David: With the pandemic forcing organizations to change how they work, creating a positive workplace culture has become a priority for businesses everywhere.  And due to the massive shift in workplaces, it has given organizations the chance to re-evaluate their priorities.  So how do you build a work environment where employees can feel safe, engaged, inspired and productive, whether they are at home, the office, or on the front line?  To help us with the conversation is Liza Provenzano.  Liza is the founder and CEO of Spark HR, a human resources firm that focuses on helping Canadian businesses to become more successful through the performance of aligned, capable, and engaged teams.  Liza is an experienced human resources professional, bringing 20 years of practical HR perspectives and insights to the solutions that Spark HR offers clients.

Welcome, Liza.

Liza: Hi, David.

David: So Liza, let’s talk about culture and define culture, because defining cultures seems to be – I mean it really is easy to define it, but creating it an implementing it, entirely different story.  So let’s start off with, how do you define culture?

Liza: Well, one of the simplest definitions of culture I’ve ever heard is quite easily stated as, culture is the way we do somethings.  So how do we get our work done together?  So it’s all around the how.  I think that’s the simplest definition that I’ve ever heard.

David: And that’s why, when I say, culture, oh, it’s very – well, defining culture, that’s pretty simple, it’s the way we do things.  However, creating it, implementing it, getting everybody’s buy-in, completely different.

Liza: Completely, yes.

David: Completely different.  That’s where the complexity comes in.  So let’s identify some of the critical areas that have surfaced over the last 18 months that the pandemic has created.  How has it disrupted the culture that has been around in companies maybe for years, for decades, maybe even for centuries?

Liza: Yes, I couldn’t agree with you more, David.  How we create the culture we want, that’s where the heavily lifting is, and that’s where the complexity is.  And when you look at how workplaces have been disrupted over the last year and a half, in short, culture has also been disrupted.  The way we do things has changed dramatically for many of us as we have gone to remote work.  So how do we get things done?  How do we connect with one another and build those experiences as a team?  How do we collaborate?  How do we brainstorm and problem solve when we are not in physical space together?  So just that alone has disrupted everything.  And then even just the experience of navigating a crisis like we have collectively, and how that has impacted various businesses, where some businesses have been extraordinarily challenged, and some businesses have found tremendous opportunities and have changed the way they deliver their products or services.  So disruption has happened all the way around, so when we step back, it’s actually a wonderful time to say, what does this mean for us in our workplace now as we go forward, and what do we want?  And that question around what do we want is a great question to ask around culture.  What do we want in terms of the kind of workplace that we are building together?

David: Now CEOs everywhere are struggling, contemplating, dealing with this shift in culture.  If there is a CEO out there that is listening to us that has this thing nailed down already, then please let us know, I’d love to get you on a podcast because I deal with a lot of CEOs on a regular basis, no one’s got this one figured out yet, we’re still in that investigation stage.  When we talk about that disruption, people being forced to work from home, they can’t come back to the office.  Some don’t want to come back to the office.  Now CEOs are struggling with hybrid models.

Liza: Yes.

David: And this is going to be a loaded question for you to handle –

Liza: Okay.

David: I was going to ask you, so how do you fix it?  But let’s start off with, how do you identify this shift in culture that your organization may have experienced, and how do you decide what to embrace and what to not embrace?

Liza: Yeah.  It’s a great question, and I’m going to point to two things that folks who are listening can consider.  So one thing is to take stock.  So say that simply, just take stock of where you are now.  Talk to folks on your team about what the experience is like now, and what is it that they’ve been learning, and what is it that they want it to be?  I came across a really great question, what is it that you long for?  So we can take what we knew, say, pre-pandemic, take these new experiences, and then decide what we want to do going forward.  And this work, David, never stops, by the way.  It’s having a vision of what you want and continuously working at it.  So I think that taking stock is one step.

And the second part, I would say, is to look at the quality of the conversations that are happening in the workplace, in team meetings, whether they are virtual or in-person, if the hybrid model is being adopted.  Look at the quality of those discussions.  To what extent are decisions made?  To what extent are views solicited?  To what extent are people comfortable to speak up and offer a dissenting opinion or new idea?  So the quality of those discussions, I believe, is a real marker, and it’s full of good information and insights around what the culture actually is.

David: There is going to be a lot of very, we’ll call them fierce conversations, difficult conversations that are going to be coming, because people say, oh, I really miss the workplace, but I don’t want to go back there full-time, you know, I want to work on a hybrid model.  Or I want to work entirely from home.  So now CEOs and senior executives are faced with the decision of, well, is this possible?  And how far do you go to accommodate individual wishes?  So that’s my question, how far do you go?

Liza: That’s a good question and a salient one right now.  And it’s a question, actually, where the answer will reflect the culture that a business is trying to create, or the leaders are trying to create.  So the answer may be that we really want to have everyone here in our workplace, and that’s a decision leaders can make.  So that will have a marked impact on culture.  As opposed to leaders that say, we’re fine with wherever you work, as long as it gets done to the quality and standards that we agreed to.  So how far do you go for the individual discussions, I think, should be informed by those larger decisions for a workplace.  What I think is key in those individual discussions is really taking time to genuinely listen and understand what the needs and preferences are of the individuals that you are supporting, as we move into this next phase of work.

So there is a macro piece to it, in terms of deciding what you want for your business, and then there is that micro piece of really, truly listening to the individuals as they talk about their own experiences.

David: Well, as we come out of this 18-month pandemic, there are going to be lots of interesting conversations –

Liza: For sure.

David: – and I know a lot more conversations with you.  We’ve been in conversation with Liza Provenzano. Liza is the founder and CEO of Spark HR.  Liza, thanks for being with us.

Liza: Thank you, David.