a favourable out- porting Biden’s planned reform. politeness and opportunities to upsell API routing through a secure and compli-
come when they invest in R&D. Cobham claims that the Amazon through key phrase analysis and entity ant Omnichannel engine, whilst retaining For more information, visit
There are lots of competing con- problem may make it “politically recognition. Most consumers want to that personal touch. New features mean connexone.co.uk
cerns, so something that may look unacceptable” for many OECD be able to communicate across various that customer-centric organisations
very simple would, in fact, be enor- countries. “Maybe somebody can platforms, whilst achieving a prompt can balance pace with peace of mind as
mously complicated.” work out how to make the total 101 resolution to their query. An omnichan- they can engage with multiple tickets at
Another potential stumbling multinationals to ensure Amazon nel solution facilitates just that: com- once in a controlled, managed, and most
block is the so-called “Amazon is included,” he says. munication over multiple channels importantly; user friendly way.
05 FUTURE OF WORK
Commercial feature
Job crafting
gets a new
lease of life
Though a 20-year-old concept, job
crafting has gained new meaning and
relevance during the pandemic, providing
huge value to disengaged employees and
talent-craving employers alike
he transition to remote work- satisfied you feel within your role.
T ing since the start of the These are important skills now that
coronavirus pandemic has many people might feel disconnected
piled additional strain onto employ- from their work.
ees, exacerbated by isolation. While Insecurities surrounding develop-
some people enjoy working perma- ment or the future of your role can add
nently from home, many have strug- to this feeling, so lots of people are
gled to stay motivated. In a study of UK seeking ways to give meaning to their
employees by insurer Aviva last year, 43 jobs while stuck at home. They may
per cent described their wellbeing as not be able to change their current
being less than good, while research by employer, or the fixed parameters of
advisory firm Gallup found two thirds their current job, but they can change
of people worldwide are not engaged how they approach and relate to their Take charge:
summary
at work. daily tasks. This is where job crafting recommendations
With most companies now reimag- comes in.” on job crafting
ining office spaces to fit into a more Though not new, job crafting has
hybrid model of working when the pan- gained new-found relevance during 01
How We Work,
demic ends, it’s clear this is not a tem- the pandemic. It is a concept based on Leah Weiss,
porary trend. In a survey by Actus, 65 assigning meaning and context to daily getab.li/wp1212
per cent of UK workers said isolation tasks. Employees take charge of their
and disengagement were major hur- working hours. While still performing 02
Mindset,
dles to be cleared in the hybrid world the duties laid out in their job descrip- Carol Dweck,
of work. An employee disengagement tion, they actively shape their work and getab.li/wp1235
hangover from the pandemic is likely reframe their job approach with the 01 02 03 04 05
to loom over organisations for years to goal of enhancing their own wellbeing. 03
Deep Work,
come, presenting a truly business-crit- Most jobs have at least some flexibil- Cal Newport,
than ever before. Employees engaged Crucially, job crafting doesn’t just “Job crafting is an employee-driven
ical challenge to overcome. ity around how much time and effort getab.li/wp1207 in job crafting shape their work tasks, benefit employees, who find more process,” says Brigger. “HR depart-
Though increasing employee engage- are allocated to individual tasks, which develop their work relationships and meaning and engagement in their ments and leaders should support
ment is a clear priority among human makes job crafting an opportunity for 04 give meaning to their jobs to enhance work, but also employers, who benefit this process. It often not only leads to
Make It Work,
resources, and learning and devel- nearly anybody feeling disengaged at Joe Frodsham and
their personal wellbeing and job satis- enormously from increased productiv- a happier, more engaged workforce,
opment professionals, some employ- work. But there are no written rules. Bill Gargiulo, faction. But the responsibility doesn’t ity and highly relevant skills. Employees but a more successful one too. Finding
ees are not willing to wait for this to Employees may just want to put more getab.li/wp1202 lie just on the employees, leaders can who engage in job crafting demon- talent takes less time and people
happen. The turbulent jobs market time and effort into the tasks they do a lot to foster employee engage- strate intrinsic motivation, something who’ve worked at the company before
05
caused by the COVID-19 crisis may enjoy or that challenge them in a pos- The Purpose Effect,
ment and create the conditions that that can’t be taught, and a strong become productive team members
have left some feeling stuck with their itive way. It may mean expanding the Dan Pontefract, will allow employees to develop and growth mindset. Companies gain huge more quickly. Retention grows because
current employer for the foreseeable scope of one task or narrowing the getab.li/wp1214 thrive. Leaders need to create the con- value from people who approach work people who are ready for new chal-
future, but they don’t necessarily need scope of another. It may even be per- ditions that allow job crafting. This is tasks as learning opportunities. lenges will stay if they have new oppor-
to feel stuck in their role. forming tasks in a completely differ- ultimately about empowering people According to social scientist Carol tunities. Leaders can help develop
“Working remotely has been around ent way than originally taught, to make to take charge of their development Dweck, organisations embracing a “cul- these skills by embracing a culture
for decades, but the circumstances of them more stimulating, time efficient and growth.” ture of genius” view talent as fixed or of development.”
