WorkTogether with SocialOptic

In this bonus episode of the SocialOptic WorkTogether Podcast, Chris Trim discusses some highlights and learning from our recent research project “Remotely Interested”. Pulling in some quotes from the launch webinar of the research report, we unearth some interesting, and sometimes surprising, findings.  The Remotely Interested research project investigates how organisations communicate with “deskless” or “frontline” workers. With the aim of better understanding how organisations engage with this hard-to-reach group, and what we can do to improve communications.    Show notes  Producer and Host: Chris Trim  Show guest: Benjamin Ellis  Links and resources  SocialOptic  SurveyOptic  Remotely interested 2023  Redefining Communications

In Episode X of the SocialOptic WorkTogether Podcast, Chris Trim joins Benjamin Ellis to discuss Series 1 of the podcast, remembering the guests we’ve had and the things we’ve learnt from them.   Chris is part of the team at SocialOptic, usually found behind the scenes of the podcast and managing customer operations. Chris and Benjamin explore the themes running through the series, addressing big questions like “how should we understand organisations?” and “what do we get from a good company culture?”.  We touch on every episode and theme, so hold on to your headphones!   Transcript Show notes  Host: Benjamin Ellis  Show guest: Chris Trim  Producer: Chris Trim  Links and resources  The WorkTogether podcast index SocialOptic and SurveyOptic

In episode 9 of the SocialOptic WorkTogether Podcast, Jean M. Russell joins Benjamin Ellis to discuss the topic of Thrivable Organisations.     Jean is an artist, author, social technologist and innovator. She has been passionate about co-creating a more thrivable world since 2007, Co-founding Thrivable LLC. Jean unpacks the concept of Thrivability: what it means, what lead her to it and how it compares to “sustainable” and “resilient” approaches, also discussing the exciting opportunities that thrivability offers and how it can transform organisations and impact wider society.    Show notes  Transcript Host: Benjamin Ellis  Show guest: Jean M. Russell  Producer: Chris Trim  Links and resources  https://thrivable.net/

In Episode 8 of the SocialOptic WorkTogether Podcast, Zelda Franklin-Hills joins Benjamin Ellis to discuss wellbeing in the workplace.   Zelda is the Director of Organisational Development and Human Resources at Fife College. In this episode, she shares her experiences and thoughts around wellbeing in the workplace, exploring questions like 'How do we define wellbeing?' and 'What are the boundaries?'. Zelda’s experience of wellbeing strategy, developed in the crucible of responding to the effects of Covid, offers clear guidance on how organisations can tackle wellbeing to achieve objectives in a measurable way. SocialOptic have worked with Fife College for a number of years, using SurveyOptic to gather and understand employee experience across the organisation.   Show notes Transcript Host: Benjamin Ellis Show guest: Zelda Franklin-Hills Producer: Chris Trim

In Episode 7 of the SocialOptic WorkTogether Podcast, Anne Marie Rattray joins Benjamin Ellis to discuss hidden networks and invisible systems.     Anne Marie is an expert in organisational systems, networks, development and continual learning. Passionate about academia and industry, her PhD title was “A Systems Approach to Empowerment in UK Manufacturing Enterprises”. With extensive experience in organisations, Anne Marie brings a refreshing perspective to the topic which is both authoritative and forthright.  Anne-Marie discusses the concept of organisations as simultaneous, dynamic, and interconnected systems. Philosophies like lean and the viable systems model, and how knowledge works in organisations.  Transcript Show notes  Host: Benjamin Ellis  Show guest: Anne Marie Rattray  Producer: Chris Trim  Links and resources  Alex Pentland’s Social Physics   Lowell L. Bryan, Eric Matson, and Leigh M. Weiss. 2007. Harnessing the Power of Informal Employee Networks   Anne Marie Rattray. Facilitating The Space In Between

In episode 6 of the SocialOptic WorkTogether Podcast, Alison Minns joins Benjamin Ellis to discuss organisational culture, strategy and change.   Alison has worked as a culture specialist for over 10 years, most recently holding the position of global lead for culture at HSBC. Her experience also covers culture across a variety of sectors and industries as well as time spent focusing on strategy in large organisations. Alison discusses the role of culture in business - who owns it, the role leaders have in shaping it, and the challenges of measuring and transforming culture. She also shares her insights on the future of culture in the workplace. Show notes Host: Benjamin Ellis Show guest: Alison Minns Producer: Chris Trim

