Interaction's Thrivalism: Recent Episodes
Interaction
Welcome to Thrivalism, Interaction’s podcast focused on the art of thriving – flourishing and evolving under any conditions. In this series we’ll examine how to create thriving businesses, culture, careers and places. We’ll explore key topics such as: workplace design and build, culture and community, sustainability, and, of course, the future of ‘work’. Join us and our guests as we explore how people and business can set themselves up to not just to survive – but thrive.
In this episode, we're in conversation with Ruth Moody. Ruth is an Executive Coach, with a wealth of experience helping both mothers and businesses improve their return-to-work experience. Check out her website here: Home - Ruth Moody (ruthmoodycoaching.co.uk)
It's a conversation that hits close to home for many – the challenges and triumphs of mothers returning to the workforce. We take a deep dive into the dynamics, attitudes, and practical strategies surrounding this pivotal and often fraught life transition, touching on generational attitudes, the impact of technology, and the emotional aspects of returning to work.
So, whether you're a returning professional, a manager navigating team dynamics, or someone curious about creating more inclusive workplace cultures, this episode is for you (we had a slight issue with the audio quality, but not enough to distract from some great content).
Quote:
- Whenever You See Me Somewhere Succeeding In One Area of My Life, That Almost Certainly Means I Am Failing In Another
Thanks for listening! Check out Interaction's website for more workplace culture content and case studies (or just follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter).
Join Toby in a lively conversation with Alicia Grimes, co-founder of the Future Kind Collective, a team of design-led business culture consultants.
Alicia shares insights on service design and its impact on employee experiences. They discuss the challenges companies face as they scale and how to maintain a strong culture. They also dive into the importance of play and fun in the workplace, and how it fosters creativity and human connection.
Don't miss this engaging episode on thriving in the world of work!
Check out The Future Kind Collective here: The Future Kind Collective - Design-led Culture Consultants
Thanks for listening! Check out Interaction's website for more workplace culture content and case studies (or just follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter).
In this episode Toby talks with fellow workplace culture podcast host Lizzie Benton. Lizzie hosts the "Make It Thrive" podcast and is "a curious explorer for better ways of working."
They discuss what they've learned since diving headfirst into workplace culture, touching on topics such as the role of middle-manager, useless workplace culture initiatives and planning for alien invasions.
Check out the podcast or just read the full transcript.
Find more from Lizzie here:
Liberty Mind | Adopt Progressive Ways of Working
Make It Thrive: The Company Culture Podcast
In the episode Lizzie mentions Shorter: How to Revolutionise the Work Week by Alex Soojun Kim-Pang and Toby mentions this episode of Thrivalism with Amy Kean.
Thanks for listening! Check out Interaction's website for more workplace culture content and case studies (or just follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter).
In this insightful podcast episode, join us as we dive into the world of landscape architecture with Andrew Grant, a seasoned expert in the field. With a career spanning decades, Andrew shares his journey and the evolution of sustainable design practices.
Starting with his early experiences growing up on a farm in East Yorkshire, Andrew discusses how his deep connection to nature and the environment shaped his unique perspective on landscape architecture. From his studies in Edinburgh to his pioneering work on the Earth Centre Project in Doncaster, his commitment to ecological principles and sustainability shines through.
Discover how Andrew and his firm, Andrew Grant Associates, embarked on groundbreaking projects, including the iconic "Gardens by the Bay" in Singapore, where creativity and nature intertwine to create a lush urban oasis.
As we explore Andrew's creative process and the challenges of promoting sustainability in historical cities like Bath, you'll gain valuable insights into the future of landscape architecture and the role it plays in creating greener, more sustainable cities.
Join us for an engaging conversation that inspires a new way of thinking about landscapes and their impact on our lives and the environment.
Links to check out:
Landscape architects, Bath, UK and Singapore, Asia | Grant Associates (grant-associates.uk.com)
Gardens by the Bay
Welcome To The Bathscape | Bath | Somerset
Thanks for listening! Check out Interaction's website for more workplace culture content and case studies (or just follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter).