the last year have meant many organ- or rewarding. static, while those that support a “culture
isations had to deploy policies they “Job crafting boils down to taking of development” treat their employees’
might not have done otherwise or charge of your approach to work and skills as something that can grow.
indeed that their employees would it’s a great way to address personal In the war for talent, it’s also impor-
have wanted,” says Patrick Brigger, struggles with motivation,” says Brigger. tant to note the commitment displayed
chief operating officer and co-founder getAbstract recently released a white by job crafters. They are not passively For the past 20 years, we’ve helped
at getAbstract, an e-learning platform paper on the subject and its library of waiting for their employer to give them organisations build cultures that
with the world’s largest online library book summaries offer a wealth of fur- While you might not be able to the motivation to stay with them long prioritise learning and growth.
of summarised content. “It can lead ther resources. “While you might not term, instead they seek ways to learn Download our job crafting guide at
to feeling disconnected or demo- be able to shift the parameters of your shift the parameters of your and make their work more engaging getab.li/jobcrafting
tivated, especially among those for role, you can choose how to approach role, you can choose how to and rewarding. This is very pertinent to
whom teamwork and social interac- your tasks; it’s an act of self-care and the growing number of business lead-
tions were a primary source of their a very smart career development strat- approach your tasks; it’s an act ers recognising the value of internal
job motivation.
“By taking a proactive approach
egy,” he says.
“The skills involved in job crafting
of self-care and a very smart upskilling and sideway mobility, includ-
ing their benefits for agility, resilience
to your job, you can increase how are more pertinent to career success career development strategy and growth.
RACONTEUR.NET 06
RE M U NE R ATION
Pay transparency: answer to the gender gap?
Asking candidates
15.5%
Oscar Wong Getty images
what they’re
currently paid
could be banned
if a campaign to
eradicate pay The gender pay gap among all
employees in the UK in April 2020
inequality gets
its way Office for National Statistics, 2020
MaryLou Costa “It’s easy to not understand that
old-fashioned practices like asking
about salary history and not adver-
pen Bionics, a Bristol- tising a salary band are damaging to
O based startup making workplace equality,” she says. “We
3D-printed bionic hands, is hope to get to the point where adver-
clear about avoiding a gender pay tising roles with salary bands, and
gap across its team by putting salary not asking about a candidate’s cur-
brackets on its job advertisements, rent salary, is normal.”
which it has done since 2019. Movement in that direction is hap-
“We have a policy of zero negotia- pening. Analysis by jobs website
tion on job offers. We will make an DirectlyApply concluded around 30
offer that is fair and aligned to per cent of online job advertisements
everyone else on our team, in line specify the salary on offer. This is
with our policies around salary increasing at a rate of 6 per cent,
selection,” says Samantha Payne, fuelled in part by the online democ-
the company’s co-founder and chief employers still ask candidates for lowest possible offer as opposed to a ratisation of salary data which is
operating officer. their current salary, according to the fair and equitable one.” forcing employers to be more trans-
“It’s important that everyone is ELFS, as there is no legislation Publishing salary brackets on parent, according to DirectlyApply
paid according to their level of expe-
rience and skill, without bias. We've
requiring otherwise, despite 19 states
in America already having a version
advertisements is already common-
place in the public sector and World
Old-fashioned practices like co-founder Will Capper.
