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Inspire Club Ep #34 - Claire Cathcart
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In this episode of the Inspire Club Podcast, host Matt Manners talks with Claire Cathcart — HR leader, founder of Elevate and advocate for empowering the people who empower others. Claire shares how one inspiring manager shaped her career, how micromanagement led her to launch her own business and why flexibility, kindness and treating “people like people” should define the future of work. A refreshing, honest conversation about courage, balance and leading with humanity.
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Transcript
Introduction and Guest Introduction
00:00:07
Speaker
Hello and welcome to the latest episode of the Inspire Club podcast. As usual, I'm your host, Matt Manners. ah Today's guest is Claire Cathcart, an HR professional with over 15 years of experience working with big corporates through scaling startups.
00:00:24
Speaker
Claire's super passionate about HR as a career and balancing the needs of the business with the treatment of of employees. To that end, Claire has taken her own career in a new direction to help support and guide HR professionals on their own journey, launching Elevate in 2023 with very clear vision.
00:00:41
Speaker
to help all of you out there in HR take your skills, knowledge, confidence and career to the next level. Absolutely fantastic mission that. And also, we're a bit biased, we're also very honoured to have Claire recently judged the UK and Ireland entries for the Inspiring Workplaces Awards.
00:00:59
Speaker
So welcome
Inspiring Figures in HR
00:01:00
Speaker
Claire. Hello, how are you? I'm good. Thank you for having me. Good, nice to have you. um As always, the but the first and only rule of Inspire Club is to share a story about somebody who's inspired you at work along the way and um to name them if you wish.
00:01:15
Speaker
So over to you. who Who's that person? There's been quite a few actually in my career and it tends to be um line managers or mentors. So i guess the one to pick out is very early in my HR career, I was a HR advisor and I reported into this absolutely amazing HR manager.
00:01:38
Speaker
And she inspired me because she was a very strong personality. She um was very driven And to have an opinion in the workplace as a woman, I could start to see that it was okay to be that kind of personality.
00:01:55
Speaker
I'm very direct. I can be blunt at times, you know, always with good intentions. So as a, oh gosh, how old was I? long time ago, maybe kind of a 28 year old. and I was still in my twenties and yeah, just hugely inspired me and showed me she was really a role model. She showed me what it was like to be a successful woman in the workplace.
00:02:18
Speaker
Fantastic. How has that changed, do you think, since since you were first inspired by her? Because ah recently we've had International Women's Day, of course, and and that's also kind of getting a bit political now and in some respects when you look at social media.
00:02:34
Speaker
Is there a... is that is there a Is there a way to inspire women as as they were coming into the workplace now or is it just very, very personalised? I love personalisation. I think respecting that everyone is an individual is always a good thing.
00:02:51
Speaker
But I do still feel that um we we have a long way to go to really encourage every single woman to share their voice, share their opinion and feel comfortable and confident in the workplace.
00:03:03
Speaker
We still have a lot of work to do around that. so role models like the one that I had, I think are super important. So if you are a a woman and in the workspace that can inspire others, can be that role model, can guide them through their career, that's only a good thing, right?
00:03:22
Speaker
Absolutely. And I'm sure you're inspiring a lot of people yourself with with your own journey right now.
00:03:31
Speaker
Do you want to give for that person shout out by name or would you rather keep it a private? No, I shout about her on LinkedIn all the time. It's Miranda. um she We worked at TUI together. i was there for seven years.
00:03:44
Speaker
And she really helped me become, I moved from a HR advisor role into a HR business partner position. And honestly, without her support, her guidance, her belief in me, I wouldn't have been able to do that. So yeah, always a huge shout out to Miranda.
00:04:01
Speaker
And that thank you, Miranda. Absolutely amazing. did Did you take anything from how Miranda ah worked or ah led people? Have you taken any of those things into your own career as well?