In "Beyond Salary" Toby Brown hosts Emma Wharton Love, co-founder of We Are the Loves, an employer branding agency. They delve into the concept of Employee Value Proposition (EVP), emphasizing that it goes beyond salary and encompasses compensation, benefits, culture, development opportunities, and more.
Key takeaways include:
- Understanding EVP: EVP is like an organization's CV, representing what it offers employees in exchange for their skills. It covers a wide range of factors, including culture, recognition, social responsibility, and work environment.
- Ownership of EVP: While HR often manages EVP, it should involve input and feedback from all employees to be truly effective.
- Developing a Bottom-Up EVP: This involves understanding organizational values, gathering feedback through surveys and interviews, and considering external market perceptions to attract talent that aligns with the company's values.
- Balancing Internal and External Branding: It's crucial to ensure alignment between the employer brand and the external brand to maintain authenticity and avoid disappointment among new hires.
- EVP and Generational Shift: Younger generations like Gen Z and millennials are driving a shift towards valuing flexibility and social impact in addition to salary.
- Benefits of a Strong EVP: A robust EVP engages employees, boosts retention, and attracts talent aligned with the company's culture and values.
- Monitoring and Adapting EVP: Set measurable metrics, such as staff surveys and recruitment costs, and collect annual feedback to keep the EVP relevant.
- Common Mistakes and Emerging Trends: Avoid focusing solely on compensation, personalize the EVP, and embrace trends like transparency in pay and progression.
- Impact on Workplace Culture: A well-developed EVP can help but won't solve deep-seated cultural issues within a company.
- Examples of Effective EVP: Bumble are highlighted for aligning their EVP with their brand positioning.
- Building an Employer Brand: The podcast discusses a project with Q5, a management consultancy, to create recruitment marketing materials based on their EVP.
- Hopeful Trends: The focus on employee development and skills expansion is seen as optimistic and vital in the evolving job market.
To learn more about employer branding and EVP, you can visit We Are the Loves website or find them on LinkedIn.
Thanks for listening! Check out Interaction's website for more workplace culture content and case studies (or just follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter).
Podcast Show Notes: Outside the Office - Exploring The Woodland Workplace.
Toby Brown in Conversation with Tom Vaughton of Varn Search Marketing.
Intro:
- Host: Toby Brown, Head of Marketing, Interaction
- Guest: Tom Vaughton, Founder and MD of Varn Search Marketing
Introduction:
- Toby introduces the episode and his guest, Tom Vaughton, from Varn Search Marketing Agency.
- Toby highlights how impressed he was with Tom's innovative approach to workplace well-being during the lockdown.
Transition to Woodland Office:
- Tom shares that they are in their woodland office, a unique and inspiring workspace surrounded by nature.
- Toby acknowledges the unconventional nature of having a woodland office for a marketing agency and expresses his curiosity about the impact it has had on the team and business.
Creating the Woodland Office:
- Tom explains that the idea of the woodland office evolved due to COVID-19 and their belief in making work enjoyable and beneficial.
- He emphasizes that the team played a crucial role in shaping the concept, offering ideas, and providing feedback.
- Tom mentions that the journey included trial and error, with some ideas not working out.
- Toby asks about challenges, and Tom discusses initial timeline expectations and the logistical issues of setting up the woodland office during the pandemic.
Balancing Freedom and Structure:
- Toby inquires about the team's work setup and flexibility.
- Tom outlines their flexible work model, with one day a week working from home and the rest being a mix of woodland and brick-and-mortar office work.
- Tom emphasizes the importance of creating a professional and engaging workspace in the woods.
Benefits and Productivity:
- Toby delves into the topic of productivity and asks Tom how they measure it.
- Tom explains their billable hours model and how they track scheduled work versus delivered work.
- Tom shares that they have been more productive in the woods and have even saved money on recruitment fees.