Elizabeth Willetts, founder of flex-
also begun working towards greater of the salary history ban in place. Bank data shows the global gender asking about salary history and ible working website Investing in
salary transparency internally and
so far it has been well received.”
“Salary history assumes a linear
progression, but people switch
pay gap is 10 percentage points
lower among public organisations
not advertising a salary band are Women, believes not only will this
spur a virtuous circle of companies
Open Bionics is one of a number of between full time and part time, than in the private sector. damaging to workplace equality not wanting to be seen as less pro-
UK companies that has committed countries and also between startup Despite this link, it will take a gressive than their rivals, but it will
to ban salary history questions from and blue-chip organisations fre- combination of mounting pressure extend to greater transparency
its hiring process, as part of a cam- quently. Yet companies still rely on from the public and formal legisla- around other benefits, such as
paign launched in March by the East an outdated legacy metric to deter- tion for the private sector to achieve In the tech sphere, companies maternity and shared parental
London Fawcett Society (ELFS) to mine salaries. In our salary history pay fairness and transparency, such as GitLab, Whereby and leave, which candidates often don’t
help eradicate the gender pay gap. survey, almost 90 per cent of according to Ruth Thomas, former Tandem have set a precedent by want to ask about.
It believes banning salary history respondents felt past salary was an human resources leader at PwC, making their payment methodolo- “Employers will disclose things
questions, and establishing and unfair way to determine salary,” Lloyds and Credit Suisse. She’s now gies and bands available online. like gym memberships, but not the
sharing a set salary range for a par- says ELFS campaigner Shobaa the co-founder of pay equity soft- Thomas agrees this sector and start- important stuff, such as maternity
ticular role, is a crucial step towards Haridas, who is also head of opera- ware platform Curo Compensation, ups in general are more ahead of the benefits and how long somebody has
breaking a perpetual cycle where tions for ASG Blockchain. which is working with companies curve than corporates. Big compa- to be employed there to be eligible for
someone’s salary can never progress “Being asked for your salary his- including EY, AXA Group and Sony nies can be hamstrung by complex those schemes, which is a huge bar-
beyond a certain ceiling. tory allows historical pay inequality Music on clarifying their compensa- legacy systems and a fear that sal- rier for women because they often
In the UK, the pay gap between to simply continue. Asking for sal- tion methodologies. ary bracket disclosure could pave don't like applying for jobs if they
women and men currently stands at ary history during candidate inter- “There's a whole body of research the way for legal ramifications from think they may miss out on mater-
15.5 per cent, while that between views turns salary negotiations into that shows women and minority employees questioning remunera- nity benefits,” says Willetts.
white British people and those from a zero-sum game. All the power and groups will undervalue them- tion, she says. Yet getting government backing to
minority ethnic communities is cur- leverage resides with the company selves in salary negotiations. But There is also a perception that prompt widespread change is a
rently around 20 per cent. Yet half of who can get away with making the just because your pay has histori- publishing salary brackets could “complex, protracted process”, says
cally been lower due to the jobs put off some candidates, who the ELFS campaigner Haridas, who
you've taken, how you have been company would otherwise have had argues companies that truly believe
THE GENDER PAY GAP IN THE UK IS GRADUALLY FALLING paid previously shouldn't impact a chance to negotiate with. in diversity and inclusion shouldn’t
Gender pay gap, as a percentage, for median gross hourly earnings (excluding overtime) your value for a role. If you can see That’s why for Lucy Smith, founder be waiting for legislation to move
what the pay range is for a job, then and chief executive of graduates jobs forward with salary transparency.
30 that's the range you should go website DigitalGrads, which has also “Companies spend billions on diver-
into,” says Thomas. signed the ELFS campaign, employer sity training yet continue with a
25 education is key. practice that actively promotes
structural bias,” she concludes.
