This blog post is an interview with Benjamin Rolff, who has been working as a leadership coach and organizational consultant for 13 years, supporting companies and their leaders on the path to a healthy and effective work environment. He also produces the Leading Well podcast, is a columnist for STRIVE Magazine, and is a LinkedIn Top Voice on topics such as leadership, mental health, and self-leadership. As Co-Founder and Managing Director of Coeffect – The Future Leadership Company, he strengthens leadership skills within a holistic development process and builds strong communities. His key focus areas include self-leadership, resilience, trust, psychological safety, healthy performance control, and emotional intelligence. He is also a passionate triathlete, living out healthy performance in sport, work, and life.
Having previously discussed New Work & Health together, we wanted to continue our exchange on this blog. Below are my questions and his answers.
What does New Work mean to you, and what doesn't it mean?
New Work is more than the current debate about home office or remote work. It also doesn't mean moving your life and work environment to Bali or Mallorca, being entirely flexible with your time – although that can be part of it.
When I talk about New Work, I think globally about a new perspective on work and people. In the new world, people are less and less tools and resources of the work world. Instead, they use work for their lives and self-fulfillment. They ask themselves questions like: Who do I want to be in the work world? How can I make an impact here? It's important to note that the opportunities New Work can bring still heavily depend on the job profile. For example, so-called "office jobs" are affected differently than those in production & retail. Nonetheless, post-COVID19, everyone will increasingly ask themselves: How can I shape my work so it truly fits me and my needs? How can I live more self-determined despite my obligations?
In the new world, people are less and less tools and resources of the work world.
This topic will also not be limited to the work world in the future. Regarding caring for relatives and social engagement, a holistic view of life will strengthen. The focus will increasingly be on aspects like having enough free space for personal projects, healthy balance, and voluntary activities.
What's really behind the popular buzzword "purpose"?
The question, "What strengths and talents can I bring to my job as an individual?" is central in the context of New Work. Just like the question, "What immediate contribution can I make with these strengths for my environment, my company, or the world?" This is where the term "purpose" comes in.
Every year, new studies show that people increasingly lack emotional attachment at work. 85% of people do not feel sufficiently motivated at work. Often, people quit because they feel they are spending their lives on something that doesn't bring them joy or seem meaningful.
The goal for the future will be to give people the space to use their values and strengths at work. Only in this way can maximum motivation and drive be ensured in work life. People work best when they do something they enjoy and find meaningful.
How can companies influence "purpose"?
"Purpose" should not only be thought of from the individual's perspective. It should be the company's goal to attract employees who share the company's purpose and therefore engage with responsibility and commitment. This is easier said than done because genuine purpose requires more than a slogan and a fancy brochure.
It’s about giving employees the space to engage with the company's purpose and explore how they can and want to contribute individually and as a team. Team workshops can help connect the strengths and added values of the team with the company's purpose, igniting new drive. Additionally, I see it as an exciting opportunity to connect employees with each other on the topic of purpose and share their individual purposes. Companies like Beiersdorf already offer formats that strengthen internal relationships.
How can New Work impact our workplace health?
Health and New Work are closely related. If we feel truly valued at work and our work aligns with our own values, it significantly helps us maintain a positive mood and feel mentally and physically healthy.
A conscious work design can help us experience more moments of flow, allowing us to work not only more fulfilled but also much more focused and productive. This requires individual awareness of what each person needs to experience flow. What activities fulfill me? How should my work environment be for me to work focused? And at what times can I be particularly productive and concentrated?
Health and New Work are closely related.
Many people, however, increasingly find themselves questioning what they do. They are overwhelmed and unmotivated. Add to this the increasing workload, which further promotes issues like stress and burnout. We also see a dramatic increase in mental illnesses over the past 10 years.
New Work can offer excellent approaches to improve employees' motivation, health, and performance. By designing work to consider individual needs, well-being can improve.
However, this is not a process that happens overnight, and it often lies in the hands of employees to actively shape their work to be healthy for them.
High Performance: Is strong performance compatible with good health?
I am confident that in the future, we will have more options and flexibility to design our work in a way that satisfies our needs and enables the best performance. This includes questioning one's own "purpose" and how we can achieve high performance in a healthy, sustainable way.
A key aspect is understanding that we cannot deliver peak performance 24 hours a day but instead go through phases of high activity and concentration and phases of regeneration. Recognizing your ideal work rhythm is one possible measure everyone can take. For example, questions like: When can I concentrate best? How does my physical energy feel throughout the day? When am I particularly creative?
Chronobiology distinguishes various chronotypes, the most well-known being early risers and night owls. But there are also various mixed types with different rhythms. The art lies in recognizing this rhythm and using it for life and work. Knowing how your body works allows you to better align your work with it.
It’s not just an individual question of when certain activities make sense. Teams should also carefully coordinate when meetings are scheduled and when employees are given meeting-free time for recovery. Meetings are best scheduled when employees are not in their peak concentration phase. High concentration phases are best used for individual, demanding tasks.
How can a company strategically work on New Work?
New Work covers different facets. In the future, strategic decisions will need to be made to act meaningfully within external changes. Therefore, it will be crucial for companies to act across departments.
New Work initiatives should not be designed one-dimensionally but should involve various areas of the company. This includes, for example, designing internal knowledge management and using new technologies for communication and interaction. The HR department also needs to address questions around culture and organizational development. And a strategy department brings overarching impulses for the future viability of the organization.
Initial New Work measures can be tackled by a task force composed of these different areas, defining first actions on a holistic level to advance the company as a whole.
My recommendation would be to focus these initiatives on creating new opportunities for collaboration.
This requires technical prerequisites that enable flexibility regarding work location and time. Networking techniques are also important. Initiatives like "working out loud" are good examples of how to bring people together. Pursuing personal interests while offering mutual support and help is beneficial for expanding one's network and strengthening relationships.
What will be crucial in 2021 to shape healthy work for the future?
During the Corona crisis, many people found themselves in an exceptional situation. For the coming year, the question should be what we have learned during this time and how we want to work together in the future. What needs have arisen? What does people's current work model look like? What needs are not yet optimally addressed? Maybe there is a lack of new initiatives, training, or technical equipment.
The employee culture should also now be addressed. How can emotional contacts be maintained or newly established? How is the workforce doing after the exceptional time? Employees should be surveyed, and measures initiated accordingly.
