#15 New Work - deep dive beyond the buzzword with Elly Oldenbourg

New Work - deep dive beyond the buzzword


A lot of us associate #NewWork with working at our kitchen table,
getting on a work call while feeding the baby, or being in the
office more flexibly, especially since COVID-19 redefined how we
work. 


But Google exec Elly Oldenbourg says its meanings are much
deeper, its origins much older - and that we have to move beyond
our current idea of working “flexibly”, because it’s just not
serving us. 


“You unofficially stay on 100% which often means 200%, and you
get paid less,” she says. "That is not what flexible working
really means, and that is the trap that many part-timers -
especially those that work close to full-time, fall into. It’s
easier to say yes, of course I’ll do that, yes I want to be
visible, yes of course I want to have this amazing project. But
that is not flexible working.”


Instead, as with all things in life, it’s about balance. Finding
the right balance between work and “the other tasks in life
[that] make life worth living.” 


In this podcast, Elly introduces a number of different ways of
doing this, including finding the right working model for you,
your team at work, and the people in your life. This can
mean: 


· working the same hours but flexibly;


· working part-time - either a shorter workday so that you have
family-time in the afternoon, or working full days and taking
whole days off; 


· job-sharing: sharing a full-time role with someone else; 


· "any other flexible working form you can think of!” Talk to
your employer and your team and see what works. 


The goal is simple: to live "life the best I can, contributing to
a healthy me, a healthy surrounding, a healthy family and a
healthy society.” ️


I had this conversation with Elly during the lockdown in 2021,
but her insight and advice remain as relevant and invaluable as
ever. Have a listen and let us know what you are doing to balance
your work life with the other things that make life worth
living! 


#ImpulseSessions #getinspired #newwork #futureofwork
#flexiblework #selfcare #femalecareers #carework
#womenchangemakers #womenleaders #parenthood #podcast
#inspiration #MyCollective #getinspiredpodcast


Speaker: Elly Oldenbourg, EMEA Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Manager at Google


Interviewer: Dr. Ricarda Engelmeier - Founder @MyCollective


Music: sponsored by @Michaelkadelbach


Picture: Elly Oldenbourg 


Graphic & Production: MyCollective