Come and be inspired by Alex in these meditative free-flowing yoga classes
Six weeks into lockdown and the 300 team is getting a little stiff from working long hours supporting our clients. So we joined our friend and professional yoga teacher Alex Benasuli for his restorative online yoga classes.
We got so much out of the sessions that we asked Alex if we could share his classes with all our clients. He has a lovely community meeting on Tuesdays at 8am – 9am and Fridays 3pm – 4pm BST and we’d be delighted to see you there.
The classes are suitable for all levels and you’ll leave with a refreshed mind and a spring in your step.
How to register
Friend Alex on Facebook: Alex J. Benasuli or on Instagram @lonalex69 and then just send him a direct message mentioning 300 and he’ll add you to the class.
Alex’s dog often joins his restorative yoga classes!
About Alex Alex came to yoga as a result of a physical injury but stayed for the mind, body and soul exploration. Ever since, his practice and teaching have been about getting present though body and breath awareness as a way to decrease suffering and increase joy.
Alex teaches a strong, flowing yet forgiving practice, grounded in earth energy but with the passion of fire and the lightness of air. For Alex, the practices of yoga, physical and other, are about reestablishing connection to self, community, and the universe and, by doing so, creating the space for gratitude, humility and love to thrive. His teachers in the US, Europe and India have inspired him to be of service.
When making technology choices that influence communications and the way people work together, we advise companies to consider the sort of organisation they want to be and the future they’re planning for.
Many businesses assume that the future of work will be rooted in technology. And it’s true that technology – from cloud-based software to AI, 5G and the Internet of Things will play an important role.
But when we think about the future of work, we’re doing it through the lens of people. More important than technology will be our ability to unlock human potential by putting the needs and expectations of our people at the heart of all we do.
The future of work is about putting the needs of people first, not starting from a tech first position
Generation Y demands work tools as sharp as the tech in their personal life but more importantly, they have a completely different expectation of work itself. They expect to be able to connect and communicate seamlessly without seeking permission, they expect to have a voice and be heard. A new ‘authorised generation’ has grown up with Facebook, Whatsapp, Instagram and Messenger. They’ve also grown up with mobile and come to PCs later. We believe the tech choices organisations make have to begin with their needs and expectations.*
Don’t focus on features
Rather than focusing on features, it’s important to consider what you want out of your solution. For example, a Poodle and a Pit Bull offer the same features but they offer quite different dog-owning experiences.
A poodle and a pit bull – same features, different experience
Questions to consider:
Is really putting people at the heart of process key to your business?
How important is collaboration? Do your people need to work together better?
How important is creating an open organisation where people can have a say?
Do you want to work in a transparent way?
Is your business responding to transformation and change quickly enough?
Are you preparing for greater innovation?
Does the future of work matter to the business?
Do you think it makes sense for people to communicate and collaborate in one hub?
Do you want a seamless solution that empowers people to make a difference?
Do you want to create an engaged workforce who are truly connected to your culture?
Are you preparing for the future of IT where all your apps talk to each other?
If the questions above are resonating with you, or you’ve not thought about how the future of work might affect your business, you should consider Workplace in your selection process.
In our experience, many companies choose tech on a tick box functionality exercise without thinking about where the business is headed. We believe in selecting platforms that match your mission.
The platforms you choose say a lot about the sort of organisation you are and want to be. The platform becomes part of the message. Choose the one that suits your business philosophy.
Caroline Watkin, Co-founder, 300
Comparing Workplace v Microsoft Teams
One puts people at the heart of business v technology at the centre
Workplace is built around connecting and empowering people to make faster and better decisions, with the needs of future workers in mind. Microsoft Teams was created in response to Slack, Slack was designed by developers for developers to write, deploy, and debug code. Use the right tools for the outcome you want.
A hub for all communications, collaboration and community v multiple tools
Workplace not only enables collaboration, but it is a centralised communication platform that allows you to integrate applications and BOTs to automate work processes seamlessly. It’s a platform to unify your organisation and create a more open community and culture. Whilst Microsoft Teams/Yammer offers a newsfeed and chat, it’s a completely different experience.
“Today and in the future, experience is everything.
The employee experience is going to become a real point of competitive advantage
Familiar v low awareness of Teams among ordinary business users
Facebook is one of the most used apps globally, with over 3B users and 1.15B daily users, making Workplace adoption more seamless. Microsoft has traditionally sold its software (O365) to IT professionals and while Teams is a part of the O365 offering, usage and awareness of the solution by traditional business users has been very low.
Optimised by the business v optimised by IT
Workplace needs a very light touch from IT to set up, whereas Teams, Yammer and Sharepoint can only be configured and updated by IT. Microsoft offers a tech solution for a traditional way of working. Workplace empowers the business to create what it needs, from groups to innovating business process. You don’t have to wait for IT, making businesses more agile. The Microsoft suite is designed for IT professionals, Workplace is designed for everyone. Putting power in your people’s hands is key in the organisation of the future.
Mobile first v PC first
Workplace is designed for mobile-first, it’s a seamless experience, important when we consider that future workers will be increasingly mobile and using phones more than desks. The experience makes a huge difference to engagement and while a mobile app ticks a box, its the experience that counts.
No training required v training to get started
Workplace’s familiarity means no training is required, and if you aren’t a Facebook user, the platform is intuitive and simple to use. Workplace is typically adopted by 80%+ of users within 30 days. In our experience of using Sharepoint intranets as marketers, we couldn’t make the changes we needed to without IT help and every marketer worldwide used WeTransfer to share documents, internally and externally because the experience was so frustrating.
71 percent of Gen Y and Z say they face challenges using their company’s collaboration tools.
Ease of automation v walled garden
Integration of Bots for Automation of repetitive tasks is a key benefit of using Workplace. Unlike Teams/Yammer and Slack, the only limiting factor in automation is your imagination. If you can think of a business process that needs improving, there’ll be a best in class product available or you can easily create one. Bots in groups are great for sharing information among teams in different countries or time zones. Bots in chat can facilitate real-time interaction among groups or for specific individuals. For instance, a chatbot can be used to send important reminders or notifications to someone based on an upcoming event like an interview, meeting or task.
Comparing Microsoft Teams & Workplace
In the workplace of the future it’s important that all tools work together, enabling flexibility rather than locking people into a walled garden.
Built for business transformation v tools built to fulfil one function
Workplace enables enterprise change management by putting power in the hands of the business. Ease of integration leads to improved business processes which are quick and efficient to implement. From HR and people processes like onboarding to IT and finance. All the way to advanced integrations like CRMs and other critical business tools. It puts the future of the business in the hands of the business.
Open by default v siloed
Open by default is a key principle for the future of business. Not only does being open help break down organisational silos and boundaries, providing quicker access to needed information, it also better connects people to their company’s mission and to their co-workers.
To find out more about Workplace, please get in touch with me at caroline.watkin@the300.co or give me a call on + 44 (0) 7946 524 304
*Thank you to Simon Cross at Workplace for the second two paras of this article. Expressed so beautifully I couldn’t say it better. Read his full article on the future of work here. (published by the v friendly PR people at Brunswick who are keen Workplace users.)