20
15
10
5
Office for National Statistics, 2020
0
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
07 FUTURE OF WORK
visualspace Getty images
INCLUSION
Why the return
to work is a
diversity issue
As the UK moves to step three of easing lockdown restrictions, There is also data that shows
male-dominated companies are
He recalls a former boss who would
insist on 7.30am meetings when
businesses are considering how work will resume and finding more likely to insist on workers going things were difficult, assuming that
back to the office. Data from because he could make the meeting
challenges around diversity and inclusion Australia, which is ahead of the UK others could too.
in terms of returning to normality, “That is all about beating your
shows there is a correlation between chest and demonstrating you are the
the percentage of women employed alpha. He’s saying, ‘I can be here at
in a company and how flexible corpo- 7.30am’,” Daisley explains. “What
Sarah Vizard
rate working policies are. you miss in that is the pandemonium
For example, at consulting com- it creates if someone has shared
lowly but surely the UK books and run a chart-topping pod- pany EY, 46.3 per cent of the work- childcare responsibilities or a longer
S economy is opening back cast, Eat Sleep Work Repeat, on mak- force are female and it offers full flexi- commute. It effectively says not only
up. Cinemas have flung ing work better. bility. At the other end of the are you having stress at work, you are
open their doors, restaurants are wel- He is concerned, however, that not spectrum, engineering company UGL having domestic stress as well.
coming us back inside and we are no enough thought is being put into the offers no remote working and just 15.2 Hopefully we can push back a bit on
longer limited to choosing five diversity and inclusion aspect of the per cent of its workforce are female. those things.”
friends to meet, outside at least. big return to the office. In the UK, the most vocal voices The coronavirus pandemic has
This reopening, of course, prompts The data suggests his concerns are about needing to return to the office begun a “pincer attack” on the office,
questions about work. For many, par- not unfounded. A recent UK poll of have been the likes of Goldman Sachs,
ticularly office-based workers, the 2,300 business leaders, managers Barclays and JPMorgan Chase & Co.
past 15 months have meant a switch and employees by the Chartered “What you hear anecdotally from
to working from the kitchen table, Management Institute found 69 per people in banking or engineering,
the end of the bed or, for the lucky cent of women with children want to these big machismo-filled busi-
ones, a home office. work from home at least one day a nesses, is they’re all back to the office
Yet as thoughts turn to a return of week after the pandemic. Among on June 21 [when the UK is scheduled
some kind to the office, what should men with children, this figure drops to move to the final stage of easing
this return look like? And how can it to 56 per cent. coronavirus restrictions]. This The businesses that do hybrid
be made to work for everyone? This poses a problem if most of moment we are all looking forward to working well will have little
These are questions Bruce Daisley the people making the decisions as a celebration, they are saying
has been mulling over. The former about a return to work are men. And that’s the day they are back at the rituals, almost family quirks;
Twitter vice president is now a lead-
ing thinker on the future of work
this is likely to be the case given
there were just 13 female chief exec-
office,” says Daisley. “The data paints
a very vivid picture; it suggests this is
they’ll have their own work-
having published two best-selling utives in the FTSE 350 in 2020. a diversity and inclusion issue.” based version
RACONTEUR.NET 08
Commercial feature
are keen to get back to the
Making decisions on
office, but may find they would
returning to the office be happier working at home
more often as this need fades,
For those businesses for example.
considering how the world “The critical next thing is this
will look as the economy fully is a time for experiments not
reopens, former Twitter vice decisions. Most of us probably
president Bruce Daisley has feel we know what it would be
some advice. First, he says, like to work in a balanced hybrid
there needs to be as wide a environment, but we don’t fully
representation of people in know," Daisley suggests.
the room making the decisions “Don’t jump in; it’s time for
as possible. experimentation and we’ll
“A lot of people have felt learn a lot through that. There
liberated from having to keep might be different modalities,
up this pretence of being able different groups who want to
to do everything. Not having to work in different ways.”
commute in two or three days a Finally, he recommends
week has allowed some people learning from other companies.
to focus on their job more," Most have been so focused on
Daisley explains. getting through the pandemic
“When we look at the they have not had time to
Looking within will
evidence, the one group who speak to other business leaders
have missed being in the and learn what is working, or
office every day is bosses. not, elsewhere.
