From Disengagement to the Future of Work

The stats about the ridiculously high number of disengaged employees are well known. What’s not as well understood is why. Is it about feeling under-appreciated or under-utilised or just dissatisfied with their current role? Our values have shifted and we’re seeing flexible working hours and a more work/life integration becoming not only increasingly available but in high demand. The days of the 9 to 5 office job, chained to a desk, confined to a cubicle, are numbered. People want more from work and life.

Why Disengagement?

More and more talented and frustrated employees are leaving these traditional working environments to forge more satisfying and creative career paths for themselves, working from home or co-working environments, looking for these more integrated and balanced ways of living and working, not to mention, more satisfying ways to use their skills. This trend does little to help us stem the flow of dissatisfied workers but it may help lead us to potential solutions.

United by a Common Vision

Looking for more balance in their own lives, Tathra and Sarah each made their own choice to work for themselves. They have joined forces and are forming a vision of what the workplace of the future could look like and how employers can initiate and support environments that engage both their teams and their customers for years to come.

In short, they facilitate change to make workplaces work better for people and for the changes the future is bringing us today.

Tathra Street is an accomplished facilitator and training leader who works with individuals and organisations to support behavioural and organisational change. She has exceptional skills in expanding teams’ and individuals’ ability to see options for overcoming obstacles to achieving results. She inspires leadership and creativity for innovation. Tathra is an entrepreneur whose passion for development and growth has led her down many different paths. Whilst working in the corporate world, Tathra witnessed the wealth of “untapped talent” and unused “expert knowledge” all around her because these resources, from herself and her colleagues, simply did not fit into the current corporate structure.

Sarah McKinna has over 25 years experience in people management and organisational development as well as career coaching. She is a well respected professional in her field. Sarah’s natural curiosity and guiding manner leads her clients towards a better understanding of themselves, their passions and personal motivators. She has had considerable success in extending organisational capability through her role as enabler. Continually curious by nature, Sarah scans the organisational landscape for opportunities, then harnesses the strengths of individuals and teams. Like Tathra, Sarah’s passion for innovation and change has inspired her to work supporting businesses to create engaging workplaces.

New Ways of Working

Change agents, Tathra Street and Sarah McKinna, support businesses to embrace the future. Both have extensive knowledge and experience working in traditional workplaces, such as government and corporate settings, and have experienced the tension between the old structures and the new paradigm of business and work. They have witnessed the costs of under-utilised talent, and have committed themselves to supporting businesses to transition and integrate new and innovative ways of working.

Add Innovation and Stir?

The key ingredients for change in the workplace are: time; motivation; determination; and encouragement; not simply ‘add innovation and stir’. Despite common practice, imposed change is not sustainable. Based on Tathra and Sarah’s experience, the best way to enable sustained change is to create a supportive environment. These environments generate engagement by including those affected by the change in the process, thereby creating a sense of ownership that is more likely to be long lasting.