Workstyle

Outline

Workstyle (2022) challenges the assumption that productive work must happen according to the same schedule, location, and routine for everyone. Lizzie Penny and Alex Hirst argue that people perform better when they can shape how, when, and where they work around responsibilities, energy, and organisational goals. Supported by workplace experience and practical examples, the book offers guidance for building flexible cultures based on trust, communication, accountability, and measurable results.

• Productive work does not have to follow the same schedule, location, and routine for every person on a team.
• People tend to perform better when they can shape how, when, and where they work.
• Flexible working should fit around a person's responsibilities and energy as well as the organisation's goals.
• Flexible cultures rest on four foundations: trust, communication, accountability, and measurable results.
• Giving people more autonomy can improve trust, well-being, productivity, and performance together.

Lizzie Penny and Alex Hirst are British entrepreneurs, workplace innovators, and cofounders of Hoxby, a community of independent professionals. Their experience managing a geographically distributed organisation led them to develop the concept of workstyle as an alternative to rigid working patterns. Through their writing and consulting, they help organisations introduce flexibility while maintaining collaboration, inclusion, and strong performance.