If you allow all the bosses in “I hear so many people say to
close the skills gap
your organisation to make the me, ‘I’m in back-to-back video
decision, you are unfortunately calls’, but once we start meeting
missing the fact that everyone up with friends again you might
else doesn’t agree. Make sure hear, ‘Oh it’s not like that at
there is a plurality of opinion." my work, we have whole days
He also cautions against without video calls’. And people
making too many decisions early
on before new ways of working
might want to change that. At the
moment business has not even
The digital skills gap is getting wider and wider, but there
have been tested. Having had the opportunity to compare is not enough available talent to fill it. To survive and thrive,
missed so much human contact what works and what doesn’t. We
over the past year, many people need that,” Daisley concludes. organisations must urgently embrace internal digital upskilling
he emerging technologies were in the hardware business; it turns systems, business, cloud computing,
he believes. On one side, there are
MORE WOMEN THAN MEN
T helping companies to achieve out that modern car companies are cybersecurity, data science, and pro-
workers who have found they can do digital transformation have really in the software business and they gramming and development.
their job effectively from home and WANT TO WORK FROM radically disrupted workforce require- simply don’t have the skills to deal with When Shell needed to deploy AI in
now baulk at the idea of spending HOME POST-COVID ments. McKinsey predicts 800 million that transformation. 70 countries, Udacity worked with
time and money getting into the % of workers wanting to work from jobs will be eliminated by 2030 due “If companies don’t take aggressive them to create a citizen data scientist
office five days a week. home for at least one day a week to automation, which means nearly action, it will be terminal for them. career-scaling programme to upskill
On the other side are business lead- one in every four jobs on the planet From a national economic perspective, engineers and build its AI skills at scale.
ers sensing an opportunity to cut will vanish. At the same time, digital countries like China are investing heav- One of hundreds of AI projects saw
costs. This was already happening, transformation is creating hundreds of ily in emerging technologies, crafting data scientists applying these new skills
with research before the pandemic millions of new jobs for those with the a future economy and ensuring they to streaming sensor data from rigs and
finding 43 per cent of businesses right technical skills. have the right skills. Western econo- predicting maintenance models, so
69%
allowed staff to split their week The truth is the skills of the past are mies are taking a more passive view and they could get replacement parts into
between the office and home. Women with dying and there are nowhere near risk being disrupted and outmanoeu- the field to prevent outages and save
children
Now many are re-examining their enough skilled people in the world to vred in the global economy.” millions per incident.
office space and thinking about how fill the new jobs being created. And Organisations need significant num- “Udacity’s learning platform offers
it can work better for them and staff. this paradox is colliding with a worry- bers of highly skilled tech employees, consumers and enterprises the fast-
Daisley recalls a company he did ing lack of infrastructure to bridge the but they can’t hire their way out of the est, most effective way to get job-
some work with that wanted to mod- gap. According to research by Udacity, problem because the talent doesn’t ready skills,” says Dalporto. “The single
ernise their culture. It took lock- a global lifelong-learning platform for exist and universities produce only a most important lesson is tying upskill-
down and working from home to career advancement, 83 per cent of small number of these highly techni- ing to business-critical transforma-
realise it was the office building 56% the Global 2000 report having a major cal graduates every year. Recruiting is tion initiatives. If you just make an
holding them back. Men with skills gap and 70 per cent of those an unsustainable solution; it’s not even upskilling catalogue available to your
The culture question is one that has children companies say the skills gap is pre- a good stopgap measure because the employees, as an HR benefit, you’re
been asked repeatedly over the past venting innovation. demand for these skills is so high. going to fail. You need to understand
few months: how to create a sense of Gartner saw in excess of 100 per cent The far more effective option is to what you’re trying to achieve, what
belonging and shared values when Chartered Management Institute, 2020 growth in artificial intelligence (AI), data invest in internal upskilling. Udacity are the skills gaps, and then work with
workers are not side by side at desks science and analytics job postings in the offers Nanodegree programmes a vendor that can help you create
in an office every day. five years to 2020. The World Economic within seven schools: AI, autonomous learning paths for internal candidates
Daisley doesn’t think being in an together to create moments of con- Forum predicts the most in-demand who can fill the gaps and, importantly,
office all the time is necessary to cre- nection, so when people are sitting digital transformation jobs will grow 50 measure against business outcomes.
