In this column, we provoke fresh thinking and round up some of the weird, wonderful, quirky, surprising – and shocking – stories out there

 

Open doors

We know how important trust is in the workplace – fostering an environment of trust and psychological safety is key to the success of teams, according to Google’s study, Project Aristotle.

Founded by the late Zen Master Bernie Glassman, Greyston Bakery can teach the world a thing or two about operating a trust-based business model. In 1982, the organisation, which produces world-class baked goods every year for a variety of companies including Ben & Jerry’s, launched a business practice it calls Open Hiring. It doesn’t run background checks, examine CVs or hold interviews. If people want to work for Greyston, they can. As it says on its website: “When people say yes, I want to work, we say yes right back. Because it’s not someone’s past that matters – it’s their future. Open Hiring is not charity, it is a business model that transforms lives and communities. Trust is contagious. It puts us all on the same side, working together. Trust grows between workers, families, and neighbors to help build resilient communities.”

It also offers no-cost community programs to anyone in need.

Greyston is now scaling its mission to impact the millions of people facing barriers to employment, taking what it’s learned over 37 years and teaching other companies how to “successfully invest in human potential too. It is the smartest way to build economically robust communities, businesses, and create a fairer world.”

What would it look like in coaching, mentoring and the business world at large and what would the impact be if we were more trusting of others?

  • Read more here: https://www.greyston.org/

Don’t get too remote

Remote workers should spend at least two-and-a-half days in the workplace to stay connected to colleagues and their employer, according to a report from Nuffield Health.

The Effects of remote working on stress, wellbeing and productivity report looked at how remote working can affect employees’ mental health, wellbeing and productivity. It found that while remote working was linked to positive employee wellbeing overall, it had little effect specifically on stress and productivity levels. Spending more than two-and-a-half days per week working remotely was linked with a deterioration in the quality of workplace relationships, requiring both parties to work harder to build mutual trust, while employees felt the need to “work too hard” to prove they were being productive.

Remote working shouldn’t be seen as an easy way to address stress and feelings of poor work-life balance. The report recommended taking into account individual circumstances and personality traits when assessing whether remote working will suit an employee. Those with a high tendency to ruminate may not be suited to working remotely, whereas people high on openness may adapt well, it says. It recommended taking into consideration factors such as self-discipline, and the ability to separate work from home life, as well as resilience.

 

Absent morals

Two in five people are willing to pretend they’re sick to get a day off work, according to a ComRes survey on morals for the BBC.

Employees were also willing to cover for colleagues taking fake sick days. Two-thirds said they’d keep quiet about a colleague who was off but not unwell, according to the survey which looked at what people in the UK consider to be right and wrong. The survey included questions on the environment, same-sex relationships and how we represent ourselves online.

Many accept praise for work that’s not theirs, with men almost twice as likely as female colleagues to do so, according to the survey. And almost a third of employees admitted to stealing work supplies such as staplers and notebooks.

Employees aged under 34 are twice as likely to speak up for women if they witness sexual harassment or inappropriate touching. Only 16% of workers aged over 55 said they would intervene if they saw a male boss touch a female employee on the back during a meeting. Some 70% of younger adults would intervene if a senior employee made sexual comments towards a younger colleague, while less than half of those over 55 would do so.

The survey also found that 58% of respondents felt their managers were not equipped to deal with the emotional or human side of management.

 

Have a tree on us

UK renewable energy company Pure Planet gave every employee a tree as a Christmas present this year.

All 80 staff were given a tree from the Woodland Trust, with the option to choose a particular tree species to be delivered to their home, to a local community space, or have it planted in a sustainable forest.

Pure Planet co-founder Steven Day said: “At Pure Planet we want to help everyone contribute to a zero-carbon future, and that starts here with our team.

“The reaction to the trees has been very positive. Our team thinks it’s great to get something engaging and a bit different, with so much tat out there, it’s nice to receive something meaningful that also positively impacts the environment and well being of our communities.”

Up to 30% more rubbish than usual is created over the Festive period, using more than 300,000 tonnes of card and sending more than 100 million bags of rubbish to landfill. Christmas waste such as clingfilm and plastic toys cannot be recycled and take 1,000 years to break down in landfill.

Digital marketing manager of Pure Planet, Anna Mountford (pictured), planned to donate her tree to a local community initiative aiming to enhance community green spaces in the village of Winsley, Wiltshire, with a further aim to reduce the CO2 levels in the area.

As an extension to the scheme, new employees of Pure Planet also get a tree when they start working at the company, encouraging sustainable gifting throughout the year.