Every working parent knows how hard the juggle is.
Now we know the cause.
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From the winner of the 2024 Sir Peter Blake Leadership Award
It’s time to get work to work better for people.
Right now, the expectation is to work as though we don’t have kids and parent as though we don’t have jobs.
It is not sustainable. It’s causing people to leave the workforce, or to sacrifice valuable family time – and simultaneously hurting organisations as retention and productivity take a nosedive.
#WorkSchoolHours offers us all a better framework – one that takes us far beyond how we structure our work schedules to deliver us better commercial outcomes for businesses, better careers for all working people, and better lives for everyone.
Building on decades of research and lived experiences, #WorkSchoolHours gives us practical insights and immediately actionable solutions.
Let’s reduce hours spent working, so we can connect more with what matters in life – and do it in a way that is commercially smart for organisations.
For far too long, working parents have struggled with the incongruent, exhausting, and competing demands of career and family. #WorkSchoolHours rethinks this outdated model by providing a path forward that creates a win-win at home and work. Bravo!
Betsy Myers
Founding director of the White House Office of Women’s Initiatives and Outreach
#WorkSchoolHours provides not just the manifesto for change but offers real and practical ways to tackle the opportunity. This is a must read for any leader building a modern workplace
Michael Moynahan
Former CEO of HarperCollins ANZ, Former Chair of Creative New Zealand
Amazing and entertaining review and reframe of the way we work, why we do it and how to change the world! Once you’ve read it you’ll wonder why we have persisted with the current patterns of work more than a century after that world has passed.
Vanessa Green
MAICD - CEO of Cliftons Event Solutions, Sydney
Get the eBook
#WorkSchoolHours is also available on Kindle, Google Play, and most eBook platforms.
Listen to #WorkSchoolHours
Dr Ellen Joan Ford narrates the book herself in this first edition Audiobook. Find it on Audible, Google Play, Spotify and most other audio sites.
#WorkSchoolHours presents three basic principles to combat the compounding problem of work not working:
Address the societal-wide issue facing parents – that of the mismatch in timetables between adults and children – and do more to align work with school hours where possible.
Adopt a staff-centric and individualised approach to providing flexibility and autonomy that enables team members to also tend to their personal responsibilities (be that children, hobbies, or something else).
Focus more on outputs (what teams actually deliver) rather than inputs (how many hours each person works).
#WorkSchoolHours is a movement encouraging change at every level – by encouraging individual organisations to streamline their approach to work and at the same time motivating us all to revolutionise work for the future.
“A change-the-freaking-world book.”
– Mark Crysell, TVNZ SUNDAY correspondent
“An absolute must-read that will linger in your thoughts long after you've turned the final page.”
– Steve Jurkovich - Chief Executive, KiwiBank
“Even the skeptic in me is totally convinced.”
– Eric Chapman - Director of Business Transformation, EY
“Ellen's precise wisdom is a game-changer”
– Dr Ron McDowall, ONZM - Director of Rutherford Business Institute
“A research-backed, implementable solution where everybody wins.”
– Stephania Varalli – Story Strategist, serial entrepreneur, and former CEO and owner of Women of Influence, Canada
The Author
Dr Ellen Joan Ford is terrifyingly ambitious about changing the working world for the better. An ex-army academic business mum, Ellen has cultivated deep expertise and practical experience in the areas of leadership & high-performance teams, organisational culture & staff engagement, and the future of work.
She has won numerous awards for her work, including Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year 2023 Local Hero Award and Person of the Year 2022 Manawatu Standard.
“Ellen is an extraordinary leader with a remarkable drive to improve the world. She tackles massive problems by indefatigably working towards solutions that make the world a better place.”
- Jack Tame - Broadcaster, TVNZ & NZME