ate this culture, though. He points to on their own in their home they can per cent a year over the coming years. “The days of a one-and-done bache-
the limited amount of time we spend feel part of something. Rather than These new jobs fall predominantly into lor’s degree are gone. Enterprises and
with friends, but the strong emo- getting people in an office silently the areas of data (machine learning, individuals are going to have to take a
tional connection we have with them replying to emails, they will create data science, analytics and big data), much more proactive role in continu-
as a reason why businesses should be moments of connection.” cloud computing, robotic process auto- ously evolving their skillsets.”
prioritising quality over quantity of Daisley points to the work of Casper mation and cybersecurity.
time together. ter Kuile, whose book The Power of “The digital skills gap is extremely Enterprises and
“We can have a vivid and emotional Ritual explores how religions work costly for businesses, threatening their
connection with people we spend through ritual and getting people very survival,” says Gabe Dalporto, chief individuals are going For more information please visit
three hours with on a Saturday together, and how this can be applied executive of Udacity. “Every indus- to have to take a udacity.com/enterprise
evening, so it’s about the strength of to other areas of life. “The businesses try is experiencing significant disrup-
the connection and the degree of that do hybrid working well will have tion. We work with most of the largest much more proactive
authenticity,” he says.
“If you look at the businesses that
little rituals, almost family quirks;
they’ll have their own work-based
global automotive companies and they
are shell shocked right now because
role in continuously
do this well, they will get people version,” he says. of Tesla. For years, they believed they evolving their skillsets
09 FUTURE OF WORK
Commercial feature
managed automatically. Most people
working remotely from home aren’t
focused on security. They don’t want
to do enterprise content management.
They want it to happen magically in the
background. That’s what we do.”
Crucially, content services tech-
nology underpins wider digital trans-
formation efforts. OpenText Content
Services platforms and applications
integrate with leading business appli-
cations, including SAP SuccessFactors,
helping to facilitate, for instance,
human resources processes such
as recruitment and onboarding in a
modern work environment. HR pro-
fessionals reviewing CVs don’t want to
have to save them somewhere sepa-
rately and have to manually put a six-
month retention period on them so
they delete after a certain time. They
want that to automatically happen in
the background.
With integration enabled by
OpenText Content Services, the doc-
uments they need on any given day
are presented seamlessly in their
SuccessFactors application. If they
look at an employee’s file, all rele-
vant information comes up along
with what’s outstanding. Are health
and safety certificates up to date? Is
a salary review imminent? OpenText
Content Services technology is ena-
bling this experience by working in the
background to identify and aggregate
relevant information. The user never
Next generation
has to leave SuccessFactors.
Information carries great value but “They just log in to their system as
also great risk, particularly when it’s they do every day,” says Harot. “And
so dispersed. This creates challenges governance is transparent and easy.
information management
for the IT department when it comes Humans are rubbish at doing records.
to applying governance for issues like It’s not their day job and with content
privacy and records management. IT services they never have to do it again.”
teams no longer have a choice; modern Beyond the specialist HR role, a
underpins modern work
work is transforming rapidly and resist- seamless experience for other employ-
ing the shift will only magnify the perils ees is just as important. The ability
of shadow IT, where staff circumvent to perform self-service by securely
policy by emailing data home or copy- accessing their own information and
ing to drives, ultimately creating more requesting or uploading relevant
security issues. documents enhances the employee
Intelligent content services are enabling organisations With the right technology, how- experience, while also enabling the
ever, organisations can still keep con- HR department to spend less time on
to facilitate collaboration in an anywhere workforce trol over information. Just like people processes that can be automated by
and drive faster digital transformation are moving from the office to working
in the cloud, technology is doing the
OpenText Content Services and more
time solving key business challenges.
same. Traditional on-premise enter- “You’ve got to have optimal control
prise content management, or ECM, of your content internally to be able
is evolving to cloud-native content to transform externally,” says Harot. “If
n a little over 12 months, the longer afford to be restricted to one or a shared workspace and collaborate services technology. Content services your internal content is in a mess, you
I way we work has changed a few locations if they want to attract on a document, whether they work in applications allow anybody to access can’t provide the great service cus-
beyond all recognition. Up the greatest talent. the same organisation or not. Enabling the information they need wherever tomers expect outside; you can’t suc-
until early-2020, the transition to a There are also challenges in this new collaboration within the four walls and they are, and in a way which ensures cessfully deliver digital transformation.
