S5 E4 - The Conversations You Need to Have as You Return to the Office - with Alan Richardson

The Inspire Podcast

In this conversation, Bart speaks with Alan Richardson, SVP of Talent Strategy & Solutions at RBC, about the bank's approach to bringing workers back to premises. Alan discusses why the bank decided last fall to ask employees to come together in person more, and what they've learned since. He discusses how to think about closing the "communication distance" and not just "physical distance", the essential role of tools and technology, and how managers have the most critical role to play. Alan shares some of the challenges of hybrid work arrangements and how the bank has sought to be empathetic and intentional in this move. Finally, in a new introduction and conclusion, Alan discusses why the bank's CEO Dave McKay recently asked workers to be in person even more... and what the future may hold. This is an invaluable discussion for any leader wrestling with the balance of creating connection in this new era of hybrid work. Read more about RBC's people and culture here: https://www.rbc.com/newsroom/people-culture/index.html 00:29 Intro 01:03 Welcoming Alan 01:18 Follow-up notes on announcement 02:10 Making exceptions more consistent 02:55 THe real value of coming together 03:59 Humility and care of RBC's approach 05:47 What has worked and what challenges 6 months in? 06:54 Structure helps with flexibility 07:22 RBC's 3 days a week 10:34 Misconceptions and trust issues 12:06 What are we really after here with this return to work? 12:25 Challenge of communication distance vs physical distance 13:01 Example of red line / Cuban crisis 13:44 There are tools that can close communication distance 15:31 Keys to closing communication distance 15:49 What in-person does for teams 16:15 Build a foundation for the architecture of problem-solving 16:58 Ability to use the technology is key 19:02 Employees have a strong voice now 21:10 Ensuring the return to work is better than before 21:26 Equitable, inclusive experience 23:38 How are you advising leaders to deal with the return to work? 24:37 Different approach is needed across RBC 25:54 Hold managers accountable to have those conversations 26:58 Guardrails for the return to work conversation 27:21 Depends on the type of role 27:50 Beliefs around inclusion 29:41 Hybrid is more work 31:11 It's really change management 31:59 What are the conversations that need to happen in the next 6 months? 32:30 Are things clear enough? 33:05 Between senior level and managers 33:59 People and their teams 34:34 Bart sums it up 35:42 The benefits of getting it right are real 36:40 Thank yous 38:52 Outro