The Communications Directors of ten global health or similar non-governmental organizations (NGO) were asked how they deliver communications on behalf of their organizations, how they promote their corporate brand and how they are structured to do this work. In addition, the way that they support both donor relations and government relations was probed. The use of social media was a focus of questioning as were measurement and evaluation techniques. …

Read full white paper, download the PDF here.

Yet is is often the most under resourced, misrepresented and poorly utilized function in businesses today. According to a landmark study, companies that invest in employee communications and implement or improve communications practices typically see higher subsequent [financial] returns.

Read full white paper, download the PDF here.

What took me away was a leave of absence resulting from the experience of building a successful business and selling it, and then agreeing not to compete for a prescribed period of time. So, I traveled. From the Antipodes to Singapore, South Africa and Peru to Italy and the Galapagos Islands, and most of the world in between! I traveled with my husband, Ken, and our two children; and I blogged about it. There was so much to see… and so much to say. A big part of traveling is the learning that comes from seeing how other people do things in other cultures, and how differently they think. Time spent in India was perhaps the reason I adopted a saying of Gandhi’s as the mantra for our travels: “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” Living and learning. Is there really anything else to life?

Well, yes, as a matter of fact there is. Work.

Everywhere I went, I noticed that working is pretty much the only way to make a living in the world. However, I also learned that there are many different ways of working, and that workstyle and worklifecan be (and should be) whatever works best for you.

And that got me thinking. Hmm… entrepreneur that I am, there’s a business opportunity in my area of expertise (PR and Corporate Communications) for a service that promotes the value of flexible worklife/style to both organizations andindividuals. Well, today I’m announcing a new business venture. I’ve partnered with my longtime client and colleague, Genevieve Brown, to launch beSPEAK.

While I was in the U.K. on my travels, I heard a word used more frequently (and differently) than it is here in North America. Brits call something ‘bespoke’ when it is custom-tailored for a particular need. Literally, the tailors in Savile Row are makers of ‘bespoke’ suits, and that has filtered into the language as a description of anything that is custom-designed, instead of ready-made. A beautiful garden can be bespoke. An exclusive hotel. A piece of hand-made furniture. Well, our company, beSPEAK, is in the business of custom-tailored work arrangements. We believe in work that’s handcrafted for people, instead of the one-size-fits-all 9-to-5, five-days a week, 48 weeks of the year (excluding vacation entitlement and statutory holidays), which works fine for many people (and organizations), but not all.

In this 21^st century we’re all looking for new and different ways of thriving and surviving. There’s a lot of learning about new ways of doing things. Innovation is change, and change is the new normal. Flexibility is a necessity. And technology is the enabler.

Ergo… beSPEAK.

Genevieve and I are passionate about new ways of working – something that is of potential benefit to both the client and the supplier. In many cases it can deliver greater return on investment than traditional ways of working. Outsourcing, flex-time, home office, distance-working, time-shifting, full time part-time, part-time full time, results-oriented work – there’s a virtually unlimited range of ways of working today, allowing both companies and suppliers to consider opportunities that just plain… work. Like crazy.

And, the empowering aspect of this that really gets me pumped is that there’s an untapped market of experienced talent that is sometimes missed when put through the filter of current, constricted practices and processes. That is possibly the greatest missed opportunity in the working world today. At beSPEAK, we’d like to play a part in changing it.

And so, here on this weblog, let’s talk about work. And life. And learning. And… see you back here soon!

Except, of course, that boardroom tables and chairs are old technology. Wood is analog, and increasingly today, collaboration is digital. In fact, increasingly, work is digital. So, why do we keep supporting the pillars of industry with office buildings? In many respects, bricks and mortar are old technology, too. Why don’t more of us work from home, cottage, café, sailboat or beach?

Yesterday was ‘Work from Home Day’ across Canada. Nothing changed for me, but it did for millions of other people and, as a champion of flexible work who runs a business that makes things happen (often virtually), I couldn’t be happier. Well, actually, I could. My reaction to the ballyhoo about making ‘Work from Home Day’ an annual event was ‘Are you kidding? Surely we can move faster than that, can’t we? How about a weekly work from home event?’ Look at ‘casual Fridays’. Some organizations started letting people leave their pantyhose, high heels and starched collars home once a week, and it only took a couple of years until everyone was dressing like normal human beings all the time. I passionately believe that the same thing can happen with working from home – or, more specifically, working anywhere outside the confines of the office. Work and workstyle can be personalized to each human being’s normal. It can fit in with their life, rather than them having to fit into it. It can. It does in my world. And I’m leading the charge to make it happen in yours.

Was there ever a gorgeous orgy of bespoke tailoring such as the Royal Wedding? Not since the last one, anyway. From Posh Spice’s fascinator ensemble in regal, royal blue to the hilarious hats of Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice, off-the-rack was roundly rejected. And why not? There’s nothing quite like something made to order to the customer’s specifications. So, why not something like a job? Whether you’re an employer or an employee, beSPEAK rejects the one-size-fits-all approach to jobs in favour of customizing them to a particular need, personality and style.

It’s likely that your workstyle is not the same as the person’s next to you. Different people work differently. Some people work best at 6 in the morning. Some at 11 at night. Some people like working on Sundays and not on Mondays. Some people like working with the radio on. Some like working in between trips to the schoolyard.

What if the employment decision could take where you work… and when… out of the equation, and just focus on ability and suitability? How many super-talented people are being passed over, because they don’t fit the narrow confines of a particular job description?

All good questions – and Genevieve Brown and I are running a business where we’re determined to answer them. AtbeSPEAK – in the PR & Communications space, we’re trying to get the right people together with the right clients to do the right assignments – with quality and perfect fit being the end goal. The only goal.

Custom-made? BeSPEAK? It’s absolutely possible to wear the assignment that fits.