- Toby and Tom discuss the impact of the natural environment on productivity and creativity.
Well-Being During COVID:
- Toby mentions how Tom's company focused on employee well-being during the pandemic, including longer lunch breaks to encourage outdoor walks.
- Tom highlights the importance of access to natural light and fresh air for well-being and productivity.
Looking to the Future:
- Toby inquires about Tom's plans for the woodland office's future.
- Tom discusses plans for more insulated structures and breakout pods for winter.
- Tom mentions the possibility of creating workspaces in other inspiring locations, like by the beach.
Balancing Responsibilities:
- Toby acknowledges that owning a woodland comes with responsibilities and asks how it affects their planning.
- Tom shares that they think long-term and consider sharing the space with organizations like the Children's Hospice South West.
Reflections and Advice:
- Toby asks if Tom wishes they had done anything differently in the process.
- Tom expresses the desire to have started the woodland office sooner.
- Toby inquires about the potential for other businesses to adopt a similar approach.
- Tom advises businesses to view their office as an investment and encourages open communication with employees to expl
Thanks for listening! Check out Interaction's website for more workplace culture content and case studies (or just follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter).
In this special episode we catch up with Richard O Gorman, AKA Instagram's HouseHomo. Richard designs colourful and awe-inspiring murals for Interaction and many others, having gained Insta notoriety for his incredibly vibrant do-over of a Birmingham Victorian terraced house.
In this episode he's in conversation with Interaction's Account Design Lead, Lucy Symonds.
Show notes
Richard on Instagram (@househomo)
Tour Richard's Eclectic Victorian Terrace
Touring Househomo: Richard O’Gorman’s Eclectic Victorian Terrace | Visitors’ Book
Richard's Dining Room Transformation on Instagram
Colour theory and its impact on productivity
Pantone Colour of the Year
Interior Design Master (S3, E1)
Molly Mural on Instagram (@mollymural)
Molly Mural's work at Runway East, The Hickman for Interaction
Make sure you're following us to see Richard's work for one of our projects in Brighton! @interactionltd
Thanks for listening! Check out Interaction's website for more workplace culture content and case studies (or just follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter).
Nick Elston is one of the highest-profile speakers on the Lived Experience of Mental Health.
Nick's perspective is that we can either let our adversities, our challenges, define us negatively for the rest of our live or we can use it to forge something powerful
Nick shares his ‘Lived Experience’ through insights, tools, tips and techniques on how business can better engage with mental health and how individuals can begin finding the help they need.
Thanks for listening! Check out Interaction's website for more workplace culture content and case studies (or just follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter).
Natasha Wallace is author of The Conscious Effect: 50 Lessons in Organisational Wellbeing. In this episode we discuss how a breakdown led her to rethink how leaders should connect with themselves and their organisations.
Thanks for listening! Check out Interaction's website for more workplace culture content and case studies (or just follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter).
As the state pension age increases and the figures for employment in those from 50 – 64 rise, we explore the opportunities and challenges this presents for businesses and older people in the workforce – particularly for women, who face unique challenges as they age. We're joined by Claire Lowson, the founder of Supermenopause, and the woman behind the Age Positive division at the Brand consultancy Propaganda.
Claire is on a drive to ‘rebrand’ age, and specifically to shift employer's perspectives on what older employees can bring to the workplace.
Thanks for listening! Check out Interaction's website for more workplace culture content and case studies (or just follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter).
In this episode we talk to law firm TLT's Chief People Officer Helen Hodgkinson. We discuss the launch of TLT World, the firm's "work anywhere" policy, the role of the workspace in attracting talent and why legal firms need to take notes from other sectors if they want to win the war for talent.
