'People's expectations of work have changed significantly'
As people emerged from COVID lockdowns in New Zealand, the evolution of the workplace was evident. The future of work was to be one of flexibility, work-life balance, more wellbeing support, and inclusivity for everyone.
But now that life has returned to normal, the headlines have flipped, favouring the old status quo – many organisations are enticing their workforces back to the office with quirky perks, many Kiwis are working longer hours than ever before, with high burnout rates.
“The landscape of work has changed significantly, particularly since COVID, and people’s expectations of work have changed significantly. So, what people want out of work now is completely different,” said Stephanie Love, HR Consultant at Love HR.
“There is a really big opportunity for something a bit different in HR, something fresh, something that does challenge the status quo.”
Embracing the future of work and creating significant and meaningful change in the workforce is no longer a nice to have, it’s now a matter of business survival, says Love, whose firm will be hosting the 2-day HR Changemakers Festival in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland this November.
Speakers will include Charlotte Lockhart, productivity advocate and pioneer of the 4-Day Week Global; Martin King, who works with Kiwi organisations to ensure they are set up to be inclusive of the rainbow community through his company Pride Pledge; and Dellwyn Stuart, founder of Mindthegap, NZs first public gender and ethnicity pay gap register.
“It's not your everyday conference. It is different, and it's designed for people who do want to challenge the status quo. One of the key things is, all the speakers are changemakers in their own way, they have really clear messages with what they do, and they all have something really powerful to share,” said Love.
Held at Wild & Co in Auckland on November 9, and 10, early bird passes are now available from https://www.lovehr.co.nz/festival