In Episode 5 of the SocialOptic WorkTogether Podcast, Simon Bird joins Benjamin Ellis to discuss creative thinking in business.   Simon is Director of the Innovation & Creativity Lab Ltd. Founded to address missed opportunities in business attitudes towards creativity and unlock hidden potential within organisations. Simon comes from a background in branding and marketing strategy with top-level organisations including Carlsberg and Temper Sealy. These experiences gave a firm grounding in organisation structure, planning and leadership, as well as a perfect vantage point to see the value of creativity and opportunities missed when creativity in business is overlooked. Simon shares advice on introducing creative processes into organisations and how wrapping structure around the creative process can maximise its impact. You can learn more at iclab.    Show notes  Host: Benjamin Ellis   Show guest: Simon Bird   Producer: Chris Trim  Transcript: Transcript

In Episode 4 of WorkTogether, Cris Sachikonye joins Benjamin Ellis to discuss Social Value, leadership, and decision making.  Social value has increasingly become a topic of public interest, particularly after the introduction of the Public Services (Social Value) Act in 2012, and its growing impact on government procurement policy. As the Chief Executive of Social Value UK, Cris advocates for engagement with social value principles as part of a growing social value movement. He urges individuals and organizations to consider the value they create and destroy, and to use measurement as a tool for informed decision-making. Drawing on his extensive experience in leadership and his academic background teaching at Manchester University, Cris offers valuable insights gained from working across diverse cultures and environments. To learn more about Social Value UK and their mission, visit their website at https://socialvalueuk.org/.    Show notes  Host: Benjamin Ellis  Show guest: Cris Sachikonye  Producer: Chris Trim  Links and resources:  Social Value UK  What is Social Value?  Principles of Social Value

In Episode 3 of the SocialOptic WorkTogether Podcast, Matt Partovi joins Benjamin Ellis to discuss company culture, people experience and remote working. All critical business elements that have seen more of a focus in recent years. Matt is Head of Remote at Distributed, and the founder of Culturevist, and he has made these elements his mission in a career spanning social media start-up, to optimising remote work and distributed working in global organisations. Matt shares his experiences and how they lead to his passion for company culture, and we explore some of the struggles companies face with remote working and outline the key principles to an effective remote working culture. You can learn more at the freelancer developer experience at https://www.distributed.com/ and the People Experience community at culturevist.com. Show notes Host: Benjamin Ellis Show guest: Matt Partovi Producer: Chris Trim Links and resources: Culturevist Distributed The 2013 Yahoo / Marissa Mayer post mentioned in the discussion.

In Episode 2 of the SocialOptic WorkTogether Podcast, Richard Maybury joins Benjamin Ellis for an insightful discussion about "hybrid" work and flexible working. Are they really new concepts? The sudden shift to hybrid work a few years ago has created new challenges for managing employees in a remote setting, and a need for organizations to adapt to the new reality. Richard, Managing Director of "Attitude Solutions" and a seasoned expert in the corporate world, guides us through the issues and offers for valuable insights into the common patterns and mistakes that hinder workplace culture, as well as key approaches to improve it. He also shares how purpose-driven organisations can prioritise their goals and values to create a more fulfilling work environment.  Show notes  Host: Benjamin Ellis Show guest: Richard Maybury Producer: Chris Trim  Transcript  Links and resources:  Richard Maybury's Attitude Solutions

In this, the first episode of our WorkTogether podcast, we are looking at the topic of accessibility: What it is, how it impacts people and what can be done to improve things in the digital world for any with accessibility needs. Benjamin Ellis is joined by Steve Green, Managing Director of “test partners”. With many years of accessibility and technology experience Steve brings his unique perspective to the topic, enlightening us on the history of accessibility, diving into the detail of why modern tech can make things challenging for accessibility and revealing some of the common mistakes, and how they can be avoided with good practice. Show notes: Host: Benjamin Ellis Show guest: Steve Green Producer: Chris Trim Transcript Links and resources: Digital accessibility - are we doing enough? Common problems and solutions. Three/four stages of learning blog (Test partners) Accessibility Guidelines The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018 The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 Equality act: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/contents Government Digital Service (GDS):  https://www.gov.uk/service-manual/helping-people-to-use-your-service GDS sample accessibility statement: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sample-accessibility-statement Understanding accessibility requirements for public sector bodies (Central Digital and Data Office) IAAP: https://www.accessibilityassociation.org/s/  Webaim: https://webaim.org/