Head to www.tlt.com to find out more about working with TLT, or head to www.interaction.uk.com if you'd like to find out more about how Interaction can help you design and build offices that are fit for your flexible future,
In this episode we talk to Simone Fenton-Jarvis, author of The Human-Centric Workplace. We discuss what makes a workplace great as opposed to just good, common mistakes companies make as they try and build their culture and how many people could share a single satsuma. Simone is a proponent for making workplace culture brilliant and making workplace experiences better for everyone. And she's really passionate about making businesses do that and holding them accountable. It's a great chat.
To win the hearts and minds of both employees and customers, companies today need to highlight their efforts to be good global citizens. Businesses that build and positively impact their community of employees and customers creates a sense they are a part of something larger and more meaningful than themselves as individuals.
People who feel a sense of purpose and community, particularly where their individual values line up with the company, are more loyal, more productive and happier - ultimately the business is more successful.
In this episode we're joined by Graham Abbey and Sammy Burt of Farleigh Performance to explore how to build community around common purpose, how to clarify and communicate your business purpose, and we examine the benefits of doing this for employee engagement, productivity, happiness, recruitment and retention.
Remote and hybrid working, the war on talent, sustainability and ESG... the last few years have thrown challenge after challenge at businesses. How do the best businesses thrive when faced with constantly changing circumstances?
A key attribute shared by many is the deliberate creation of a cultural compass – a shared vision and intrinsic values which give employees a sense of belonging and a united purpose. From finding a new home in the heart of the pandemic to winning Business Leader’s Employer of The Year award, Xledger have navigated the pandemic with a clear eye on the importance of community and workplace culture.
In this episode we’ll discuss what it takes to create a cultural compass that can help businesses steer through the most turbulent times.
Show Notes
Xledger UK
Mark Pullen, CEO at Xledger on LinkedIn
Ian Halliwell, Sales & Marketing Director at Xledger on LinkedIn
Xledger’s new Bristol office
Creating a healthy, high-performing workplace is difficult. Creating a healthy, high-performing workplace while navigating the changes wrought by COVID 19 and establishing news ways of working while also dealing with seismic organizational change is even more difficult.
In this episode we discuss how businesses can build in the resilience needed to manage change, what organizations need to be thinking about when it comes to employee wellness and how to keep your workplace culture robust and authentic throughout turbulent times.
Although noise around the metaverse is growing. It’s still hard to pin down exactly what it is; is it an ecosystem, a platform or a product?
How will it affect our day-to-day lives and relationships? More relevantly to us, how will organizations and businesses use it in the workplace?
Will the public even like it or is it just the next Google Glass?
What are the opportunities it brings – and what are some of the potential downfalls?
No-one really knows. And neither do we.
Show notes
Dan Pritchard on LinkedIn
Astley Media
Tech South West
Gymshark in the Metaverse
Nick Clegg in the Metaverse
Codices, a Falmouth Launchpad success
Don't forget to subscribe for more!
Episode Synopsis:
Despite the initial “office is dead” gloom of the pandemic’s beginning, the signs are showing that demand for high-quality workplaces is still high, although driven by different imperatives; employee-first, geographically diverse and experience-driven.
In this episode, we’ll explore the key forces that will be driving the commercial property market in 2022, focusing on how landlords can adapt the way they generate income, offer value and align with the rapidly-changing expectations of tenants and lease operators.
Toby and Dieter recap on their experiences so far, discussing the keys points made by each of our guests while bickering occasionally and getting interrupted by a handyman.
Show notes
Dieter Wood on LinkedIn
Toby Brown on LinkedIn
S1E1: Taxi! Adventures in Building Culture with Autocab's Head of Culture, Lucy Sunner
S1E2: Creating Communities with Cubex's Sarah Trahair-Williams
S1E3: Environmental Hazards with Joanna Watchman, Work in Mind
S1E4: Beyond The Badges: Tackling Sustainability with CEG's Paul Richardson
S1E5: Bagels Do Not A Company Culture Make! With Amy Kean
S2E1: Creating Psychological Safety with Harry Singer, MD of Singer Instruments
S2E2: What Can Businesses Learn From Religion? with Sanderson Jones
Tech Business Culture Survival Guide
S2E3: Welcome to The Wokeplace with Rupert Dean, Co-Founder and CEO of x+why
Season 3 coming soon!