more mobile, distributed workforce world of work, however. “Proximity is firewall of the enterprise is not enough data is secure, protected and can be “In the modern, digital enterprise,
model was moving slowly but steadily important when you innovate,” says though as modern work is powered by audited in the appropriate ways. with ever-increasing sources and vol-
with people veering towards the odd Mark Barrenechea, chief executive and an extended, distributed workforce that “With content services, it becomes umes of data, these goals are only pos-
day working from home or working chief technology officer of OpenText. needs to be able to share and retract much easier to give people access to sible through the smart application of
more irregular hours. The coronavi- “We still want clusters where we can information with customers, partners information, to roll it out and to con- content services technology. You’ve
rus pandemic, however, accelerated learn from each other and share expe- and supply chains whenever needed, figure it globally for a whole company,” got to get your own house in order
the move at a rate nobody could have riences. As leaders, we must also be and outside firewall limitations. says George Harot, product marketing before you can provide a better digital
foreseen. Suddenly, the future of both honest and authentic, and embed director at OpenText. “The modern experience externally. Once you’ve got
private and public sector enterprises equity, diversity and inclusion in our way of providing content services that foundation, digital transformation
relied on enabling employees to work company culture. goes beyond just managing informa- becomes much easier. And when more
productively from home. “Meanwhile, modern work is being tion to being more about flexibility and disruption or regulations arrive, you
Though people will return to offices, met by three other forces – modern extracting value from your content. You can respond and adapt much faster.”
indeed some already have, those experiences, such as omnichannel and extend capabilities as you need them in
spaces are being reimagined as just contactless payments; supply chain a modular way.
one part of a hybrid model in which regionalisation, sustainability and con- “Our new content services technol-
remote working will continue to feature nectivity; and cybersecurity and resil- If your internal content is in ogy intelligently utilises automation so For more information please visit
heavily. The last 12 months have shown ience – that are all accelerating the a mess, you can’t provide the you can analyse your whole file system opentext.com
organisations with a robust informa- pace of change. We have never worked and identify what’s important or risky.
tion management strategy adapt more this fast and we will never work this great service customers expect You can identify personal customer
easily and advance faster, and that
talent is now everywhere. Amid the war
slow again.”
In this new age of modern work,
outside; you can’t successfully information and redact it if needed,
or highlight it for deletion or further
for digital skills, organisations can no everyone needs the ability to spin up deliver digital transformation consideration. Content life cycles are
RACONTEUR.NET 10
C U LT U RE their people’, warns executive coach the emotional distress, the business they can call me to discuss work or
Kelly Swingler. impact is high; over 40 per cent of personal issues, with no judgment,”
How to
That said, there are several indica- sick days in the UK are due to burn- she says.
tors to look out for. A leadership team out, adding up to billions in lost pro- For Michael Alexis, chief execu-
that fails to make quick decisions, ductivity every year.” tive of Team Building, which has
for example, could hint at poor com- As a senior IT consultant, Sonya organised virtual events for more
find and fix
munication, contributing towards Barlow encountered workplace than 15,000 businesses, including
a “them and us” culture. Repeated bullying that ranged from being Apple, Google and Nasa, experience
mistakes is another red flag. called “stupid” to having her has shown every employee has a role
“In organisations where learn- name repeatedly mispronounced to play.
toxicity in the
ing from errors and collaborative by management. “Years ago, I joined a tech startup
work to fix issues is common, mis- “My accent was made fun of and with a very problematic culture,” he
takes rarely happen,” says Swingler. I was asked to disclose personal explains. “The owner would make
“When blame and disciplinary health issues on a work call,” she racist and misogynistic comments,
workplace
action are the only way they’re dealt adds. “I saw women being shot down and was a caricature of a bad boss.”
with, these mistakes will continue in meetings. Diversity and inclu- At the time, Alexis attributed the
because nobody is taking the time to sion initiatives were dismissed; they environment to the leadership. “But
get to the root of the issue.” didn't generate revenue and weren’t the reality is more nuanced,” he says.
