Reimagining our future – our choice, our responsibility
Earlier this year, Britvic launched its new, dynamic ways of working programme, Working Well. This is our hybrid, flexible working model that seeks to create better working conditions and more choice for us all, irrespective of the type of job we do or where in the company we work. Plenty of conversations about what this might mean for us are taking place in teams and on Teams every day – some of us are very clear about what will work, some of us are testing out different options, and some of us are still thinking it through. And that’s fine – we still have time on our side, so this year, one way or another we’ll redraw our boundaries and reimagine the future of our work.
Wherever we land in the new normal, as a community and as a society, we face a unique and precious opportunity. Speaking personally, I truly believe that it is our responsibility – as well as our right – to embrace it as such, reach out and grasp it with all our might. Why? Well, Covid struck a devastating blow to the hearts of families and communities, of economies and commerce. Far, far too many people have lost lives or livelihoods, and I’m sure we’ve all been frightened, saddened, or shocked at different times, in different ways. At the same time, there have been some positives to have come out of this – we started to care more, to value the world around us and to appreciate life’s everyday moments like never before.
As a leader in Britvic, my personal view is that it’s incumbent on us to learn from all this, and then do everything we can to make the world of work a better place for generations to follow. The lightbulb moment for me was the Kitty O’Meara poem that saturated social media feeds last year, called ‘And The People Stayed Home’. It went something like this…
And the people stayed home, and learned new ways of being. And were still, listened more deeply…and began to think differently. And the people healed. And when the danger passed, and the people joined together again, they grieved their losses, and made new choices, and dreamed new images, and created new ways to live and work and heal the earth fully, as they themselves had been healed.
For me, our vision and purpose at Britvic speak directly to this poem. Covid is teaching us so much about the importance of life’s everyday moments, and the urgency with which we must create a better tomorrow. And through Working Well, we have the opportunity to work not only well, but better.
Colleagues are talking about feelings and wishes, and starting to think through how these balance with the team and broader business needs. We’re considering how we’ll work together – the what, where, when and how we’ll get things done. And we have to be prepared to give those new ways of working a try – understanding that we won’t get things right first time every time. However, through a period of testing, learning and evolving we’ll be in a wonderful position to hit the ground running to accelerate into Working Well.
As I personally see it, this is our biggest opportunity to own our own futures. News articles are already suggesting the five-day office week will become the norm again for desk-based workers within two years. If that happens, so much will have been for nothing. That’s not something I’m even remotely prepared to tolerate. Are you?
Kathryn Partridge | Group Corporate Affairs Director