00:04:13
Speaker
Absolutely. i'm Obviously, I've been managers of i've been a manager of a few teams over the years. And she miranda really gave me the freedom and the exposure to get involved with things that weren't necessarily part of my my normal day job. And I think being the ability to join meetings and to get involved in projects that were outside the scope of the day job absolutely helped my career um develop and progress. So i think that's a really, um a huge way that people can progress in HR is just getting exposure and experience to lots of different things. And so think as a manager myself,
00:04:52
Speaker
I then encourage others to look around, and i sit up and really look around them and think, oh, you know I'm interested in that other thing or I want to get involved in that piece of work and to let them have a go.
00:05:05
Speaker
you know Failure doesn't really exist. It's just an opportunity to learn, right? so Absolutely.
Workplace Challenges and Opportunities
00:05:11
Speaker
people Opportunities is the best thing you can do as a manager. I think some of the best workplaces allow people to fail and fail fail fast and fail often. um So it sounds like Miranda was almost you know ahead of her time in how to to work with people. you know If you're looking at all the latest stuff on the next generation coming into the workforce, it's there's to model it's like almost a... What's the word I'm looking for?
00:05:38
Speaker
um it's uh i'm drawing a blank now but they are demanding that they need to learn and develop that that's what they want from their leaders and from the workplaces so and that sounds like exactly what you got from miranda the opportunity to learn and develop yeah i think the problem that we face today is that so many people are stretched in their roles we've seen so many redundancy programs workforces being reduced in size so the people that are dare i say, left behind and you know continue to have jobs.
00:06:12
Speaker
they're They're being asked to work harder, longer hours and just to do the day job. So if you really want your people to develop and progress, you have to give them time and opportunity to get involved in those other things.
00:06:27
Speaker
If everyone's doing the day job, you know outside of their normal hours as well, it's going to be much harder for them to progress. So it's tricky out there at the moment. It's it's it's a hard place to be.
00:06:38
Speaker
It is. And it's why it's it's so important to have people in and around you that inspire you and are looking out for your best interests. it' did I think it's just the thing that defines a great place to work.
00:06:50
Speaker
um
00:06:53
Speaker
This has been interesting this season on the podcast because it's and it's a new a new question, um like the heaven and hell piece. So a negative experience that's driven positive in your life. So you either you've seen something or something's happened. You've gone, ah never want to see that happen again in the workplace. And you've done it's made, inspired you to act in a different way or do you something different.
00:07:14
Speaker
Quite a recent example, um last year, actually. So I was working in a fixed term contract for quite a large tech company. And the chief people officer was just micromanaging me within an inch of my life.
00:07:29
Speaker
And well honestly, it it impacted my mental health. I would say I'm quite a resilient person. um And you I've experienced a lot of things in the workplace. But this really, um it really knocked me. It really knocked me. And yeah, so micromanagement is never a good thing. and But what it did do was it gave me the the motivation and the kick to go and do something else. So I quit that job with no job to go to.
00:08:00
Speaker
um ah brave or brave or stupid decision, I'm not sure, but I made that decision at the time. And and it was literally a month after that, that I met um my now mentor.
00:08:14
Speaker
And he encouraged me to go all in with Elevate and, you know, go with my heart, follow what I really wanted to do is kind of my my passion. So yeah, here I am, month seven of employment. So would I have taken that leap without her micromanaging me?
00:08:32
Speaker
Who knows? but that's Well, I think that's the best answer to this question we've had so far and probably it probably ever. you know So but thank you to nameless micromanager.
00:08:44
Speaker
ah for creating Elevate or help or being ah being a stimulus to go do that.
Future of Work: Hybrid and Flexible Models
00:08:50
Speaker
um And again, I think that comes back to what we're saying about personalization, because obviously some people you know might like that.
00:08:56
Speaker
For me personally, if you micromanage me, it's going to do the exact same thing that it did to you, ah impact me negatively and the business. you know.
