This Week in Talent (7th April)

Howdy talent partners!

Happy Thursdays 😊 Hope your week so far has been absolutely divine, amazing, fab, glorious and enjoyable. I’ve had a really jam-packed few weeks – last week I cleverly booked a whole week of IRL meetings in the office which I thought would be fun, but was actually ridiculous and exhausting. I’m still getting used to the hybrid thing…

Anyway – I realised at the end of last week that I’ve been too busy to play – everything has been so serious and boring. I like to prioritise play for myself and my team, whether that’s taking time out to do a fun game/activity (à la escape room style), or kicking off our team meetings with some silly (but thought-provoking) questions and activities. Being silly and giving yourself permission to play is so bloody important. Mykel Dixon was talking about this at the Talent Day Out – he suggested having a band room in the office, to give people a reason to come back in … and I was thinking that he was on point! Imagine having a jam with your workmates before a big project planning session…

The benefits of incorporating playfulness and silliness into your work life are huge! Playing an imagination game, or similar, before a brainstorming or ideation session will get the creative juices flowing and break down those ‘vulnerability’ barriers so that people feel comfortable sharing ideas and trying new things.

If you’ve ever wondered about the benefits of play for adults… give this a watch. I saw Dr Stuart Brown speak (pre-pandemic) here in Melbourne at a play event run by Culture Hero (YES a play event, where we got together and played all day). I had the best time. THE BEST time. I still remember it to this day – that’s how awesome playing is.

What are some ways you can incorporate play and being silly into one of your meetings or project sessions this week? 😊

On a side note… get some tickets to TA Brew at the Bodriggy Brewery, and have a play with us IRL!

What if Working in Sweatpants Unleashed Your Superpowers?

Research-backed benefits to working in comfort! Take this to your CEO immediately.

A new study says understanding what drives employees may be integral to stemming resignations

Another form of workforce segmentation – minimalists, transactionalists, aspirationalists, traditionalists, and lifestylists. Could having each employee classified in one of these five quadrants help to reduce resignations?

The Benefits and Risks of Rehiring a Boomerang Employee

I’m all FOR returning employees, but some interesting points raised in this article of things to be wary of.

Hybrid work: How to maximise your in-office days

I thought this was a great little share. As someone who has returned to a hybrid working style, I can say it’s so easy to fall back into old habits where your days in the office are taken up with meetings and admin that could be done at home. Making the most of the time together, and being deliberate in how you plan your week, will be key to making hybrid working a success!

Under-35s Reimagine Melbourne: Preparing for jobs that don’t yet exist

I’m pretty sure every person reading this wishes that schools had taught us skills we would actually use like how to do your taxes, how not to max out a $9,000 credit card when you’re 20 years old and earn $30k per annum (guiltyyyy), how to create a nutritionally balanced meal, etc. I can’t remember one single time in my adult life when I’ve had to work out the equation of x – y +b2 divided by pi. I also still have nightmares about the Beep Tests our PE teacher would surprise us with once every few months (…not joking. Actual nightmares). In this article – read about Nathaniel Diong who is looking to make this dream of a real-world school curriculum a gosh darn REALITY! Why not get kids to solve real-world problems, so that when they are faced with them outside of school … they swim, not sink? Legenddddd!