Andrew Mawson
London
As seen in:
Forbes,
Fast Company,
Law.com,
InfoQ,
Work Design 2.0,
Nigerian Tribune,
Forbes España,
Personnel Today,
People Management,
Workplace Insight
and
Constantly curious leader of AWA (Advanced Workplace Associates), a fantastic Global Workplace Change Management Consultancy. Forbes.com contributor
Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Andrew Mawson
Cómo se desperdicia el potencial intelectual de tu equipo (y siete pasos para solucionarlo)
¿Estás desperdiciando el potencial intelectual de tu equipo? Aquí tienes una prueba rápida: acércate a tres personas de tu organización y pídeles que te expliquen la visión de futuro de tu empresa. ¿Son capaces de hacerlo? Y lo que es más importante, ¿pueden decirte cómo su trabajo diario se relaciona con ese panorama general? Si eres sincero, la respuesta probablemente sea no.
How Your Team's Brainpower Gets Wasted (And 7 Steps To Fix It)
Cognitive energy dispersion...like a room full of torches pointing in different directions. Andrew Mawson Are You Wasting Your Team's Brainpower? Here's a quick test: Walk up to three people in your organization and ask them to explain your company's vision for the future. Can they do it? More importantly, can they tell you how their daily work connects to that bigger picture? If you're honest, the answer is probably no.
Why 90% Of Knowledge Workers Aren't On Their 'A' Game: Why it matters!
Shot of a young businesswoman rubbing her eyes while working alongside her colleague in an office at night getty In most countries around the world a mental health crisis is in play.
Why 90% Of Knowledge Workers Aren't On Their 'A' Game: Why it matters!
Shot of a young businesswoman rubbing her eyes while working alongside her colleague in an office at night getty In most countries around the world a mental health crisis is in play.
The AI Paradox: AI Makes Organizations More Dependent On Key Experts
AI expert at the organizational helm getty Most organizations today are in the foothills of their AI journey—experimenting with chatbots, exploring basic automation, or piloting AI tools in specific departments.
10 Steps To Corporate AI Adoption
Last week, Shopify CEO, Tobi Lütke sent an email to all staff ordering them to prove they "cannot get what they want done using AI" before asking for extra hires. The email, extolling the virtues of AI adoption, came on top of reported layoffs of 14% in 2022, a further 20% in 2023, and 2.5% in December 2024.
Will it hit the buffers?
AI is developing at breakneck speed. Every day new developments and breakthroughs are announced. The big players in the west like Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Tesla, Nvidia are making big bets on commercial success and in the east China is in the mix too with DeepSeek and government backed programs. The AI ‘space race’ is fully in play.
The 7 Thruths Of Hybrid Working
As the world of work evolves post-pandemic, hybrid working has become a dominant part of everyday work-life, presenting both opportunities and challenges. Here are seven emerging truths about hybrid working that I’ve observed recently that leaders and employees need to understand to thrive in this new paradigm. 1.
Trust is imperative to the future of hybrid work
The pandemic has catalysed a seismic shift in the world of work, challenging long-held beliefs about productivity, engagement, and equality. HR Directors find themselves at the forefront of this transformation, navigating the uncharted waters of hybrid and remote working models. While some organisations have embraced this change with open arms, others have struggled to adapt, revealing a deep chasm between high-trust and low-trust cultures.
Is Klarna’s Recent Press Release The Tip Of A Very Large AI Iceberg?
According to Klarna's recent press release, the partnership between the Swedish fintech company and OpenAI is having a dramatic impact. Just over a month after launching their virtual assistant born from the partnership, the AI is already driving dramatic transformational efficiencies across Klarna's customer service operations.
Is The One-Size-Fits-All Workplace History?
We're all wired differently, right? Some run hot, others cold. Noise distracts some, while others tune it out. As workforce's diversify and knowledge work prevails, with productivity dependent on peak mental performance, is it time to rethink the traditional uniform office workspace? Diversity Beyond 'Diversity' Our shape, size, height, anatomy, weight, gender, DNA, personality, nationality, culture, age, and sensitivities to light, noise, temperature, and humidity make each of us unique.
Hybrid Working - The CEO’s New North Star
You’re the CEO.... You're the CEO of an S&P 500 company. You’re white, male, over 50, earn $15m per year and have an MBA from an elite business school that you attended more than 25 years ago. You’re driven, competitive, and focused exclusively on the company's financial performance. Shareholder-value rules your life. Your charm and charisma in the office got you to where you are today, allowing you to impose your influence and inspire others.
Hybrid working: the importance of having the right strategy
Comment, Flexible working Hybrid working changes everything it seems. To make it work successfully we need changes in the way people need to be managed, trained and inducted. It changes the needs for communication and social connectivity, goal setting and connection to vision. It requires greater clarity on what is acceptable and what isn’t. Employees must take on new grown-up obligations and organisations are required to ‘trust’ and employees to be ‘trustworthy’.
