How to start redesigning the workplace

Why we need to change our Tetris mindset at work

Photo by Nik on Unsplash

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How are your workplace dynamics changing?

I’ve noticed that when I ask leaders to share a burning question related to trust, there is a common theme: How do I get my staff to come back to the office?

The question is often followed by a small rant about everything they have been told to try in order to bring people back together – make it social, create new in-person rituals, offer training, get more plants/a gym/a masseuse. None of it seems to be working.

At the heart of the stress for leaders is that employees seem to have more say and more control over how, when, and where they work. There is a profound power and trust shift.

I’m fascinated by how and why this work shift is happening so, this week, I’ve been rethinking what this means for the future of organisational culture.

The transformation of trust at work

When you look at the issue of people wanting (not being made to) go back into the office full-time, there are some complex trust dynamics at play. Firstly, let’s look at this from the leader’s perspective.

• Do I trust that you’re working from home for the right reasons?

• Do I trust that you’ll show up in person when it’s really required?

• Do I trust that you’re working productively when you’re remote?

The answer to these questions is often ‘it depends’. That’s why it’s so tricky to create blanket policies and rules.

From the employee’s perspective:

• Do I trust that there are real benefits (to me) to coming into the office?

• Do I trust that I’m going to work better surrounded by other people?

• Do I trust that I won’t be tracked or penalized when I don’t come in?

If the answer is “no” to any of these questions, the person is likely to stay with what is safe, familiar, and comfortable – and that’s working from home. In fact, a recent study found a that third of UK workers would quit their jobs if they were required to go back to the office full-time. 

Why? Because changing workplace dynamics are tied to a much more profound societal trust shift (it’s taken me three years to join these dots!).

A metaphor: Tetris vs Roblox

Let me share with you a short story that is a metaphor for what I think is happening:

Growing up, I loved playing Tetris on my Nintendo Gameboy. Remember those grey consoles with the pink buttons you held in your hand? I was given my first one as a 12^th birthday present. Hours were spent trying to organize the multi-coloured blocks falling from the sky.

My son, aged 11, loves to play Roblox. Like so many parents, there is a constant battle to pull him away from his make-believe world, where he can pretend to be someone else, and engage in activities he could never do in real life like breaking out of jail or going scuba diving with great white sharks. After the umpteenth argument over finishing a Roblox game to have dinner, I asked him what he loved the most about the game: “It’s my world, and my rules,” he replied. Wow, I thought.

I showed him Tetris. He didn’t get why on earth you want to play a game where in his words, “you can’t beat the system.” Zero interest.

Think about the dynamics of these two worlds for a minute:

• Tetris: clear boundaries and rules, hierarchy, and top-down in its design (the blocks fall from the sky).

• Roblox: invent your own laws and rules, peer-driven, and sideways in design (you port between worlds).

A Trust Shift

A Tetris to a Roblox world is a powerful metaphor for what is happening to trust and underlying workplace dynamics.

In my book, Who Can You Trust? I map out why we’re in one of the greatest trust shifts of all time - from institutional to distributed trust.

Think newspapers to social media.

Central banks to cryptocurrencies.

Hotels to Airbnb.

Restaurants to Deliveroo.

Distributed trust is everywhere when you look.

Institutional trust was built around:

• Clear hierarchical org charts

• Reporting up

• Communications that come top down.

• Trusting in authorities and experts

I’m sorry to say this world no longer exists! It’s almost gone. Two almost three generations have as much interest in this way of working as my son’s interest in Tetris.

The problem is that most companies are approaching the return to the office and ‘work flexibility’ through a Tetris mindset. I get it because growing up with this way of working too!

Here are some things leaders are doing:

• Employees are told the number of days they need to be in and which ones.

• Communications are shared over and over on the benefits of working together.

• Employee attendance is tracked when they’ve swiped in with their cards.

All seems quite reasonable but it’s outdated from a trust perspective. It’s playing a game of Tetris in a Roblox world.

I know this is deeply frustrating and hard to accept. Why can’t younger generations be like our generation in the workplace? Surely it will bounce back soon. What are the quick fixes? There are none! Sorry.

But here is a reframing tool that can be a powerful way to rethink work communications and culture:

Am I approaching these through a Tetris or Roblox lens?

Think like a gaming designer - how would they rethink the rewards, incentives, and rules?

I’d love to hear your perspective and experiences of finding the right balance in an ever-changing workplace. What is and is not working? Can you relate to this Tetris/Roblox metaphor?

Warmly,

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