“A Phygital workplace is driven by the strength of a why”. This is the first point of the Phygital Work Manifesto presented by Alessandro Zollo, CEO of Great Place to Work Italia, and Andrea Cioffi, CEO of Digital Dictionary at the event “How to attract digital natives?” organized by New Normal Live. Despite our ways of working have changed a lot, going beyond the constraints of space and time, the nostalgia for the office is becoming a common feeling. So, how to prepare for this new hybrid working?
Download the Phygital Work Manifesto here.
The arrival of millennials, who in a few years will make up an important percentage of the productive force, will be another powerful factor of change after the shock caused by the corona virus. Smarter and more agile ways of working will be accompanied by the desire for constant training and innovation, in a more transparent and rewarding culture, where everyone can show who really is. These considerations are the foundation of the Phygital Work Manifesto.
How the Phygital Work Manifesto was born.
“The idea came from the awareness that the organization of work is changing a lot”, explains Andrea Cioffi. “We have discovered that time and space are not such rigid constraints. This is the most valid lesson of this period for organizational models which are already transparent and open to communication. But this change is the result of a crisis not of a vision. For this, we need new principles for the new normal of work. This manifesto is therefore born as a compass to guide the choices of managers to help them create more attractive organizations”.
Organizational cultures based on why.
“Now our goal is to test the Phygital work manifesto in a real working context,” continues the CEO of Digital Dictionary. “They are all important principles, but my favourite is the first. A phygital environment is an environment that starts from why. I am personally convinced that people, especially young people who have to develop a culture of work (and now they have to do it without meeting in person) need to believe in something, to be able to make a difference in some way: they are not looking for a job, but for a place where they can identify and express themselves.
Young people are attracted to those companies that invest in them, with a clear mission and organizational culture, better if they are open to the future, to change and innovation. The theme is not “I’m looking for a job”, but “I’m looking for an environment where I can express myself”. The reason is what creates unity. “Starting with a why” is a success factor for organizations that want to be competitive in the battle for talent.
What is the current situation?
Last year it happened that we shut ourselves up at home and we at Great Place to Work wondered what impact it would have had on our rankings”, explains Alessandro Zollo. “From March to July of last year, the trust index of employees towards the leaders and the organization, jumped 7 points upwards. Gradually, however, it has started to go down, and this +7 dropped to +3 between September and October. Today, in England it is already -1, as in France. In reality, this is due to the fact that we are all struggling to move forward. We sat to hear sentences like “I can’t take it anymore, I want to go back to the office”. The other day I saw people excited because they had returned to have coffee with colleagues in the office. There is a great desire to return to physical normality. Even if the 8-hours-contracts, the famous 9-18 are over: we must give responsibility to people, the important thing is that the objectives are met.
How can we know if a company is ready for phygital or not.
We are studying in collaboration with IAA a certification to indicate how “phygital ready” a company is, based on three parameters: the opinion of the employees, the undertaken company policies, and the hours of training organized on the key principles of the phygital culture. The mix of these three variables can lead the organization to be certificated as “phygital ready”, or to be recognized as “phygital leader”. It is a global project that will therefore allow us to discuss internationally and bridge the gap between our companies and those of other countries. At the same time, we are planning courses to help managers assimilate the scope of these principles and to reach the top of the rankings.
Text by Gabriele Masi.
Pictures: C 30, OneDay Group headquarters, Milan.