Uneasy Ground: The Shifting Tectonic Plates Of Hybrid Working
Many months on from the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic, there are visible tensions between what workers want and what many leaders think is good for them. There’s a clear disconnect. As an observer with a ring-side seat and a neuroscience perspective, I’ve been pondering what’s really going on under the hood and this is my best shot at explaining it. It’s a sort of addiction problem, but the addicts don't want to go to rehab.
Command And Control Vs Digital Connectivity In The Era Of Hybrid Working
The dynamics surrounding hybrid working continue to be intriguing. There are several clear camps on the issue. However, faced with opposition from employees, a significant number of organisations have adjusted their stance to a two- or three-day office working week. Even then, some employees rejected this proposition preferring to challenge their employers for a permanent flexible working model.
What are the pros and potential cons of ‘boomerang employees’?
Boomerang employees – workers who left a company but return – are on the rise. According to a recent study of 4,000 employees across six countries, including the UK, nearly 20 per cent of employees who left their job during the pandemic have returned to their old employer. Meanwhile, more than four in 10 who quit recently admit they were better off in their old job. The reason for this trend lies in an increasingly notable power shift from employer to employee over the past few years.
Hybrid working: why presence bias is still an issue
Presence bias, where employees who work in the office are rewarded because they are more visible than those who work from home, is still an issue in the hybrid workplace. Andrew Mawson outlines how employers can help eliminate it. In his book Atomic Habits, author James Clear suggested that if the pilot of an aeroplane flying from Los Angeles to New York City turned just 3.5 degrees further south at take-off, the plane would end up in Washington DC instead.
The Rise Of The Chief Workplace Experience Officer: A New Role For A Digital World
Despite the looming risk of recession, the war for key talent continues to rage across sectors. According to the Bureau of Labour Statistics, there were 1.7 job openings per unemployed worker in the US in February, the lowest ratio since November 2021. Meanwhile LinkedIn’s most recent State of the Labor Market report, found tighter labor markets compared to pre-panemic levels in countries such as Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands, indicating a competitive job landscape.
To embrace ‘bare minimum Mondays’ or not
I don’t know about you, but I really struggle with Mondays. Everything feels hard, my brain feels slow, and it seems to take till Wednesday to wind my engines up to full throttle. So, I was interested when I heard TikTok creator Marisa Jo Mayes talk about ‘bare minimum Mondays’; espousing the idea of cutting yourself some slack on Mondays to avoid the dread and pressure that many people feel when returning to work following the weekend.
The 7 Responsibilities Of Workership... Staying On Your ‘A’ Game In A Hybrid Working World
Much has been said and written over the last 12 months on managing and leading hybrid organizations. I covered the topic back in the ‘The Perfect Virtual Leader’. But is it fair to place the burden of organizational success on leaders alone? While they have a significant part to play, team members must take some responsibility for the sustained effectiveness of their teams and communities.
Opinion: The world of work has changed – can you? - Insurance Age
Post-pandemic insurance brokers are still trying to get to grips with how to strike a balance when it comes to where employees work. With the battle for talent more fierce than ever, Andrew Mawson, founder of AWA, offers some advice on remaining fit for purpose in 2023 – and beyond The world of work has changed for good, and so must the insurance sector if organisations hope to keep their best people and attract the talent they need.
Getting People Back To The Office? Now The Transition To Hybrid Working Starts For Real.
Before Covid-19, office working represented the status quo for most knowledge workers. Since the pandemic emerged, it clearly shifted to working from home. Now that the pandemic is subsiding in many western geographies, many leaders want their people to return to the old way — at least for part of their time — because they believe, rightly or wrongly, that home working is diluting their organizational culture and diminishing a great source of creativity, productivity and cohesion.
Why activity-based working is the future of hybrid offices
To crack what the future of workspaces should be, more companies are experimenting with a design concept that first took off in Europe: activity-based working layouts. One of the most recent examples is LinkedIn, which last week took the wrapper off its new flagship office in Silicon Valley, which has over 75 different seating types across its six floors. Employees can grab a seat at a table to collaborate with their peers, work outside to have some time in nature or head to a quiet room to focus.
This Isn't About Hybrid Working ....it's About Trust And The Collision Of Two Ideologies.
It's been interesting to watch the antics of business leaders, politicians and organizations through the pandemic and their attitudes towards hybrid working. At first, organizations announced confidently that people should return to the office as per pre-pandemic working. Then, in the face of opposition from employees, they told staff to come back to the office for only three days a week. Then, many had to backtrack again because some employees simply said 'no'.
