07th March 2022
Meet the judges 2022 – Gifty Enright
IW: Today, we’re delighted to be joined by one of our 2022 EMEA judges for the Inspiring Workplaces Awards. Welcome Gifty Enright, Author, Speaker & Transformation Coach.
Firstly, we wanted to ask you all, what does an Inspiring Workplace mean to you?
GE: It means employers who recognises that the wellbeing of the workforce is an asset that directly impacts their bottom line – so they take it seriously.
IW: You’re a judge for the EMEA/ North American Inspiring Workplaces Awards. What do you hope to see in the entries?
GE: Truly inclusive and comprehensive wellbeing practices being embedded as part of the organisation’s culture.
IW: What are three areas of focus for organizations looking to improve the people experience?
GE: Physical work environment, inclusive culture & psychological safety should be priority.
IW: What do you think is the most important quality in a leader?
GE: To be able to inspire people past their perceived limitations
IW: What’s the best advice you were ever given? Who was it from?
GE: Don’t take it personally, it is never about you. (Can’t remember who told me but it stuck with me.)
IW: What’s your advice on how best to engage remote teams?
GE: Being remote is not an excuse for not being present. Show up and engage fully. Nothing has changed apart from geography.
IW: Following on from that question, how do you build a strong inclusive culture with a hybrid workforce?
GE: You may not be able to meet informally at the coffee machine to catch up, but you can still ping people for virtual coffee. The only difference with hybrid workforce is you must be intentional about making time for people. It takes a little bit more planning and creativity but think about everything you would have done in the face-to-face interactions and figure out how it can be replicated virtually. Virtual happy hour is a thing.
IW: Focusing on employee emotional wellbeing, how do we help employees create boundaries between work and home life?
GE: Managers should set a good example by not working crazy hours and it puts their staff under pressure to do the same. Let them know that you only expect them to deliver in their working hours except in an emergency. Then respect those hours of your employees and minimise your requests during those hours.
IW: 4-Day week – Yes or No? You can give reasons for your answer to if you wish.
GE: Yes please, people stretch or compress their output depending on how much time they have got. Productivity will increase because employees will get time to fuel their interests outside work which makes for a better performing workforce
IW: We are a big believer that fostering psychological safety is an organisational imperative. Do you agree and if so, why?
GE: Absolutely! For people to think outside the box and innovate, they need to feel safe and know that mistakes are part the learning and creative process. It makes simple business sense to allow your employees to feel safe if you want to be competitive.
IW: Hopefully, we are seeing the restrictions of the pandemic diminish. This has led to what some are calling ‘The Great Resignation, what do employers need to do to ensure they attract and retain the best people?
GE: Let them know you care about them as human being not just their skills.
IW: There will be more generations in the workplace than ever before. Each with its own expectations and needs from an employer. How do you try to fulfil all of them?
GE: By seeing it as an opportunity, not a problem. The opportunity to get a diverse viewpoint across the different generations can only make whatever your product or service is, better. Figure out how to serve your multi-generational workforce and you will be a market leader.
IW: To say we’ve seen a lot of change in the past two years would be an understatement. We want you to get your crystal ball out and predict what will be the top priorities for people choosing an employer over the next 5 years?
GE: It is no longer just about the money when people are choosing an employer anymore it is more about their quality of life, the impact they get to make and whether they get to fulfil their purpose.