A high staff turnover is also deemed necessary.” “Everyone on the team plays a part.
symptomatic, with declined exit These “small but distressing” inci- If you hear inappropriate comments
interviews hinting at exasperated dents impacted her mental health and don’t rebut them, or worse laugh
Lack of trust, misleading management employees. “If nobody listened and she complained to HR. “Nothing it off, the toxicity may continue.”
was done and as a result I was forced At Team Building, a range of col-
and a collective bill totalling billions.
while they were working with you,
why would they bother speaking up to leave.” laborative techniques create a pos-
What defines a toxic workplace and how now?” notes Swingler.
And why does looking out for
Barlow launched the Like Minded
Females (LMF) Network, a social
itive atmosphere for the 100-plus
workforce, ranging from a #You-Are-
can business leaders tackle it? these traits matter now? “We spend enterprise built on trust, the five-let- Awesome Slack channel for peer-to-
the majority of our waking hours at ter antithesis of the “toxic” situation peer praise to Feedback First, which
work, so businesses have a respon- she’d previously encountered. encourages employees to acknowl-
sibility to look after employees’ psy- “I took my experiences and decided edge and learn from mistakes.
Katie Byrne chological wellbeing,” says Calvin to do the opposite,” she explains. And yes, team-building is also
Benton, founder of Spill, which “For example, toxic organisations involved, creating friendships and
offers mental health support to com- tend to have overworked, burnt- helping to “combat toxicity by improv-
toxic workplace is respon- the wellbeing of team members”, he panies including Huel, Depop and out staff. At LMF, we work remotely ing engagement and communication
A sible for almost a third of says. Toxic employees, meanwhile, Beauty Pie. and as long as the work is done, I’m across the board”, says Alexis.
UK workers leaving their are prone to sow discord and divi- “This has become more prevalent happy for my team to work on the So where should a chief executive
jobs, according to data from human sion. They can be “characteristically since the start of the pandemic, when days and times best for them.” begin? “The first thing any business
resources tech provider Breathe. uncivil and are likely to pursue retri- our work and home lives merged Swingler agrees with this anti-pre- leader can do to make change is to
That’s a sharp rise from last year’s bution rather than offer forgiveness”, into one. An always-on mindset has senteeism approach, which is an prioritise it,” says Spill’s Benton.
21 per cent, with poor company cul- Lewis adds. seen burnout levels rise. As well as antidote to the constantly acces- “Ensure part of your budget is going
ture and everything from bullying to Coronavirus has exacerbated deep- sible state remote working has towards mental health support
burnout costing the economy an esti- rooted issues in these organisations, created for many. “In toxic work- and quarterly objectives include
mated £20 billion annually. for both remote teams and in person. places, the focus is on the time peo- wellbeing measures.”
But how can toxicity be identified Lewis suggests that toxic-free busi- ple spend at desks, sending emails, Getting your team on board is cru-
and staff retained? “A toxic organisa- nesses have retained their status due rather than on productivity,” she cial, as is patience. “Leaders who
tion exhibits low levels of trust, has to their culture and behaviour being says. “If you’re not ‘seen to be work- want to tackle a toxic culture should
misaligned systems and incapable “closely linked irrespective of the ing’, the assumption is you’re lazy or set an objective for doing so and
line managers who work hard to pre- external environment”. We spend the majority of our underperforming.” ensure all members of the leader-
serve their status at all costs,” says A range of clues can suggest a waking hours at work, so Honesty is key, says Barlow: ship team are aligned to uproot dys-
Clive Lewis, author of Toxic. workplace is in need of a toxicity “We’re very transparent about what functional behaviour and systems,”
Such line managers lack the compe- turnaround, although executives businesses have a responsibiity we’re doing: new projects, budgets, says Lewis.
tence required for their role and are
often characterised by a “demonstra-
might not spot them “if they aren’t
spending enough time speaking
to look after employees' finances.” And it goes both ways,
with staff encouraged to return
“Measures should be put in place to
track progress. There are no overnight
ble lack of regard and compassion for to and building relationships with psychological wellbeing communication. “My team know fixes; be prepared for the long haul.”You can also read
