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Last year, many organisations were wrestling with the question of how many days they want staff to be in the office and how that might be configured. These discussions are important and valid, but to some extent, they are a distraction from the more important question: is a team member doing a good job?
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The main responsibility of my team at Universal Production Music is to keep existing clients happy and to onboard new ones, so the amount of time team members are sitting at a desk in our office is less important than the amount of time they are in the clients’ offices or out networking with them at lunch, dinner or at gigs and concerts. And yet, it can still be easy to succumb to what former Twitter executive Bruce Daisley calls ‘a 19th-century mill owner mentality’ – wondering why your colleagues aren’t in the office with you at 10am or after lunch.
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There is an illusion that to increase productivity, you need to get into the office at 8am and stay there until 8pm. But, of course, our focus should be on outputs or productivity, not presenteeism.
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Take the example of a team leader who recently joined us on a maternity cover. In a year, she wrote our digital marketing plan, relaunched our YouTube Channel, onboarded a media agency and a creative agency, managed four large projects, including the launch of a new label by a Hollywood composer and a gender equality programme.
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She also recruited and onboarded a new team member, and took care of two young children. She came into the office (which involved a long commute) when she could, making it a priority to do so for any event where team bonding was the focus. While she wasn’t always present, there was no doubt her output was phenomenal.
It’s Not Where You Work That Matters | Sponsored
It’s Not Where You Work That Matters | Sponsored
“There is an illusion that to increase productivity, you need to be in the office”
The pandemic was undoubtedly the catalyst for major changes in how we work, but some employees are finding that when they work has evolved too. Many companies are experimenting with shaking things up, especially in an era where worker attrition is a concern.
More than 70 companies in the UK took part in a pilot project run by 4 Day Week, a group campaigning for a shorter working week, Autonomy, a think tank, and researchers at Cambridge and Oxford universities. The project trialled employees receiving 100% pay for 80% of their normal hours.
Some 86% of companies said they would continue with the four-day-week policy after the trial ends and 95% said productivity had stayed the same or improved during the shorter working week. Employees benefited from reduced commuting costs and parents from reduced childcare costs.
At Universal Music Group, we introduced ‘wellness Fridays’ during the pandemic where, as long as you remain contactable, Friday afternoons have a more relaxed feel and staff are encouraged to use them as they wish – to catch up with colleagues or friends, to practise a hobby or just to take some time to recharge after a busy week.
Since the pandemic ended, we have continued with this practice and while I can speak only for my own small team, I have not noticed any dip in productivity, and engagement levels across the team are very high. In the summer, we used the time to picnic together and bond as a team.
The introduction of small, fun activities that build relationships can also make a huge difference. It may not surprise you to know that many at Universal Production Music are musical, and we find singing together brings a sense of joy to work, as well as being a great equaliser. Likewise, listening to music with our clients offers the benefit of forging deeper relationships in a relaxing setting.
One of the world’s leading experts on workplace motivation is a Harvard researcher called Teresa Amabile, who says that a good day at work is when we make progress in something meaningful.
However, so many things can get in the way of our best intentions – endless meetings, streams of emails and constant Zoom notifications. So I will be starting this year by thinking about how I use my time to ensure that nothing stands in my way of accomplishing something meaningful every day in 2023.
- Alison Farmery is head of sales at Universal Production Music
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