Brave New Workplace: Designing Productive, Healthy, and Safe Organizations

Organizations must transform alongside their employees and welcome new ways of working to create productive, healthy, and safe workplaces. Julian Barling's book Brave New Workplace identifies seven elements that are key to building an exceptional workplace, including high-quality leadership, autonomy, belonging, fairness, growth, meaning, and safety. Effective, evidence-based interventions are needed to achieve this.

Format: Hardback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 13 March 2023
Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc

After a period of tremendous upheaval, organizations must transform alongside their employees and embrace new ways of working. While it is impossible to predict which changes will be successful, it is crucial for leaders to ask: what should work look like to achieve productive, healthy, and safe organizations? In Brave New Workplace, Julian Barling argues that we should focus on creating environments in which employees can flourish, rather than relying on the resiliency of workers to withstand difficult working conditions. Synthesizing centuries of research from scholars such as Abraham Maslow, Fred Herzberg, and Richard Hackman, among others, Barling identifies seven elements that are key to building an exceptional workplace: high-quality leadership, autonomy, belonging, fairness, growth, meaning, and safety. Throughout the book, chapters touch on pressing issues affecting today's organizations, such as working through crises, like the COVID-19 pandemic, and the impact of gender differences on people's experiences in the workplace. Barling illustrates that small changes make a big difference in the long term, perhaps especially during the most trying times, and that effective, evidence-based interventions are needed to achieve productive, healthy, and safe work.

Key Takeaways:
- Organizations must transform alongside their employees and embrace new ways of working.
- Leaders should focus on creating environments in which employees can flourish.
- Barling identifies seven elements that are key to building an exceptional workplace: high-quality leadership, autonomy, belonging, fairness, growth, meaning, and safety.
- Chapters touch on pressing issues affecting today's organizations, such as working through crises and the impact of gender differences on people's experiences in the workplace.
- Effective, evidence-based interventions are needed to achieve productive, healthy, and safe work.
- Small changes can make a big difference in the long term, especially during challenging times.
- Leaders should ask what should work look like to achieve productive, healthy, and safe organizations.
- The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of resilient and adaptable organizations.
- Gender differences in the workplace continue to be a significant issue.
- High-quality leadership is essential for creating a positive and productive work environment.
- Autonomy and decision-making power can enhance employee engagement and motivation.
- Belonging and social connections can improve mental health and well-being.
- Fairness and equity in the workplace can foster a sense of trust and respect among employees.
- Growth opportunities and development programs can promote career advancement and satisfaction.
- Meaningful work and a sense of purpose can enhance employee engagement and motivation.
- Safety and security in the workplace are critical for employee well-being and productivity.
- Effective interventions, such as employee assistance programs, mental health support, and safety training, can help address workplace challenges.
- Continuous learning and adaptation are key to staying competitive and relevant in an ever-changing world.
- Organizations should prioritize employee well-being and create a culture of support and empowerment.
- By embracing new ways of working and focusing on the seven elements of an exceptional workplace, organizations can achieve productive, healthy, and safe work environments.

Weight: 554g
Dimension: 243 x 165 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780190648107