PODCAST | Ep.8 Smells like Team spirit

Diving in to another topic from our 2021 World Changers report, Elle Bradley-Cox has a very cultured conversation

Zoom fatigue, long days spent in spare rooms, the absence of the watercooler. The face-to-face famine that lockdown gave us definitely impacted our wellbeing.

What about our cultures? Without those spontaneous moments of connection, our lives became much more regimented. And, for some, the cultural cornerstones found in the office felt very far away.

Many reported a feeling of disconnection after the novelty of the virtual quizzes wore off. While the world may now be opening back up, the shift towards the hybrid future leaves us in a cultural hinterland. How can we as internal communicators help to bridge the divide to maintain cohesion?

My colleague Lisa Hawksworth chose this theme as her World Changer for our 2021 report. Together with our colleague Russ Norton and special guest Sen Sami, Raytheon UK, we explore the influence of culture on organisations, and the impact of covid on culture.

Guest interview

Sen Sami, director of communications, Raytheon UK.

Want to skip to a specific section? Here‘s what we talked about:

00:00 Intro to the episode.

01:25 Roundtable with Elle, Lisa and Russ

• 01:25 What have you observed about workplace culture since the pandemic?
• 03:38 Are there cultures that sank or swam during Covid?
  
• 04:53 Can you replicate cultural markers without a physical workplace?
• 09:36 How can change the perception of culture as a 'fluffy nice to have?'
• 17:15 Will culture be influenced by a changing jobs market and talent pool?
  

21:21 Interview with Sen Sami, director of communications, Raytheon UK

• 21:49 You have a new initiative called 'High Performance Culture' - tell us about that
• 25:38 Did the pandemic change the course of direction for that project?
• 27:16 How did you keep culture front of mind amid all the change and challenges?
• 28:40 What drives Raytheon UK employees?
• 30:29 What has the pandemic taught you about trusted and non trusted sources?
• 31:01 Who would you nominate as your 2021 World Changer?