The initiative was recognized by the Career Development Roundtable (CDR)1 held within Milan in December 2021 with the award in the Staff Wedding category. The award acknowledges the successes and breakthrough #NewWork has achieved in uniting staff, breaking down silos, and working towards company culture change. The dialogues introduced together more than 180 colleagues from 52 duty stations. Over 25 volunteers from the field, Bangkok, New York, plus Geneva, moderated 26 classes held (as at day of publication). Broad diversity in each session has been achieved through the use of a ‘randomising’ tool developed by a friend in peacekeeping. Not only does the dialogue mechanism offer a safe space for the global exchange of ideas, it also makes possible the sharing of feedback plus insights with senior administration, human resources, and other fora, assisting to ensure staff voices are heard and valued. The primary objective of a series of dialogues led by the global #NewWork group was to provide personnel with opportunities to envision the ‘Next Normal’ at the UN. The ‘Reimagine the Next Normal Dialogues’ aimed to facilitate the particular exchange of ideas throughout the UN, driving organizational culture change from the bottom up.
- Agile Teams which encourages all of the teams to cultivate an agile mindset to be more adaptive and versatile.
- Digital Literacy & Equipment which promotes knowledge on technology and ongoing digital transformation to help personnel feel at ease with innovative tools and develop digital literacy.
- Hybrid Teams which illustrates the importance for organizations to assist staff and managers develop skills and competencies to higher adapt to hybrid work configurations.
- Increasing Innovation which underlines the particular essentiality of sprouting new ideas through participation in innovation-related events and programmes.
A previous circular of dialogues that focused on planning and preparing for the ‘Next Normal’ at UNHQ produced a series of ideas in 12 workstreams, which fed directly into a report on tips for the Next Normal that went to the Secretary-General. Inspired by the Reimagine the UN Together Dialogues and the UNHQ Next Normal Dialogues, the particular Reimagine the Next Normal Dialogues focused on four themes related to our post-pandemic workplace culture: Making sure everyone has access to consistent info is a critical pillar as we move toward the ‘Next Normal’. Furthermore, by equipping all staff with the equipment they need and focusing on inclusion, we build stronger relationships and bolster trust. As the ‘Next Normal’ dialogues taken staff voices and crafting ideas, it also unveiled the information asymmetry within the organization. Today, several staff are unaware of existing instructions and resources that are available to support them through times of transition. #NewWork will continue to harness the power of group intelligence to address challenges plus develop an agile, innovative and inclusive workplace lifestyle. Empowering staff voices creates ripple effects, inviting more energetic participation to co-create the vision for the ‘Culture from the Next Normal that We Want’ and to support the trip to “UN 2 . 0” as laid out in Our Common Agenda . A number of these staff ideas have been endorsed for implementation, including institutionalizing the conversation mechanism itself. This will guarantee the Organization offers an ongoing way for staff to contribute more directly to transformation and adjustments proposed in the future.