00:09:07
Speaker
Yeah. um Best ever experience at work and you know and why? Best ever experience? Well, I kind of have two answers to this question. I'll give you the fun one first.
00:09:19
Speaker
I worked with TUI, as I said, for a number of years, and they they set up some projects. And you could put your name forward to go and do one of these um kind of projects based on you know the environment and doing good and um I found myself in um the Caribbean for a week surveying customers. i was a HR advisor at the time, so best experience at work, without a doubt, going to the Caribbean for a week to go survey and survey customers.
00:09:48
Speaker
um But I guess my my more serious second answer is I was offered offered a role for a and in a telecoms company, around 250 staff when I joined, and I had the opportunity to build the HR function from scratch.
00:10:05
Speaker
A huge opportunity because I had come from working in large corporate companies where everything is very established. So to have an opportunity to take everything that I had learned, all of the best practice and make that work in a smaller organisation a huge opportunity and absolutely loved it. So I was in that role for, I think, just over three years.
00:10:26
Speaker
and But yeah, that's definitely, if I look back over my career, that's probably the one of the highlights for me. Fantastic. It sounds quite daunting as well, you know, but to have that opportunity. So um I love the Caribbean piece. I think having two answers that question was definitely, definitely but worth it. um but What do you think right now is a major workplace priority?
00:10:50
Speaker
it has to be the whole conversation around flexibility hybrid working the office space I did think it was going to die down for a little bit but I think in more recent months where we've had a lot of people returning back to the office I think only last week I saw a post on LinkedIn around um I think was it boots and I may be misquoting but um a lot of boot staff have been told that they need to return to the office and a huge proportion of those people have now put their open to work banner on LinkedIn Wow.
00:11:22
Speaker
Yeah, I think that the they companies that are saying that people are mandating that people need to work in the office five days a week, I think they're going to struggle with that. Yeah.
00:11:32
Speaker
My general sense from speaking to a lot of HR professionals um is that people, candidates, employees, they're demanding more flexibility because they have seen the positives it brings to their lives.
00:11:47
Speaker
And, you know, I'm sure we we've all had this conversation 100 times over around the benefits around not commuting, spending more time with your family, better off financially. They want more and they expect more from the employer to support them to achieve that. So, yeah, I think that's a a tricky space at the moment and it's not going to calm down anytime soon.
00:12:07
Speaker
No, I think like most things in life, you know balance is ah is a really important word, no matter what you're discussing. And um obviously we we have a flexible working policy, so we have a couple of days in the office and and we really value those days. I think it actually it's heightened the amount of effort we put into working together.
00:12:26
Speaker
but i always the one thing I struggle with is the the ecosystem that it's kind of destroying in the sense that offices and then all the businesses associated around offices, like is the cafes, the sandwich shops, and you're just thinking that way by changing the way we work and how we work together, we're destroying other traditional ways of living.
00:12:52
Speaker
So i kind of I kind of battle with that because... you know, you always want to try and find the path that doesn't impact, you know, impacts the least amount of people.
00:13:03
Speaker
But um more money, less commuting, more time with family, you know, it's really hard to argue against any of that. So, yeah. Balance. I think it's, you said the word balance, that's what it is. I'm definitely sitting here so advocating everyone works remotely twenty four seven And working office does have a place.
00:13:23
Speaker
Yeah. Works for some organisations. um things just evolve right we just need to keep evolving and and moving forward and I absolutely agree with you around the and the eca ecosystem around us and everything else that is impacting but we have to evolve and some kind of hybrid space would be lovely I think mandating everyone to be in the office five days a week is not a good thing and And the flip side to you know that where those offices and coffee shops are, the flip side is more is returning to outside the city. So towns are becoming more vibrant because people are staying in them more days a week and therefore spending more money around where they live. So like you said, there's a yin and yang to everything.
