The Covid Business Series: What Works for Work? - Work after lockdown: flexible working models for the future

As life begins to speed up after successive lockdowns, a new work reality is emerging. Across every industry sector, demands for more flexible working models are increasing. How does this change the world of work? And what lessons have we learned from working during and after lockdown?

Join Innovate UK KTN and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) for this lively lunchtime session to hear more from three experts on flexible working models, where each will bring their unique perspective on the flexible working models for the future.

Throughout the session, we will discuss the potential adjustments and modifications to workplace policies and procedures that companies need to consider, given the new working preferences and employee expectations of what work means to them. This will include emerging procedures, policies, tools, and tactics for a variety of business workplaces; and provide employers and employees with actionable insights that attendees can use at work.

Please find the additional handout documents for this event below:

• Future of Work – What Works for You
• Actionable Insights
• Actionable Insights – Dr Jane Parry

• Event chair: Professor Tim Vorley, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of the Faculty of Business | Oxford Brookes University

Through his research he works extensively with a number of central government departments and agencies, as well as with Local Enterprise Partnerships and local government bodies. Tim is also currently the Vice-Chair of the Small Business Charter, created by Lord Young to recognise business schools that play an effective role in supporting small businesses and student entrepreneurship.

• Introduction: Dr Jen Gold is Director of Research | ESRC

Before joining the ESRC in October 2021, she was Head of Evidence and Evaluation at 10 Downing Street. She previously led the UK Government’s ‘What Works’ initiative, which was established by the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury to champion the use of research evidence in public policy.

• Prof Abigail Marks, Professor of the Future of Work | Newcastle University Business School

Abigail Marks is Professor of the Future of Work at Newcastle University Business School. Her research focuses on digital work, transformation in the organisation of work and the impact of social stratification on employment opportunities. During the current pandemic, Abigail has presented oral and written evidence to the House of Lords Covid-19 Committee and Senedd Cymru/Welsh Parliament’s Pwyllgor yr Economi, Seilwaith a Sgiliau/Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee as well as contributing to POST’s parliamentary briefing on remote and flexible working and developing a case study for the Scottish Government’s Digital Ethics Expert Group.

Abigail regularly appears in the media. Recent contributions have been to the Guardian, The i, The National, BBC Radio Scotland and the US station ‘Marketplace’. Whilst balancing her responsibilities for a ten-year-old boy and a 2.5-year-old Miniature Schnauzer, Abigail regularly publishes in academic journals and other outlets such as the Conversation, Newsweek and HR Magazine.

Talk brief: How have the measures taken to combat the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic changed the world of work forever?

This talk will focus on the impact of the pandemic on the organisation of work and the expectations of employees. The talk will emphasise some of the considerations for organisations in their response to this new world of work. Much of Abigail’s talk will be based on insights from the UKRI funded project ‘Working@Home’ and subsequent research on hybrid and blended working. The presentation will provide insight by marrying discussions with business, unions and policy makers with academic knowledge.

• Dr Jane Parry, Director of the Centre for Research on Work and Organisations | Southampton Business School

Jane Parry is Director of the Centre for Research on Work and Organisations at Southampton Business School, and has been researching how work is changing for over 20 years. She is a former Parliamentary Academic Fellow for the Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology, and was placed the highest-ranking academic on HR magazine’s Most Influential Thinkers list in 2021.  She leads the UKRI/ESRC-funded Work after Lockdown project, working with collaborators in the University of Southampton, the Institute for Employment Studies, and Half the Sky.

Talk brief: Implementing new working models in uncertain times: insights from the Work after Lockdown project

Since July 2021, Work After Lockdown has been investigating how pandemic-driven working from home is changing working preferences and how organisations have responded to and are learning from the experience. Combining well-being surveys with case study work in the public and private sectors, Work After Lockdown has been monitoring organisational adjustment in a fluctuating environment, which presents unique challenges around work design modifications.

• Solène Anglaret, Project Manager ‑ Equality, Diversity and Inclusion | Innovate UK KTN

Born and raised in France, Solène moved abroad for the first time when she was 18. Since then, she has lived in 6 countries and travelled to over 50. After graduating from Sciences Po Bordeaux in France with a master’s in political science and international economy, she started her career as a Risk Manager at Veolia Environment in the UK. She then moved into the travel industry and worked as a Transformation Project Manager and later a Business Development Associate Director for Thomas Cook in the UK, Germany, and China. Thereafter, she relocated to Australia and joined Expedia Group as the Area Manager for Melbourne looking after a team of Account Managers. That’s when and where her involvement in diversity, inclusion, and belonging began.

Upon her return to the UK at the end of last year (in the middle of winter and lockdown!), she joined Harri as Director of People & Culture before moving to KTN. Over the past 10 years, she has gathered experience across a wide range of areas from strategy, to project management, transformation, events, communications, marketing, product development, leadership, coaching, culture, and diversity, inclusion, and belonging.

Outside of work, Solène loves writing. A few years ago, she created a company called ‘Be Beyond Borders’ under which she published four books: ‘Where to Next?’ ‘Where Are You From?’ ‘Where?’ and ‘Pensées d’Ailleurs’.

Talk brief: What works for you? Work in and after lockdown: finding the flexible model that works for you and your teams(s)

This talk will focus on a personal perspective of how work during and after lockdown can impact individuals in different ways. It will propose approaches that individuals and leaders can take to finding the flexible model that works for them and for their team(s).

Who should attend?

This session is free and open to all, including industry professionals from across all sectors, researchers and academics.

About the Covid Business Series: What works for work? Webinar series

This webinar series has been co-developed and delivered by KTN and the ESRC. It aims to bring together industry leaders and practitioners with researchers and academics to discuss emerging procedures, policies, tools, and tactics for a variety of business workplaces; and provide employers and employees with actionable insights that attendees can use at work.

During this webinar series we will be exploring:

• Flexible working models that consider when, where, and how people work.
• Organisational policies that influence employee wellbeing and productivity.
• Post-lockdown inclusive recruitment and job designs.

• 14th December | Work after lockdown: flexible working models for the future
• 26th January | Business Policies for Employee Wellbeing
• 9th February | Transforming the place and time of work
• 23rd February | Demystifying inclusive working environments