Episode Synopsis:
As the debate around “the Great Resignation” has shown, recent events have caused many people to re-evaluate what it is they want from their job. Mission, ethics, and ESG can now be viewed as contributions to, not enemies of, an organisation’s bottom line.
In this episode we explore how co-working spaces serving as a hothouse for a very modern type of business – ethical, diverse, sustainable and profitable. We examine the rise of the purpose-driven business, ask whether people are more effective when bought together by aligned values and discuss why profit shouldn’t be a dirty word.
In this episode, our Head of Marketing, Toby, catches up with comedian, coach and co-founder of global secular community the Sunday Assembly, Sanderson Jones. When he's not officiating mass weddings and helping companies with their culture, he's taking inspiration from the way religious organisations foster community and examining ways we can bring more of what he terms "lifefullness" to work.
In this episode Sanderson explores the ideas of covenants, congregations and commitment, and discusses how he's been making megachurches jealous. It's a great chat with some strong language. Hope you enjoy it.
In this episode, our Head of Marketing, Toby, catches up with Harry Singer, Managing Director of Singer Instruments, an incredibly interesting medical technology company. Harry is focussed on creating a workplace culture which drives innovation through psychological safety and encourages equality, transparency… and failure.
Show notes
Harry Singer on LinkedIn
Singer Instruments
Net Promoter Score
Spiber
In this episode we catch up with author, poet, strategist, activist and accidental workplace culture expert Amy Kean to discuss how to fix toxic workplaces, what red flags to look for when job hunting and why Millennials might just need a nice nap.
Show notes:
Amy Kean on LinkedIn
Sixthingsimpossible.com
Diversity & Inclusion at Conferences and Events (DICE)
Conflicted by Ian Leslie (Book)
Invisible to Invaluable: Unleashing the Power of Midlife Women by Jane Evans & Carol Russell (Book)
In this episode we explore the ways in which landlords and tenants can come together to move forward the conversation surrounding sustainability beyond ticking boxes – instead driving behavioural change and focusing on meaningful metrics.
Are Bad Working Environments More Detrimental to our Wellbeing than Bad Habits?
In this episode, Interaction's Head of Workplace Research and Strategy, Deborah Wilder, is joined by Founder of Work in Mind, Joanna Watchman in an exploration of ways our environments shape us – both positively and negatively. We discuss the ways design can affect our health, mood and our quality of life and explore the role of WELL buildings in shaping spaces that allow people to thrive.
Cubex have changed the urban landscape of Bristol. Best known for bringing the derelict Courage Brewery site out from administration of a failed developer in the midst of the late 2000’s recession and turning it into a thriving million sq ft of mixed use development, Cubex are a perfect example of an organisation that has thrived by embracing challenges.
Sarah is passionate about construction, placemaking and inspiring people to join and develop the property industry.
Welcome to Thrivalism, Interaction’s podcast focused on the art of thriving – flourishing and evolving under any conditions. In this series we examine how to create thriving businesses, culture, careers and places, exploring key topics such as: workplace design and build, culture and community, sustainability, and, of course, the future of ‘work’.
This episode sees our Managing Director, Dieter Wood, in conversation with Autocab's Head of Culture, Lucy Sunner.
Having joined Autocab in a newly-appointed role just in time for the company to be bought by Uber, Lucy dives deep into how workplace culture can be created, harnessed and scaled, especially in the tech sector.
She outlines the role of communication, rituals and “non-transactional” interactions in building a cohesive workplace community, looking at how to surmount the challenges around remote and hybrid working models and how to really understand and act on the needs of employees to create a resilient, forward-thinking organisation.
Show notes
Lucy Sunner, Head of Culture (LinkedIn)
Autocab
Bonusly
Dieter Wood, Host (LinkedIn)
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