00:14:08
Speaker
I'm trying to find that balance and most importantly, having conversations because the but mandates, that's why they're not... That's why they're going down like a lead balloon is because it's a diktat, isn't it? So why are we having a conversation around this? Why are you suddenly just saying five days with no real reason, no intentionality around it?
00:14:29
Speaker
um where's your what What's your stance in the four-day week?
00:14:34
Speaker
I think the four-day week is a great thing. Huge fan. let me tell you why. had my son...
00:14:43
Speaker
gosh, a long time ago, he's going to be nine in a couple of months, a long time ago, I returned from maternity leave and I was offered the opportunity. I applied for a full-time job and the hiring manager actually offered me the opportunity to work part-time because I was returning from maternity into a new role.
00:15:00
Speaker
And I ended up working four days a week, so I had Wednesdays off. I was doing a full-time job but without a doubt, but did I but did feel the pressure and the stress? No.
00:15:12
Speaker
I felt that I was working more effectively. i was definitely using my time in a better way. I wasn't wasting time with, you know, conversations that really weren't relevant.
00:15:23
Speaker
I was just working more effectively. So reducing to a four day week, can it be done? Yes, I think it can. im I'm not actually a huge fan of condensing the hours. So you work a full time week over four days. I think longer days is a bad thing.
00:15:39
Speaker
um But I think four days is definitely a good thing. I mean, the five-day week with weekends was created by someone a very long time ago that decided that's how we were going to work. yeah And that's just not how life is.
00:15:51
Speaker
And I think even since becoming self-employed and taking that step, i've my eyes have been opened even more around flexibility and how you can live your life in a different way.
00:16:02
Speaker
so yeah five Monday to Friday and is' very dated. Everyone's being sheep-dipped through this, you know, this environment. And... again, I think we just need to evolve. I think i'm I'm a huge advocate of, you know, we, you know, we don't live our lives to work. You know, that's not what it's about.
00:16:24
Speaker
You get one shot at life, right? I'm going to go deep on you, Matt. I'm going to like, it's deep and meaningful. It's yet one shot at life. And, you know, if you can, if as an employer, you can create flexibility, you can um treat people like people and not
Personal Well-being and Work Culture
00:16:40
Speaker
robots.
00:16:40
Speaker
Yeah. impact their life in a really positive way by offering it ability my question is why aren't we doing it I had a conversation with someone yesterday and a flexible working request for a returning mother was declined because her job is too important yeah really yeah it just it really frustrates me because I know that these full-time jobs can be done um flexibly and in four days so yeah well I'm I'm in fierce agreement with you.
00:17:13
Speaker
It's, you know, what gets me out of bed in the morning is to, well, you know, our our purpose is to change the world to the world of work. And, you know, that sounds really grandiose, but at the heart of it, it it boils down to the individual conversations I've had with people for a long time now. And what you're saying, you don't live to work um And just one conversation that I've had my own personal experiences as a child growing up and seeing my family. But one story that stuck with me was how her father would come home every day and cry.
00:17:49
Speaker
You know, his his work was destroying him and therefore it destroyed the family unit because of the impact that had. So when we say change the world to the world of work, that could be changing somebody's family life and everybody associated with that. So you could impact the three or four people you might manage every day in your team.
00:18:09
Speaker
And that, that, that, you'd be changing that world. um through how you lead them. and So, yeah, I ah completely agree with with what what you're taught saying with Lagasse's four-day week and the reasons why the positive impacts it can have. um 100%. We're still on a nine-day fortnight.
00:18:28
Speaker
We're trying to get to the four-day week. Yeah. But as a team, we're going, we're not, this is this rhythm's nice. Like, we're not too, we're doing more. We're definitely more productive. We more output for less days working.
00:18:42
Speaker
But I think we'd all be a little bit stressed if we did differently went to the four day week. So we hopefully by the end of the year, we'll have got it all sorted and we'll be there. But at the moment, we're a nine day fortnight.
