I remember it like it was yesterday, the long hours, face to face relationships, listening in on calls, and coaching in real time were the environment that really kick started my career.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t perfect, and not enjoyable at times, but overall it was rewarding and set me up for success. That\u2019s not to say it needs to be that way today. Back then, the hours often reflected when our customers and candidates were operating. With the advancement of technology, greater focus on wellbeing, and clearer links between flexibility and productivity, this is now a multifaceted debate, and not one I think even global juggernauts or leading economies have the answer to (yet).<\/p>\n
At La Fosse, we run a 3-4 day in-office rhythm (depending on the division). I know it\u2019s not for everyone, but when the environment is fun and vibrant, it creates better outcomes for our colleagues, customers, and candidates alike. And whilst I recognise that flexibility needs to be offered to secure and nurture the best talent, there\u2019s no denying that at the entry level of a high-intensity sales role like recruitment, you need to be visibly present and learning from experienced people around the office. Humans aren\u2019t designed to be locked away solo; we are a species that relies on interaction, influencing, engaging in person, and building within communities. This is where learning accelerates, confidence builds, and careers really take shape.<\/p>\n
We don\u2019t claim to always have this environment, but we\u2019re doing what we can to listen and adapt, whilst also making decisions to create a healthy and happy workplace that benefits our communities of candidates and customers.<\/p>\n
The FT recently ran a piece on the return of stricter office cultures. Amazon, JPMorgan, and even Sergey Brin are pushing for 5 days in the office and an \u201calways-on\u201d mindset. Brin even remarked that \u201c60 hours a week is the sweet spot of productivity,\u201d<\/b> and urged employees to be in the office every weekday, calling under-performers who work less than that \u201chighly demoralizing\u201d to everyone else. What\u2019s driven the shift in narrative – Trump, sluggish economies, trust, results?<\/p>\n<\/h4>\n
Learning from the Dutch<\/b><\/h4>\n
On the other hand, the Netherlands is quietly moving toward a four day workweek. It already has the shortest average working hours in the EU (around 32 hours per week), the highest part time rate in the OECD, strong employment (~82%), and high per hour productivity, reportedly without economic downside, plus happier children.<\/p>\n
Looking ahead, I personally think tech disintermediation will change the landscape. Central hubs where our colleagues, customers, and candidates come together to knowledge share, connect, and get real value from those connections will be the future. Tech will strip away the mundane work, and it\u2019s the higher order skills of influencing, negotiating, and networking that will reap the rewards. This may feel far off, but they\u2019re ultimately the fundamentals of a great recruiter (and if we\u2019re honest, always have been the greatest skillsets).<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the future I\u2019m betting on: embracing technology to elevate the human skills that matter most in the office landscape.<\/b><\/p>\n
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Long hours and strict in-office culture played a big part in how I learned the ropes. I remember it like it was yesterday, the long hours, face to face relationships, listening in on calls, and coaching in real time were the environment that really kick started my career. The trade-offs of the past It wasn\u2019t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52264,"featured_media":87706,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1263],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-103051","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-from-the-ceo"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n