Meetings. Daan Dohmen knows how his staff sometimes struggles with them. Sometimes there are five, ten or even fifteen people at the table. Half or more say nothing at all, but sit there obediently because it is expected. Then everyone moves on and the real work still has to be done in the evening on the couch.

'If you start looking at how many of those meetings are actually necessary, it turns out that people are perfectly capable of judging for themselves what they should and should not attend,' Dohmen says in The Work Professor.

Dohmen founded and successfully sold two healthcare technology companies. The latest was Luscii. He is also an associate professor of Digital Transformation in Healthcare at the Open University and co-author of the book Green On, about the most fun and productive ways of working based on special forces principles.

In the podcast, Dohmen shares his experiences with new work models, such as four-day work weeks, officeless companies and self-directed teams. In doing so, he emphasizes the importance of autonomy for employees and clear goals, norms and values.

"We had a committee in my previous company about who could travel first and second class," Dohmen says. Some people didn't agree with that decision. That led to discussion. 'At the company where I work now, we simply said: hey, decide that yourself. It turns out that people are perfectly capable of making that choice for themselves.'

Three takeaways from this podcast:

1. Four-day work week - Companies that have implemented a four-day work week see significant increases in employee satisfaction and productivity.
2. Autonomy and trust - Letting go of traditional structures and giving employees more autonomy leads to better decisions and a more enjoyable workplace.
3. Clear goals and values - Having clear goals, standards and values helps employees make better choices independently and contributes to a stronger company culture.

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Links

Previous episode with Daan Dohmen 'Working like a commando, you can do that too'

More about Daan Dohmen

Check out the book 'Green on - The most fun and productive way to work based on special forces principles' here

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More about the Working Professor

Do you have questions or input? If so, please contact Wendy van Ierschot at wendy@viepeople.com.

Curious about the next guest in the Work Professor? Follow the Work Professor athttps://www.linkedin.com/company/viepeople/ or athttps://www.viepeople.com/inspiratie?inspiration-type=Podcast.

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