10th March 2022
Meet the judges 2022 – Rashmi van de Loenhorst
IW: Today, we’re delighted to be joined by one of our 2022 EMEA judges for the Inspiring Workplaces Awards. Welcome Rashmi Van De Loenhorst.
Firstly, we wanted to ask you all, what does an Inspiring Workplace mean to you?
RVDL: First of all, it has to be a place where you can comfortably be yourself and where you feel respected and valued. And it should be a place where you can be at your best, personally and professionally, and where you are frequently inspired by others around you to learn and grow.
IW: You’re a judge for the EMEA/ North American Inspiring Workplaces Awards. What do you hope to see in the entries?
RVDL: Internal comms, HR and Corporate Affairs teams around the world have been right at the heart of navigating through the pandemic, and rethinking what the future of work looks like. I’m hoping to see entries which show the unique talent of these groups where they put employees and customers at the heart of decision making, to find innovative ways and bold ideas to make workplaces better for all.
IW: What are three areas of focus for organizations looking to improve the people experience?
RVDL: I’m going to focus on one because within this sits many more crucial elements – Future of work.
I think we need to ask a different question. It’s not about how many days in the office or at home, or going back to normal. What if we asked this question instead: ‘How do you want to spend your time during the week to be at your best for yourself, your family and in the work that you do?’ I think we’d get to a fundamentally different way of working which would be much more fulfilling and sustainable for all.
IW: What do you think is the most important quality in a leader?
RVDL: Articulating an inspiring vision that makes a difference to the world, not just the organization. And the ability to listen, understand and invite others in to shape this together, recognizing the talents of each individual to support the greater whole.
IW: What’s the best advice you were ever given? Who was it from?
RVDL: Seek to understand before being understood. I’m glad I started my career in Sales because this is essential – by listening and asking good questions you better understand the foundation for partnership and collaboration. It’s not easy though!
IW: What’s your advice on how best to engage remote teams?
RVDL: I think the days of either remote or in-person are over. At the same time I’m not a fan of hybrid or the way we seem to have understood it to date e.g. through number of days in a specific location. It comes down to building relationships individually and as a team which build trust over time. Once you have that I think the challenge of not being together in person is less of an issue but of course you do need to bring people together frequently to collaborate and feel part of something bigger than just their individual work.
IW: Following on from that question, how do you build a strong inclusive culture with a hybrid workforce?
RVDL: It’s good to see that the literature and research in this area is moving more towards ‘values’ because values must be clear for culture to be strong. And individuals need to clearly understand the organization’s values and make a conscious choice about whether their own values align with this. I’d love to see more organizations focus on deepening their values, asking their people how they feel about them, where they see room to improve. The challenge for is you cannot KPI culture. But that’s the beauty of it in my view!
IW: Focusing on employee emotional wellbeing, how do we help employees create boundaries between work and home life?
RVDL: The only person that can set boundaries is you. That’s what makes it so hard! I think this is where leadership matters because the long hours, emails at weekends, unrealistic expectations often come from the top and permeate through and organization. I’ve been fortunate to work for line managers who were very empowering, allowing me to share my best way of working and adapt my responsibilities to make that work. But you as an individual have to be clear, make the ask, and then hold yourself accountable to that agreement.
IW: 4-Day week – Yes or No? You can give reasons for your answer to if you wish.
RVDL: 100% yes to flexibility! I don’t think a blanket 4 day week is the way forward though as needs differ. Something more like working 80% of current hours across the week but in a more effective, and or different forms of ‘work’ such a project based where you work for 3 or 4 months at a time then take a break. Flexibility comes in all sorts of forms so we need to be careful we don’t put a boundary on flexibility.
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?
RVDL:
- Flexibility – in the broadest sense of the term. I don’t mean allowing people to do a 5 day a week job in 4 days. I mean looking at what experiences and skills someone has to offer and what the needs of the business are, and crafting an agreement around that.
- Impact – this goes beyond organizations having a worthy purpose. It’s deeper – what impact can I tangibly have in the world through my work? It needs to be real.
- Fun – the last few years have been intense for us all on a global scale. I think people miss moment of joy and fun through their work, the light-hearted stuff that makes you smile and laugh. Not least because laughter is so important for our emotional well-being.