00:18:53
Speaker
And tomorrow is one of those days off. The one thing I need to be better at is actually doing it. So but I don't email anybody when im but when when it's a day off. So I just secretly do things on my own.
00:19:08
Speaker
um That's pretty good next question, actually. um What's the best way to beat stress, in your opinion? Well, for my personal view, it's walking on the beach. So the beach is at the road, and I call it my happy place.
00:19:26
Speaker
And if I feel that my brain is starting to feel saturated or I'm overwhelmed with you know all of the ideas that I've got and there's too much stuff going on, actually force myself to be like, no, I'm going to go for a walk.
00:19:40
Speaker
and I stand in front of the sea and I just like do some deep breathing and there's just something so relaxing about that and it really helps me kind of gather my thoughts and structure them um so yeah so not everyone has a beach at the end of the road right? No.
00:20:01
Speaker
i think everyone has a happy place. Your happy place might be the gym. It might be at the swimming pool. It might be in, you know, a local woodland and you like going for a walk. So somewhere that I think is, um i guess, just really going to help you just straighten your mind and your heart.
00:20:21
Speaker
And, you know, that it's not going to put more pressure on you. If, you you know, you want to go to the gym and put your headphones in and just zone out in your own world. I think that's the, For me, that's the way to kind of reach stress.
00:20:32
Speaker
Just well head on. You say that, there there was something on LinkedIn, a neurological scan of a ah brain that was just sat at their desk, or its desk, the brain, ah and a brain that had gone for five minutes into a walk.
00:20:47
Speaker
And the impact just getting up, walking out the door and going for a walk can have on on you is is huge. So whilst they really might might not have a beach, they do have feet, hopefully, and can go go for a walk or get out and about.
00:21:02
Speaker
um That's my dream, by the way, to end up somewhere by the ocean, because the sound of the ocean, I think, is the most soothing sound you can possibly ever and listen to. so okay Fantastic.
00:21:15
Speaker
um My favourite question, so everybody in that listens regularly knows what's coming. um What's the best advice you've ever been given and who did buy? have Probably my mum. And my mum has never worked in the corporate world or in an office space.
00:21:34
Speaker
But she um she said to me, i think I'd just finished university. I'd been offered a temp role as a receptionist. And I remember very clearly she said to me, the best thing you can do and the world of work is treat everyone like people and not based on their job title.
00:21:54
Speaker
So she had um cleaning jobs over the years and she felt that some people looked down their nose at her and she felt other people just treated her with huge amounts of respect.
00:22:06
Speaker
So she had kind of experienced that for herself and it really stuck with me. and you know, great that I end up in HR working with like lots of people on a daily basis. But um yeah, that really stuck with me because it's so important to treat people like people firstly and like understand their different personalities and how to work with them and and how you can work the most effectively, but also just from a respect point of view.
00:22:37
Speaker
And, you know, I just want to build a relationship with you. I want to create that rapport with you. I'm gonna ask you about how was your weekend, learn about your children, what your interests are. It doesn't matter if you're a CEO or a head of HR or a HR administrator or a receptionist, it doesn't matter.
00:22:55
Speaker
So I think relationships in the workplace are hugely important. And one of the things that will probably help you progress in your careers as well is having those relationships with people So thank you, mum, for giving me that advice.
00:23:07
Speaker
And I have developed it and over the years, but that was the first piece of advice I was given when I got my first temp reception job. Well, thanks to Claire's mum.
00:23:19
Speaker
because I think that's just great life advice, isn't it? Treat treat people, just treat everybody like but human being. Yeah. No matter how you meet them, where you meet them, just treat them like people treat people like people.
00:23:33
Speaker
What great life advice. It kind of reminds me of just being a young kid and my grand my grandpa, as I called him. I'm sure we've all got different names for our grand grandparents. But um he he all always struck his stuff stuck with me. He always knew everybody's name.
