Description

Kate Derrick, Director of Workplace at AstraZeneca, joins Kursty to discuss how AstraZeneca is handling the pandemic in their own workplaces (no, not just in terms of producing the vaccine). 

“People drive culture and to keep it remote it’s really difficult to drive that culture” 
- Kate Derrick

Tune in to learn: 

• The mindset shift that managers have had to make towards flexible working;
• How activity-based working acts as a strong base for what's next in hybrid working;
• How different personalities benefit or struggle with home working.

This episode was recorded just as the UK went into its second lockdown since the COVID crisis hit.

Support the show

Timestamps

[00:20] Episode overview and who is Kate Derrick, Director of Workplace at AstraZeneca?

[00:47] Why did they manage to work from home overnight with no problems? 

[01:54] Best practices of working from home at AstraZeneca. 

[06:02] How COVID-19 empowered employees to lead executive management. 

[08:53] AstraZeneca’s crowdsourcing event: gathering opinions about working from home. 

[12:18] Why the press around working from home can be misleading. 

[13:41] How does working from home affect inclusion and equity? 

[16:44] What workplace changes will continue after COVID (and what won't)?

[23:58] How do cultural differences affect responses to the pandemic in the workplace?

[25:00] Why did people WANT to come into the office after remote work? 

[26:43] How did office space at AstraZeneca shift because of the pandemic?

4 Key Highlights 

1. Encouraging flexibility is the future of the workplace. When work from home began, people were excited about it, however the excitement started to wear off once remote working prolonged. The opposite is also true. Therefore, we need to find a solution that encompasses the best of both worlds. 
2. Remote working does not always lead to equitable working environments. Some people live in much smaller spaces than others because of the real estate market in their areas. 
3. Seeing people and collaborating with people face to face are amongst the top reasons people want to return to the office. On the bottom of the list of reasons people want to return to the office is focus. 
4. Remote work added another place to the mix of spaces where work is possible: the home. This does not mean that corporate office space must be reduced. Rather, it compels companies to think: how can I make my space work better for us?

Links 

Connect with Kate Derrick: LinkedIn

Connect with Kursty Groves: LinkedIn | Twitter

Support the show

Support the show

Follow The Office Chronicles Linkedin page for more information, to share an idea for an episode or start a conversation around any f the topics covered in the show.