Life at V+C: Hardeep Matharu, Senior Consultant at V+C Asia

Hardeep has been along for the Activity Based Working (ABW) journey with V+C since 2019. 

First, a client, Hardeep, was introduced to ABW indirectly and felt truly understood by the people-centric (and, more specifically, employee-centric) position Veldhoen + Company takes in its practice. 

Having always had a passion for supporting people, Hardeep shares with us what motivated him to take the plunge from an established career in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and growth strategy, into new territory with workplace strategy consulting and why he hasn't looked back since. 

Hardeep Matharu: I worked in several organisations that had offices that left something to be desired.

At a former organisation, Veldhoen + Company came in to do our visioning piece and concept development for a New Way of Working. I found it refreshing to have a company that was interested in what we, as employees, desired our new workplace to be. I was drawn to the people-centric nature of ABW, and the fact that employees were given a voice was meaningful to me. 

With the consultants asking the right questions, the CEO continuously reflected on the office's role and impact on our productivity. It was powerful as an employee to have this type of advocacy in a consultancy since it can be challenging to raise your hand and say, "I don't like my office because of XYZ." Having V + C there to perform analysis and ask the right questions made a significant impact. 

Witnessing this transformation firsthand, I felt that ABW would allow me to help organisations. I had experienced a common pain point and could marry it with my passion for supporting people.

HM: In 2024, we're moving away from reactive hybrid and towards hybrid 2.0, which is more strategic and proactive.

The first trend I'd like to see in 2024 is organisations taking stock of where they are rather than a wait-and-see model.

By now, most organisations should be ready to respond to employee preferences and profiles rather than treading water. 

"Looking at a long-term hybrid future might mean asking, "What does our office space need to reflect? How much space do we really need? What features are we looking for?" and solidly stating their vision for the future of work."

The second trend I'd like to see is a physical environment supporting the popular wellness and mental health conversation. It's one of the areas that needs to catch up. We often see the obligatory quiet space in the corner, like a meditation area, but we can consider how to provide variety since not everyone recharges in the same way. Wellbeing is a priority, but with a physical space that compliments the diverse versions of what that can mean.

Lastly, one we've seen talked about but that still feels relevant here in Asia is diversity and inclusion support. I think we could be doing more to support PWDs (persons with disabilities), women in the workplace, and neurodiverse team members. I'd like more explicit awareness of how we support all types of people when they're in the office. 

HM: As the consultant, we often call out the elephant in the room. It's our job to vocalise to leadership what we've observed and whether it aligns with their desired behaviours and culture.

From these courageous conversations, we can decide whether core values need to be adjusted or pinpoint where the breakdown is happening along the line.

HM: For the most part, I'm reasonably transparent about being from the UK. If there are examples of things we can learn from elsewhere, I need to bring that into the conversation.

I also don't limit that to the UK. Since the Netherlands is farther ahead with flexible working, it often makes sense to reference.

Our clients are already globally minded, but it helps to have an outside perspective and reminder. I've lived and worked in Asia for over a decade, so clients appreciate that I have local knowledge but can also provide some contrast.

HM: Yeah. Even thinking about our recent project with Barilla rolling out ABW in multiple parts of the world. We started the project in Asia, and then it got translated and pushed globally.

Since Veldhoen + Company is in Europe, we can work together as a global organisation and act as each other's sounding board.

That lends itself nicely to knowledge sharing from different culturally diverse perspectives and gives our clients added value.

HM: The Work@Barilla program was designed and started in Singapore and an evolution of their hybrid working policy. Then, it was rolled out globally with some localisation (market-specific employment types and regulations), but overall, the way it was enacted and the expectations were generally the same.

The program allowed us to work on training folks in their New Ways of Working and engaging people at a cohort level. We helped them define team agreements at a local level, but then they could also connect inter-regionally. They could share their excitement, questions and challenges and get inspired by one another.

This benefitted Barilla because it provided greater awareness of how people operations were handled from market to market. Having this international awareness was enlightening for everyone involved.

In the next phase, we will support an evolution towards a more cross-functional approach to have an even deeper shared sense of expectation. This next phase is an exciting challenge because while cross-functional practices can be trickier to enact, I'm a huge advocate for being human-centric and putting processes in place to get the work done.

These are the things that I have contributed to that can continue to create better work across groups, geography, language barriers, you name it.

HM: The most beneficial part is acknowledging that no two people are the same and that a high-choice environment helps us continue to engage in new ways.

Team agreements help to connect the dots. The magic happens when you know what's expected of you because you can bring out your best work in a way that feels safe and best for you.

To help people understand ABW, we must emphasize that the purpose is to give everyone the flexibility and empowerment to choose how to work.

HM: Proactively batching my activities to reflect the right energy level has resonated since I was first introduced to ABW with Veldhoen + Company.

Rather than handling tasks reactively or according to what's being asked of me, I've learned to be more intentional about which activities occur when and in which environment.

HM: For me, a better world of work translates to a sense of belonging and doing something that has impact and meaning.

It's about having a sense that we live our values honestly and authentically.