“Everything we took for granted in the past—from what we expect from our jobs to whom we work with and how—is changing before our eyes. The strongest organizations today are ‘learning machines.’ New challenges require new solutions—and these organizations are finding them.”

The 2017 Great Starts Breakfast Series provoked over 100 HR leaders and business owners to be activists of change in their organization through a provocative conversation hosted by Kevin Mulcahy, author of The Future Workplace Experience, and Dean Carter, Vice President of Human Resources and Shared Services at Patagonia. These forward thinking leaders shared how to drive change by defining strategies and communicating assumptions with their teams. This strategy focused around the idea that we are reshaping the workforce for the future – to shift in the direction of what employees expect from work.

Here are some takeaways EBHR had from the meeting…

As an on-demand HR business, often times we see candidates with the perfect skill match, however, there is a major missing element that can’t be trained or masked – cultural fit. There is great value in asking and challenging ourselves — who will add to the culture we have or are creating?

Also, the value of partnerships cannot not be underestimated. Whether it’s incorporating Gig Economy thinking into a traditional employee environment or leveraging vendor contacts to educate and guide HR leaders on emerging technology ideas – we have new places to turn for creative ideas and solutions.

Finally, the realization of the erased line between home and work was right on target. The new conversation abandons balance, and focuses on blending the two. With increasing demands on employees through technology, it is essential for leaders to meet cultural expectations by providing work environments that support “homing” at work. This key factor will determine how well they stand out amongst peer organizations.