How CIOs can drive digital transformation and culture
The world has been through a dramatic learning process. During the course of COVID-19, we have witnessed fundamental changes to the way in which we live and work. Employees have developed new expectations, not least in their relationship with the workplace and work-life balance, in corporate leadership, and in office management.
How CIOs can deliver digital workplace success
The world has been through a dramatic learning process. During the course of COVID-19, we have witnessed fundamental changes to the way in which we live and work. Employees have developed new expectations, not least in their relationship with the workplace and work-life balance, in corporate leadership, and in office management.
This is when a promotion can backfire
By Andrew Mawson 3 minute Read What leaders could get away with in the old pre-pandemic, face-to-face world won’t wash in the new hybrid world. The pandemic provided a trigger for an upgrade in management skills with the need to enhance capabilities to manage teams that are working remotely and asynchronously. This new benchmark requires all leaders to be as good as their best, and “best” needs to be defined so that existing leaders can understand what is required.
How an understanding of mental workload can boost performance
To continue reading please register or login to your OHW+ account. An understanding of the concept of 'mental workload' can help employers reduce the risk of underperformance and poor mental wellbeing. Andrew Mawson discusses what employers can learn from research into how the brain manages its resources to conduct tasks, and the factors that affect its performance. Covid-19 triggered an acceleration in the shift to digital models of working and with this has come a period of great learning.
Andrew Mawson: Women will not hurt their careers working from home
Catherine Mann’s recent and well-publicised comments are really based on an old model of the world where the majority of employees were in the office, writes Andrew Mawson. No longer are those that choose to work at home or remotely seen as 2nd class citizens and bypassed for bonuses and promotion. Presence bias is a thing of the past Ms Mann suggests that women who work mostly from home risk hurting their careers as more of their male colleagues return to the physical office post-pandemic.
Relocation, relocation: How businesses can simplify moving into the US
With its huge economy and millions of highly skilled workers, the United States is an obvious choice for many multinational companies seeking to expand their global footprint. With its huge economy and millions of highly skilled workers, the United States is an obvious choice for many multinational companies seeking to expand their global footprint.
What you need to know to get people back to work in the office
By Andrew Mawson 4 minute Read Over a year ago, at the start of the pandemic, I wrote a piece called “The brain’s journey to the new post-coronavirus normal.” In it I predicted that once people had been working from home for many months, avoiding the commute, learning new digital skills, and developing new habits, that many would not wish to return to the pre-pandemic grind of commuting every day to an office in the center of a city.
Trust Is The Answer
Since the beginning of time, the only way to communicate (other than by sending a messenger with a carrier pigeon) was to do it face to face in the same place. It’s this premise upon which the military’s hierarchical, command-and-control models of organisation were formed. The top soldier issues a command to the next layer down, who, in turn, take the message, meet with their subordinates, convey their interpretation. So, the messages transmit down and sometimes up the organisation.
Does hybrid working represent a new paradigm for research and development in pharma?
Advanced Workplace Associates founder Andrew Mawson examines how pharmaceutical leaders can maximise the performance of any virtual or hybrid teams. The onset of the current pandemic has caused businesses to change the way they work. For many, the directive to work from home necessitated both a new mental model of going to work and some challenges with getting work done.
The Many Layers Of Hybrid Work In The Legal Profession
Andrew Mawson, founder of Advanced Workplace Associates, explores the growing pressures faced by law firms to adopt more flexible ways of working post-pandemic. A survey of UK law professionals by Thomson Reuters found that 86% would like to retain options such as remote working and flexible workdays. The ‘State of the Legal Market 2021’ report revealed that lawyers have benefited from less commuting and the work-life balance that home working has provided them.
Shifting Big Brains: Transitioning to New Ways of Working in the Law Profession
Lawyers in practices around the world have been debating how they want to work once the pandemic is over. Leaders of these firms face an avalanche of legal professionals seeking greater flexibility in their work arrangements once the pandemic has blown through. A recent survey by Thomson Reuters have found that 86% of lawyers in the UK (compared to 77% globally) would like to have more remote work days in the future.
The Power Of Place - 8 Reasons Why You Might Need An Office
If the pandemic taught us anything, it’s that tasks that need concentration and focus are better done in a distraction-free environment. Ironically, the home has provided many people with a better working environment than the office their employer offered pre-pandemic.
Blue Monday: The Hybrid Work Challenge
There is near-universal agreement that many organizations will adopt a hybrid work model once lockdowns ease and offices reopen. On the whole, employees have had a positive experience working from home. A hybrid model would allow these workers to split their time between the office, the home and other workspaces as they see fit, giving them permanent control of where, when and how they work.
