Staying safe on Papua New Guinea’s roads, how a small act in Lae had a big impact in Australia, and US companies lead the way in the new work normal. Readings from around the world on business, leadership and management.

Drive safe in PNG’s capital

Digital learning platform Niunet recently reminded us that, while being COVID-safe was important, road safety is still an issue in Papua New Guinea’s capital, Port Moresby. And, sadly, that doesn’t mean keeping to your lane and driving under the speed limit.

The group has produced a short video below that offers up both safety and security tips. These include making sure you lock your car as soon as you get in and keep windows up but it’s tips that those new to Moresby might not think of that are really helpful, like parking at an angle at security gates to prevent being blocked in from behind and keeping a recent photo of your car for easy identification if it is stolen.

It’s no secret that life in Moresby is quite dangerous. Especially if you’ve got a car! So, we put together a short list of safe driving tips. Do you have any that you’d add to this list? Let us know below 🙌🏾#niunetpng #safedriving pic.twitter.com/wNimI3rBOo

— Niunet PNG (@niunetpng) August 7, 2020

Even without the pandemic, driving in PNG’s capital can still offer some challenges, and forewarned is forearmed.

Local leader helps Lae dig deep for Aussie bushfires

Credit: Lae Open Electorate/Facebook

PNG was all over the Australian news this week for its incredible generosity to the bushfire-affected community of Merimbula on the New South Wales east coast.

‘I thought there might be anything from a couple of hundred dollars to AU$1,000. But I was wildly wrong,’ Andy Thorp from the local Rotary Club told ABC News.

The donation ended up at over AU$60,000.

Showing some incredible local leadership and commitment, the donation was organised by Sheila Harou in Lae. After seeing the horrific bushfires that ravaged Australian in January, she started a charity appeal that began with young people pushing wheelbarrows around the streets of Lae seeking donations and eventually included a number of local organisations.

And now the PNG flag proudly flies in the town of Merimbula as a permanent reminder of the incredible generosity of Lae.

Towards the ‘distributed office’

Forbes has taken an in-depth look at what the future of work is going to look like post-pandemic. Riffing off the idea that innovative companies like Google and Twitter are going to embrace the continuation of remote working, the article looks at what that might mean for employees.

For many wealthy US workers it is already leading to them to purchase larger properties away from cities so they have space for remote working and remote learning.

Companies are going to have to change, too. As the new distributed work policy of the German multinational Siemens – considered one of the best – puts it:

‘These changes will also be associated with a different leadership style, one that focuses on outcomes rather than on time spent at the office. We trust our employees and empower them to shape their work themselves so that they can achieve the best possible results. With the new way of working, we’re motivating our employees while improving the company’s performance capabilities and sharpening Siemens’ profile as a flexible and attractive employer.’