00:23:52
Speaker
um whether it be the supermarket or a bank, you know, or anywhere. And he'd always, and if he didn't, he'd ask people their name and it that instantly just made them connect as people because he wanted to know what their name was, who but who they were. And then, and it was just, so I've always, I've taken that on and,
00:24:10
Speaker
So I just think it's such a lovely way to live, really, you know you know, treat people like people. So what absolutely amazing advice from your mum there. And something I'm going to write down on my wall just to remind me on a daily basis to do that.
00:24:23
Speaker
Because the flip side of that one as well, I think, is... um
00:24:31
Speaker
Always assume positive intent because you'd never know what's going on somebody's world that day. They might just be having the worst day ever. but so that might not be who they are. So just always assume positive intent and give people a break, you know?
00:24:45
Speaker
So, but yeah, anyway, sorry, just getting all philosophical on you there.
Personal Insights and Preferences
00:24:49
Speaker
Um,
00:24:52
Speaker
Let's go to some of the fun fun, shorter questions now. Some really, really good, could probably talk to you for for hours, Claire, with some of the answers you've given. um Are you an early bird or a night owl?
00:25:02
Speaker
Early bird. Such an easy answer. I'm normally in bed by kind of half eight, nine o'clock. um i have I'm a single mum. I have a son, I've mentioned, and I work really hard in the day. So it gets to the evening, I'm kind of done. So yeah.
00:25:20
Speaker
um Lucas my my son has almost trained me since being a baby he would always wake up at 5am and you've got no choice you can't sneeze you're getting up yeah thankfully he has gotten slightly better so I'm normally waking up somewhere between five and six um but honestly I'm i'm at my best at you know in the morning so definitely early bird without a doubt definitely definitely um fellow early bird here as well. And, you know, you can you can get dirt day's work for anybody else logs on sometimes, you know, if you if you get up and do things, it feels great.
00:25:55
Speaker
feels like you're ahead of the day. Now I know this is an incredibly hard question for for most. um So don't we're not going to hold you to it, but the first part the question is favorite album.
00:26:07
Speaker
And the second part is, is there a go-to song when you just want to get yourself fired up to do a task that you'd be putting off for a while? Yeah, my go-to song, I do play it on repeat quite a lot.
00:26:18
Speaker
And it's a very kind of cliche one. and Sia, Unstoppable. And I'm sure other people probably said this one. But um theres something um there's something about Sia that I just really like as well, that she...
00:26:31
Speaker
you know She covers her face and she's really just relying on her talent. so I really have a lot of respect for her as an artist, but love her song, and Unstoppable. And I do use it to get myself fired up. and like come Amazing.
00:26:44
Speaker
Busy day. I put it on i'm the Google Home Hub, whatever it is, in the kitchen when I'm getting ready in the morning. Love it. So there's that one. And my favourite album...
00:26:55
Speaker
We don't tend to listen to albums these days. I don't know if other people do. my YouTube music that just kind of picks songs. But I must have been, oh gosh, 19, 18, 19.
00:27:06
Speaker
eighteen nineteen every First time I moved out of um home and I went to the Isle of Man. I was working over there for a little bit. And Christina Aguilera's album, Stripped, I think it was called,
00:27:19
Speaker
I played it constantly. And you know how music can take you back to a place in time? and when Thinking about that question, it's like that took me back to that point in my life. It was just an album that I listened to constantly on repeat.
00:27:33
Speaker
Very, very old album now. It's not a recent one, but I don't tend to listen to recent albums. Is that the one with a Fighter on it? Yes, fighter. Yes, what a song. I mean, i mean ah think that's one of the songs on the playlist from another guest, actually, to get them going. because but That's a great album, that Aguilera album, a classic.
00:27:53
Speaker
um And, um, I don't think we've got unstoppable on the Spotify playlist for the, for the podcast, but i think we might have titanium. So it's a, it's a great addition.