Friendship At Work: The New Strategic Weapon In Knowledge Work
For years, a loneliness epidemic has plagued countries like the United States and the United Kingdom. The fear is that Covid-19 has made things worse, with millions of people now working from home and practicing social distancing. The good news is that this hasn’t happened yet. Studies show that people have found ways to stay connected, using technology like video conferencing to stay in touch with friends and colleagues. Yet friendships are at risk.
Unlock the matrix of pain: Leadership after the pandemic
Andrew Mawson discusses new research that reveals how virtual working can help business leaders develop a management framework for these challenging times. Organisations could soon be caught up in a matrix of pain if they do not manage the new realities of hybrid working. After months of virtual working, redundancies, furloughing and then reintegrating staff, reopening and then reclosing offices, many business leaders are struggling to get to grips with the shifting sands.
Conflict At Work: A New Leadership Model For A Virtualised World
2020 has been a strange year. In many ways, the pandemic has brought us closer together. At the beginning, we stood united. And since the nation was forced into giving home working a try, many of us have been invited into the homes of colleagues, gaining a unique and privileged insight into the personal lives hiding within our professional networks. But in other ways the crisis has divided the nation.
Leadership in a new age of virtuality
November 5, 2020 by Andrew Mawson • Comment, Facilities management, Property, Technology, Workplace design We are living through a fundamental transformation in the way we work. The pandemic has forced organisations to go virtual. New government guidelines, including a tiered alert system, suggest that this will be the norm for the foreseeable future. But step back from the noise and it is easy to see how the current crisis is simply accelerating the inevitable.
Matrix of pain threatens hybrid workplaces
Contributor: Andrew Mawson, founder - Advanced Workplace Associates | Published: 20 October 2020 Andrew Mawson, founder - Advanced Workplace Associates 18 October 2020 Organisations could be caught up in a matrix of pain if they do not carefully manage the new realities of hybrid working, Advanced Workplace Associates (AWA) is warning.
Managing The Virtual Workforce: Do You Trust Me?
Pixabay Before COVID-19 made home working mandatory, the practice was, in the minds of many leaders, synonymous with slacking – getting up late, staying in pajamas, watching breakfast TV, walking the dog and playing golf. As unfair as it may seem, three inextricable factors shaped this stereotype: a long-standing over-dependence on presentee-based management methods, a distrust of virtual workers and obstructive senior leaders with very little working from home experience.
The Brain’s Journey To The New Normal Post-Coronavirus
COVID-19 forced most businesses into radical forms of agile working. With next to no warning, it came without a systematic change programme, training, or consultation. But, as many crises, positives can be taken from this scenario. It has demonstrated that individuals, organisations and governments can turn on a dime if they need to. That attribute must be kept in the mind’s eye as we enter the next undetermined phase of 2020 and the coronavirus.
The perfect virtual leader
Leadership comes easily in an office, right? You can see people, observe their behavior, build relationships, go out for lunch, give guidance and motivate them to achieve great things. You can monitor performance, coach, share knowledge and create a positive vibe. That’s the romantic view. Most people will have worked in offices where factors such as politics, personalities and patchy management stopped them from giving their best.
Virtual Working Needs New Leadership
With virtual working on the rise, the Advanced Workplace Institute (AWI) undertook a study this year to investigate the factors that impact remote work and leadership. Learn more about the findings below! Photo by Chris Montgomery on Unsplash Something remarkable has happened. For thousands of knowledge-based businesses, home working has worked.
Don’t be a commute Canute, Boris
July 22, 2020 by Andrew Mawson • Comment, Flexible working So, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has told the British people to get back to work by Christmas. This means that millions would be renewing their season tickets, getting up in darkness to dress up for work, crowding onto those trains, buses and tubes while swaddled in facemasks and battling their way into the office (which for the time being will be a pretty dull experience with social distancing).
The Perfect Virtual Leader
Leadership comes easily in an office, right? You can see people, observe their behavior, build relationships, go out for lunch, give guidance and motivate them to achieve great things. You can monitor performance, coach, share knowledge and create a positive vibe. That’s the romantic view. Most people will have worked in offices where factors such as politics, personalities and patchy management stopped them from giving their best.
The Science Behind Managing Virtual Teams
In my previous post, I argued that CEOs would now be questioning whether they need costly office space since their teams have worked so effectively from home. But perhaps a more pertinent question is: Could businesses operate with the lion’s share of their population operating a home-based model over the long term? Depending on the nature of your business, the answer seems to be yes.
The Brain’s Journey To The New Post-Coronavirus Normal
In January, the Coronavirus knee-jerked almost every business on the planet into the most radical form of agile working imaginable: full-time home working. It came without a systematic change program, training, or consultation. But this sudden shift has demonstrated that individuals, organizations and governments can turn on a dime if they need to. So, how was this transition possible without a change program or any proper planning? The answer to this question lies in neuroscience.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Andrew
Contact Andrew, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack