… Physical Workplace Evolution: We will move to a mostly hybrid structure of possible hotel stations in a physical office to grant employees more opportunities to live and work from anywhere.
When it comes to designing the future of work, one size fits none. Discovering success isn’t about a hybrid model or offering remote work options. Individuals and organizations are looking for more freedom. The freedom to choose the work model that makes the most sense. The freedom to choose their own values. And the freedom to pursue what matters most. We reached out to successful leaders and thought leaders across all industries to glean their insights and predictions about how to create a future that works.
As a part of our interview series called “How Employers and Employees are Reworking Work Together,” we had the pleasure to interview Amanda Hamilton.
Amanda Hamilton is the founder of Hamilton Raye “Your Outsourced Admin®”, which brings professional remote administrative support to startup organizations and businesses.
With a decade of experience in the corporate retail industry, she learned best practices for staying organized, managing constant changes in priorities, and finding process efficiencies to reduce workload.
Content with her career but Amanda longing to work remotely in order to live and work anywhere she pleased, Amanda decided to take her fate into her own hands and start Hamilton Raye “Your Outsourced Admin®”.
Finding that the founders, CEO’s, and small business owners she partnered with were wearing multiple hats and looking for more time in their days and weeks, Amanda realized that the most necessary piece of being a business owner is to maintain maximum efficiency and productivity, by keeping your schedule moving and remaining highly organized. That was how she developed the concept of maximizing her clients’ time by providing knowledgeable admin professionals who could act as a trusted extension of their team.
Thank you for making time to visit with us about the topic of our time. Our readers would like to get to know you a bit better. Can you please tell us about one or two life experiences that most shaped who you are today.
One major life experience that had a significant personal impact on me, where I am today, and how I’m building a brand at Hamilton Raye was my time in corporate America. This time gave me the opportunity to learn from incredible leaders that have shaped how I lead my team today. I also had opportunities to determine what I didn’t like about the corporate “bubble” and how I wanted to focus on differentiating the workplace for those with similar work culture preferences.
Let’s zoom out. What do you predict will be the same about work, the workforce and the workplace 10–15 years from now? What do you predict will be different?
What will be the same? In 10 years, we will still be a heavily digital-focused world that will expand even further. There will continue to be a focus on leveraging systems and tools to build overall efficiencies for the employee and employer.
What will be different? In 10 years, I think there will be a larger incorporation of outsourced support than always hiring internal employees as maximizing profit and sustainability will continue to be the focus. Leveraging a service such as an outsourced admin with Hamilton Raye can allow an organization, big or small, to have experienced administrative professionals integrate into a role for a fraction of the cost.
What advice would you offer to employers who want to future-proof their organizations?
Focus on providing more work-life integration with boundaries that provide employees with more balance between work and home. I personally think we are too rigid in focusing on either the 4 or 5-day work week and clocking in between the hours of 9–5. What is the problem if someone wants to work from 7–8 am in the morning when they’re the most focused, go to a later workout, work from 10–4, have time at home with friends or family and then wrap up any last-minute pieces or prepare for the next day at 8 PM before heading to bed? I do think there is a need for days off to recharge but, why does that have to be Saturday and Sunday? It’s not strange if on a Friday with light meetings, someone wants to run their typical weekend errands while their children are in childcare and then work a few hours on Saturday during naptime. This should be the way we are focusing rather than feeling the need to clock specified hours that don’t always fit the individual and their lives.
What do you predict will be the biggest gaps between what employers are willing to offer and what employees expect as we move forward? And what strategies would you offer about how to reconcile those gaps?
With The Great Resignation, the expectations in the workplace have become greater. While I believe compensation can be of great importance for some employees, I think there needs to be more focus on the individual and no longer putting everyone into the same category. For example, one employee might prefer an opportunity to grow within a role or have more flexibility to be at home with their family. Another employee might be more focused on compensation. While I think we need to compensate for the value people bring to their organization, there should be a greater focus on other forms of compensation. A book I think can be of benefit is The Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace by Gary Chapman and Paul White. Every individual has a different way of feeling valued and appreciated and when leadership understands their “language of appreciation”, it can be of great benefit.
At Hamilton Raye, in our “getting to know you survey” for new team members, one of the questions aims to uncover their love language. The goal is to better understand how we can appreciate them on a consistent basis for great work.
We simultaneously joined a global experiment together last year called “Working From Home.” How will this experience influence the future of work?
I believe we are currently in an evolution of the physical workplace with the pandemic and the world will be in a more steady state of hybrid and remote work than we’ve ever have been before. People will have the ability to live and work from anywhere which will transform how offices are set up and “time off” is approached.
With a hybrid environment, I see organizations down-sizing and adjusting to “hotel stations” rather than permanent desks and offices. This will allow employees to take extended time away from home where they might take an entire week of vacation and spend 2–3 other weeks working remotely in a sunny location near a beach.
We’ve all read the headlines about how the pandemic reshaped the workforce. What societal changes do you foresee as necessary to support a future of work that works for everyone?
I have seen a greater focus on mental health and wellbeing for both employers and employees. These issues greatly impacted our society during the pandemic. We need to continue to be more open to supporting one another’s mental health as this greatly impacts employees, their quality of work, and ultimately impacts business results.
What is your greatest source of optimism about the future of work?
The COVID pandemic has forced many people and companies to adjust the way they view and approach their work. It feels like a “Great Transformation” of the workplace and moving away from traditional working habits and environments and into a new digital world which I believe will not only benefit employers but, employees as well.
Our collective mental health and wellbeing are now considered collateral as we consider the future of work. What innovative strategies do you see employers offering to help improve and optimize their employee’s mental health and wellbeing?
I like to focus on allowing more work hour flexibility. I like to call this work-life integration with boundaries as I mentioned in an earlier question. I personally believe that forcing someone to work specified hours or days that don’t fit their most productive hours can have an impact on their overall mental health. As an example, I do my best work very early in the morning. I thrive waking up some days at 5:00 or 6:00 AM to sit down and have focus time. This is honestly when I do my best work. Doing this allows me to work out at 8:00 AM after my body has had time to wake up, which has allowed me to stay on a consistent routine.
It seems like there’s a new headline every day. ‘The Great Resignation’. ‘The Great Reconfiguration’. And now the ‘Great Reevaluation’. What are the most important messages leaders need to hear from these headlines? How do company cultures need to evolve?
There is a lot of discussion in the headlines that people want to be paid more. While I do think individuals need to be paid their value, I personally think a healthy and supportive culture l often takes precedence over pay. As I have mentioned throughout this interview, there is a lot of value in allowing someone to integrate work into their routine based on how they best operate during the day and what fits their schedule with personal needs. As leaders continue to evolve their approach, I think it is very important not to force every individual on the team into a specific box. Everyone is unique and operates differently and leveraging employees at their best will ultimately provide greater results for an organization.
Let’s get more specific. What are your “Top 5 Trends To Track In the Future of Work?”
- Work-Life Integration with Boundaries: If you truly enjoy your work and it does not create an abundance of stress, integrating it into your daily routine eliminates the need to always look for a balance. For example, throwing dinner in the slow cooker so it’s ready on time or catching up on laundry, then working for a few hours in the evening.
- Focus on Well-being: Allowing for more “integration” between work and life will allow employees to focus on wellness through mental health support, physical fitness, and overall well-being. Employees won’t become overwhelmed, stressed, or distracted by their personal needs if they are able to take small mental health breaks throughout the day, go for a walk, or fit in a quick exercise routine.
- Outsourced Integration: Leveraging a service such as an outsourced admin with Hamilton Raye can allow an organization, big or small, to have experienced administrative professionals integrate into a role for a fraction of the cost. Hiring an admin to take administrative tasks off your plate for the fraction of the cost of hiring a full-time employee helps create more time while contributing to the workforce.
- Greater Diversity: Many employers continue to focus on creating workplaces that reflect our communities and I think it will continue to be a priority. We are proud to have a diverse and talented workforce at Hamilton Raye.
- Physical Workplace Evolution: We will move to a mostly hybrid structure of possible hotel stations in a physical office to grant employees more opportunities to live and work from anywhere.
I keep quotes on my desk and on scraps of paper to stay inspired. What’s your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? And how has this quote shaped your perspective?
“Life will continue to direct you, correct you, and perfect you over time. Embrace this evolution. You are not the same person you were a year ago, a month ago, or even a week ago. You’re always growing.”
As soon as I embraced that I am not the same person I was yesterday was when my personal and professional growth really jumpstarted. The most incredible part of life is that we have the opportunity to improve every single day.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He, she, or they might just see this if we tag them.
Sara Blakely. I not only admire her as a founder of a billion-dollar company but, also as a mother, friend, and wife. I find her to be so humble and always operating with a light-hearted approach. She shared something recently on her Instagram while celebrating her birthday with her friends that I found inspiring. She said she loved the idea of being successful so she could spoil the ones she loved. I hope to do the same one day.
Our readers often like to continue the conversation with our featured interviewees. How can they best connect with you and stay current on what you’re discovering?
Hamilton Raye Social Media Accounts & Website:
Website: www.hamiltonraye.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hamilton_raye/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hamiltonraye
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HamiltonRaye
Personal Social Media Accounts:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/admindiaries
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-raye-hamilton/
Thank you for sharing your insights and predictions. We appreciate the gift of your time and wish you continued success and good health.