Team Building in a Hybrid Era: Simon's Advice on Work Flexibility

Dive into the world of hybrid work models with Simon as he explores the balance between remote and in-office work. Understand the psychological impact on different personality types and discover strategies for building a more inclusive and mentally fit workplace.

Video from Cognizant Technologies Solutions, October 2023, in conversation with Ravi Kumar S

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Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together.

Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do.

Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game.

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Simon’s books:

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#SimonSinek

[estelaguidote]

There’s nothing like being at the workplace. Human interaction is necessary to be more efficient, productive and effective for all intents and purposes. Interpersonal skills are developed and the effect of being with workmates is powerful and positive rather than working alone from home. It’s the best medicine to lead a happy and healthy life - being face to face with PEOPLE!

[DSuelo]

Too general of an answer. Remote work was a trend happening years before the pandemic. The pandemic just accelerated it.

The reality is people are commuting to work, parking their cars, and hoping no one breaks into it or flat out steal it. Just to sit in Zoom meetings all day in a distracting office. Then having the joy of commuting home.

This makes them miserable, because the majority of people work because they need the money not because it’s their passion.

Most companies that have remote work are usually nation-wide or global, working with people in different cities and countries.

The idea of all my coworkers residing from the same town would limit my company’s potential.

[connorross]

I wish people would not equate "work" with "the office". When people say "they don't want to come to work" they're saying "they don't want to come to the office" but it sounds like they're implying the person doesn't want to do any work. I think the language is important here

[BeeKaye]

I see a lot of disagreement in the comments. There is something to be said about energetically connecting with others in person. The best ideas flow through in-person collaboration. People have become accustomed to being online, especially younger people. It feels efficient, but it’s too impersonal. Even though I’m an introvert, I need human interactions to synthesize ideas and information. I work best solo or one on one, but I still need some time spent with others. If you disagree, that’s fine, but explain the epidemic of loneliness and discontent that’s so pervasive in our society today. It’s having profound negative effects on people’s mental health.

[emilykong]

I wholeheartedly disagree with you on the definition of "Social Interaction." While I acknowledge the value of one-on-one conversations and small group interactions, I believe that larger groups can still constitute meaningful social engagement. Social interaction encompasses a spectrum of communication styles and group sizes, each serving a unique purpose. Larger gatherings, despite their potential for noise and perceived inefficiency, offer diverse perspectives and allow for the exchange of ideas on a broader scale. The energy and dynamism in a larger crowd can foster a sense of community and collective engagement that is distinct from smaller settings. In my opinion, it's essential to appreciate the variety of social interactions and recognize the unique benefits each type can bring to our overall well-being and understanding of the world around us.

[ancientgriffyn]

How's it supposed to work when the line manager for the team is in a completely different country? ie 90% of the team is in Sao Paulo, 10% of the team is scattered around South America, and the line manager for the team is in Spain?

[starcrol]

Doing my best to apply this to the classroom...

[jaykhazem]

Hi! I don't think it need much analysis here! Its simply an arrangement between the employer and the employee that should take into consideration what works best for both! Once this arrangement is in place both should respect it.

[TedBouskill]

For the first time I completely and wholeheartedly disagree with you. Define "Social Interaction"!

Yes we need it, but at what scale?
Talking one on one to a friend.
Talking to a few friends.
A small group of 10
A group of 50
A crowd!

When I started working in an office as a software developer, each developer had a 10-foot by 10 space for their cubicle or 100 square feet. Now developers sit at a desk 5 feet wide crowded together so their effective square footage is 20 square feet or 5 feet by 4 feet.

Groups of more than 5 is NOT social interaction. It's noisy and ineffective communication. I've worked in offices where the 85 decibel alarm on my Apple Watch had to be turned off because it was going off so much. A warning about harmful noise wouldn't start chiming.

Have you EVER worked in a crowded office environment?

Yes, since the Industrial Revolution, larger groups of people have worked in factories, but that was NOT social interaction. For millennia, humans worked in small groups. I grew up in the prairies, where people worked all day alone on their farms and then had social interaction at night with their families. Farms were at least a mile from each other. Are you saying all those farmers were not mentally fit?

Show me any science backing your preposterous claim of how we achieve mental fitness working in crowded, noisy office environments!

[TheBestOfLisaRenee]

There is an unfathomable amount of abuse and bullying that is allowed in the workplace. A great many so called managers are unable or unwilling to address these issues and often times are the ones dishing it out as well, so why would any respectable human being want to face these outrageous behaviors dished out by unhealthy people. It’s my experience that the workplace is loaded with dysfunctional and abusive people who are the ones with mental problems, which actually start with their spirit and soul.

[Muaddibkhan]

Amazing as always, Wish we understood this before WFH became a thing

[OlgaSunny-plsg]

I think we need to find a word for people like me which is I enjoy being in company of others but I also like being alone. Intraextravert?

[AaronErbe]

Shocked to see Simon shying away from a growth mindset. Blanket statements like "we all work better in person or onsite" is ignoring reality. Where's the unbiased data that shows this? We operate in a global work environment and are very productive. That environment guarantees that we cannot work f2f. We have (and continue to) adapted to this new environment very effectively. To say we must all return to an office simply for perceived value of "hallway" and "water cooler" discussions is blindly holding onto archaic thinking. Embrace the change. Stop patronizing people like their not capable of providing their own socialization for mental 'fitness' without an employer to force it.

[SonnyDarvishzadeh]

Oh I love when someone starts talking loudly next to me in the open office. When you finish lunch and get out of the cafeteria where many are smoking cigarette as if the immediate millimiter after the cafetria is a "public place" and they are allowed to smoke there. Commuting to work where drivers and cyclists have their headlight high beam in my eyes, people stinking in public transports. Yeah these are the best cure for my "mental fitness" issues.
No Simon, you are not a doctor, psychologist or anywhere near any expertise starting with psych-. Stop supporting the extroverts and CEOs begging us get back to office. Such miserable life these extroverts have that their work is 100% of their entire social interactions.

[AngeliqueOpoue]

Donc Simon pendant que je me fatigue pour les autres il y a des batards qui joue avec mes compte bancaires et vous vous amusez a me manquer de respect