00:28:04
Speaker
Um, so that'll be going on to Spotify's, uh, uh, as soon as we finish this great, great songs. Um, and I'm definitely going to go check out, uh, unapologetically, apologetically that Aguilera album actually, because there's lots of absolute tunes on it.
00:28:19
Speaker
Um, uh, equally tough question. Um, Favourite film? I'm not a movie buff at all So when when people ask me my favourite films, they're very kind of girly things like burlesque.
00:28:35
Speaker
Absolutely. This isn't the best movie that's ever been made. Don't judge me. If you want to say ah you know Top Gun and the you know the Goonies are set up there for me, kind of there that that's where we're going at. What's something you just chuck in the DVD file, put an apple or something like that? so Yeah, I'm a huge Christina Aguilera fan, so burlesque is one of those kind of go-to ones. Oh, nice.
00:28:56
Speaker
songs in it um nice nice kind of easy watch feel good film um yeah and I do watch a lot of Disney movies with my little boy well so I've got Lion King and Little Mermaid are up there as well um I think is uh household favorites at the moment are you looking forward to the live action Moana that's coming out now think this year I quite like the live action ones I know some people have been on them but I think they're pretty good to be fair Yeah, nice I think, you know, obviously the rock played, I can't remember his name now, but the god, the demi-god.
00:29:32
Speaker
but My wife knows that rap in that song by word. So another I've got a very big Disney fan in my house. So sometimes on long car journeys, it's the Disney playlist on ah iTunes. so um So yeah, Disney is fantastic. um Last two questions.
00:29:48
Speaker
and and then And then we're done, sadly.
Conclusion and Reflections on Inspiration
00:29:51
Speaker
um Best place in the world you've ever been?
00:29:56
Speaker
I've been to a lot of lovely places. um The Maldives probably takes it for me. Wow. Just because of the snorkeling and, you know, the the marine life there, it really is something special. So, yeah, it has to be Maldives for me. Yeah, it just looks amazing. on the hablach That's, again, on the bucket list. um And anybody you'd recommend being a guest on the podcast?
00:30:25
Speaker
So i recently met a lady called Michelle Flynn and she came into the Elevate membership. She ran a life audit session for us and I was so inspired by her. I'm now, I've had a massive kick up the bum to sort my life out ah from a physical, mental perspective. um This lady knows a lot of stuff.
00:30:49
Speaker
um I think she's a kind of mindset coach, performance coach. um knows so much about nutrition so genuinely inspired by her so yes michelle flynn well we'll be looking at michelle um thank you so much it's been an absolute joy uh is there anything you'd like to add before we we wrap up i think i'm just on the topic of um you know being inspired and inspiring workplaces i think we all have the opportunity to go out and inspire other people.
00:31:20
Speaker
I've had a lot of conversations recently with people where they're kind of telling me negative stories in the workplace. It doesn't make us feel good. So if we can go out there, it sounds like a cliche, but spread kindness and inspire people um rather than focusing on the negatives, then the world of work would be a better place.
00:31:39
Speaker
All right. brilliant Brilliantly put. And weirdly, I was thinking something very similar only yesterday because there's a ah conference that will will remain nameless. And a lot of the stories of people reporting out of the different sessions they've been at this conference in America were how everything's shit.
00:32:00
Speaker
the new generation hate work. We all hate work. Everybody's disengaged. And we're going, is there any positive stories? You know, anything that we could do that talk about how we're doing good things and what people like to do.
00:32:11
Speaker
um so I fully endorse your sentiments there to end that, like how we can inspire people and be positive. I think that's a great way to think. And I mean, it's been absolute pleasure. Thank you so much for being a judge for the awards and for being on the podcast. I really appreciate it, Claire.
00:32:28
Speaker
No worries. Thanks very much. And thank you for listening. this is This is why we do it. I hope you you get your inspired by it and and see the importance of how we can impact each other in and outside of the workplace. I hope you're all doing well and we'll be back again soon.
00:32:45
Speaker
Take care.