5.3: Why autonomous working is the future, with Alex Hirst and Lizzie Penny

Does flexible working actually work? Or are today’s ways of working stuck in the past? Alex Hirst and Lizzie Penny, who jointly ranked at #4 in our HR Most Influential thinkers list 2025, call for a radical rethink of our approach to work, to better meet employee and business needs in the digital age.Hirst and Penny – business partners, authors and changemakers – co-founded the consultancy Hoxby, and created the concept of ‘workstyle’, ensuring that people have the autonomy to choose when, where and how they work. Listen to Hirst and Penny challenge the current status quo, arguing why and how personalisation can boost workplace performance.