We spend a lot of time talking about young workers. This conversation asks a different question: how often do we actually listen to them?

I sat down with Dr Kay Galpin and Dr Sylwia Ciuk from Oxford Brookes University to explore what their latest research reveals about the experiences of young people starting their careers in today's hybrid workplace.

What emerged wasn't a conversation about young workers. It was a conversation about the environments we create around them. Too often, assumptions replace curiosity, and organisations rely on opportunities for learning, connection and belonging that no longer happen by chance.

We explored why hybrid working isn't the problem it's often made out to be. Instead, it asks leaders and managers to be far more intentional about how they help people build relationships, develop confidence and learn the unwritten rules of work.

If you're a leader, manager or HR professional wondering how to help people thrive in a changing workplace, this episode offers practical ideas that move beyond stereotypes and towards creating environments where people genuinely belong, grow and perform at their best.

More about Sylwia

Dr Sylwia Ciuk is an Associate Professor of Organisation Studies at Oxford Brookes University. She has done extensive research on organisational change in multinational organisations as well as in the public sector. Dr Ciuk specialises in organisational change, culture, hybrid work, leadership, inclusion and language diversity at work. She is the research lead of the ‘Navigating Hybrid Work’ study.

Get in touch with Sylwia [email protected]

More about Kay

Dr Kay Galpin has worked in industry in a range of HR and Learning and Development roles, and her research has a strong applied focus. Her PhD research explored how storytelling interventions can support team sensemaking of organisational change and she is part of a research and practice community called 'The Unleadership Movement' that is interested in creative enquiry exploring how leaderly practices can develop in a myriad of ways to enable human well-being and flourishing within organisations and communities. As a result Kay has been involved in a range of internally and externally funded research projects including this current project.

Get in touch with Kay [email protected]

Resources & References

Insight to Action Download: Supporting Young Workers in Hybrid Workplaces: What Makes the Real Difference

Watch this episode on YouTube

Remember, performance doesn't live inside individuals. It lives within an ecosystem. Find out more about the key messages in this recent episode, where I dig a little deeper into how we create the right environment and expectations for workers to thrive: Why Performance Lives in an Ecosystem

Navigating Hybrid Work: www.navigatinghybridwork.com (Employers' Toolkit, Line Managers' Toolkit, Executive Summary and many useful tools)

The House of Lords enquiry on remote and hybrid working

Contact details for Lisa

LinkedIn: lisapsychology

Ways to work with me: itstimeforchange.co.uk/tailored-support

Join The Leadership Lens: itstimeforchange.co.uk/lets-connect

Email me for a friendly chat: [email protected]