Workplace: The global-local balance

Written from a South African perspective

The taxi: South Africa’s most ubiquitous mode of public transport.

Are you considering buying an electric vehicle, or even cooler, an electric scooter? Perhaps you’ve seen the hype overseas and then realised that (1) charging stations are not easy to find and (2) you’ll pay 7% more import tax than a regular vehicle, thanks to local government policy.

And have you heard about the newly-elected Mayor of Paris’s visionary plan to pedestrianise and create a “15 minute city”? I wonder if we could do something like that in Johannesburg? Hmmmm….

It certainly feels like there’s a lot of progressive thinking and knowledge development happening in these first-world countries, from which we can all benefit.

But how will all of these amazing advances play out in South Africa?

We have a different setup here. We are an African country, with African cities, and African people (that includes me thank you very much).

We live differently.

And so when a global corporate with headquarters in Paris and a beautifully developed workplace strategy comes along and wants to implement their activity-based hybrid workplace locally, it needs to be understood that things are a little bit different here. And if you want to get the best out of your people and space, you need to understand those differences, and work with them.

What are those differences? Think about the basics that affect communication, processes and space in South Africa.

• 💻 Internet connectivity and the ability for people to work from home is affected by our internet infrastructure and affordability of data. These are basic WFH requirements.
• 🏠 Homes too, are different here, with many of our younger generations living in shared accommodation and responsible for young children or older family members living with them.
• 🚌 Transport systems. How would you feel about the commute if you had to carry an expensive laptop through a busy taxi rank or CBD every day? Becoming a target for crime plays a role.
• 🧑🤝🧑 It’s also about how people connect socially. I recently worked with a global corporate whose local office had a very “high touch” culture. They thrived on face-to-face interactions and informal team gatherings. This played a huge role in workplace processes and the kind of talent they attracted and retained. It was vital to preserve this through the change, despite it not being part of their global workplace strategy.

These are just some examples of local nuances. And we have some fantastic research and innovation happening right here, shedding more light on what makes this place and its people tick.

I love exploring the thinking that is going on overseas: The research, the insights and the depth of detail. But those research insights are useless if applied without digging deeper into how they could play out locally.

It’s worth the investment to make informed decisions.

In fact, you might even end up with a phenomenal workplace that works for YOUR unique organisation.