Transforming Work with Sophie Wade

Dr Zofia Bajorek is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Employment Studies (UK). She was HR Magazine’s Most Influential Thinker in 2022 and 2023. Zofia’s recent work has focused on the quality of work to improve workforce health and wellbeing. She describes why giving employees good quality work improves results, why good work matters, and what it comprises. Zofia explains how good management contributes significantly to employee retention and well-being. KEY TAKEAWAYS [02:33] Zofia studied psychology to understand how people think, as well as behavior change, why and how we do things. [04:17] Zofia’s Master’s focuses on the Future of Work and occupational stress/health at work. [05:03] Zofia is curious about temporary work arrangements after her own—voluntary—experience. [06:18] Temporary workers’ different agency and autonomy affects their experiences and health. [08:01] Zofia’s PhD analyzes temporary staff management and patient care in NHS emergency departments. [08:47] Possible safety/quality effects when emergency dept. employees get temporary assignments. [09:42] NHS ‘bank’ and agency staff differences highlight many important talent management nuances. [11:56] A systems approach to analyzing the UK’s ‘Speedy Summary Justice” – the promise. [12:45] The effect of disconnects in a system that is overworked, underpaid, and understaffed. [13:50] The practical reality of human messiness and how organizations and people work. [15:02] Evidence shows workers’ health and wellbeing affects their productivity and retention. [16:00] Q: What interventions make the biggest difference to employees’ health and well-being? [16:50] A: Good management and good employment relationships are the most impactful. [18:05] In 2006, two researchers discover “Work IS good for your health IF it’s good quality work.” [18:26] People don’t really know what good quality work is. [19:27] Good work includes: varied tasks that match interests and skills, co-collaboration, having a voice, autonomy and a fair work environment, with growth opportunities and strong work relationships. [22:50] “Secure work” depends on the contractual arrangement—imposed or two-way. [24:24] To achieve a healthy workplace with engaged employees, good quality work is essential. [25:42] An important factor is someone’s choice about the work they have and can do. [26:27] Zero-hour contracts are detrimental when managed badly with no communication or flexibility. [27:28] Freelancers can have good choices: clients, autonomy, relationships, and interesting work. [28:48] Empathizing is important to discover what encourages people to work, their values, what they bring to the workplace. [30:26] Companies with embedded focus on wellbeing and good work pre-pandemic were able to transition well through and beyond the crisis. [31:36] Good management practices including consistent communication, listening, and workplace policies. [32:15] Zofia shares some examples of data points companies can colligate to increase understanding of their employees’ well-being. [37:32] The challenges facing organizations are numerous, but a lot of the change can be addressed with good management practices. [43:55] Young and old want the same thing from the workplace, but demographic pressures are changing the face of retirement. [47:46] IMMEDIATE ACTION TIP: Good work requires good managers. Ensure those promoted to managerial positions have people management skills and technical excellence. They need training, coaching support, and feedback to help them continue to improve. RESOURCES Dr. Zofia Bajorek on Linkedin Follow Dr. Bajorek on X @DrZofia Website for employment-studies.co.uk The Institute for Employment Studies Interesting articles by Dr. Bajorek: ‘People leave managers, not companies’ - but is the manager really at fault? Are we ‘pulling more sickies’ or do organisations need to focus more...

Dr. Gleb Tsipursky is the CEO of Disaster Avoidance Experts, a consulting, coaching, and training firm. Gleb is a behavioral scientist and best-selling author of seven books, including “Never Go With Your Gut” and “Leading Hybrid and Remote Teams”. He shares his interest in human behaviors focused on decision-making and cognitive biases. Gleb explains his passion to help people make good decisions, discussing the role of emotions, and why to try to prove yourself wrong. He emphasizes how to optimize work-related decisions to improve working environments, experiences, policies, and outcomes. TAKEAWAYS [02:59] Interested in human behaviors, Gleb studies history--people in their historical contexts. [03:53] Gleb narrows his research to behavioral science decision-making in historical and contemporary contexts. [04:53] Gleb’s interest focuses on motivations and historical archives reveal what people were saying behind the scenes. [05:39] We’re not very good at making decisions. We often follow our intuition or go with our gut. [06:32] How a client’s early experiences affect how he handles conflict as a business leader. [07:41] How do individuals and groups make decisions? What motivations cause what effects? [08:12] How to have healthy conflicts with people. [09:32] How do you make good decisions, proofing yourself against future disruptions? [10:50] Decision hygiene—identify biases including not what you don’t do, that's a decision too! [13:55] How you can misperceive yourself, your skills. [15:04] Blind spots and how humans are full of contradictions. [16:42] Gleb’s early books about different aspects of decision making. [17:29] Before making a decision ask: Q1 - What information haven't I fully understood yet? [19:28] Q2: What judgment errors haven't I fully considered? [20:30] The need to be introspective about our emotions so they don't dictate our decisions. [21:50] Gleb starts his own company, Disaster Avoidance Experts, in 2018. [22:30] Gleb’s targets people whose possible bad decisions could have disastrous consequences. [23:35] Paying attention to leading indicators to make informed decisions early in the pandemic. [24:49] The challenges belief bias and confirmation bias can cause. [26:30] What comparable data is relevant to ensure you are making good decisions? [29:40] Looking at the data and challenging the motivation to be back in the office—for what? [31:10] Managers weren't comfortable that they could control their teams working remotely. [31:56] Combining training and techniques to not manage by walking around the office. [33:04] Switching to weekly performance evaluations with three to five goals per week. [35:27] Coaching style leadership was gaining ground long before the pandemic. [38:32] College educated males choose to work fewer hours, valuing well-being and leisure more than before the pandemic. [40:02] Research and resignations show willingness to take a 10% pay cut to keep flexibility. [40:38] The impact of not being empathetic about your employees. [42:37] What is best for knowledge workers? Not sitting in factory style offices. [43:22] For knowledge work: creativity and collaboration of the human mind determine any company’s value add. [44:33] The four principles of knowledge work to set up workplaces of the future. [45:44] To establish trust, new systems and processes are needed including regular performance evaluations. [47:20] Don't let one bad apple spoil it for others. [49:35] Finding truth through content curation versus creation in an AI-powered world. [51:40] IMMEDIATE ACTION TIP: To adapt to modern work, survey employees about they feel about hybrid work, best practices, problems, and opportunities for improvement. Focus conversations on trust, autonomy, support, and collaboration. RESOURCES Dr Gleb Tsipursky on LinkedIn Gleb Tsipursky on X Dr Gleb Tsipursky on...

Amina Moreau is the CEO and co-Founder of Radious, an online marketplace offering companies flexible work locations to give their employees commute-free, homestyle, collaborative workspaces. She is a serial entrepreneur, multiple Emmy-winning filmmaker, and photographer. Amina explains why employers need to create a framework and processes that enable workplace flexibility and support employees’ autonomy, incorporating comfortable and convenient work environments. Amina shares insights about empathetic leadership and upskilled managers to improve employees’ experiences and performance. She describes critical environmental and social components of new workplace solutions. KEY TAKEAWAYS [02:38] Amina changes majors five times exploring what she wants to be when she grows up! [03:35] Amina loves photography but also thinks learning how the brain works is handy. [4:40] Storytelling means understanding who people are and how they think and see their future. [05:49] Amina’s first business initially emphasizes innovative technology and equipment. [07:04] Taking wedding storytelling to the next level – what has shaped who these people are? [07:44] Tomatoes are a metaphor for one couple’s relationship. [09:22] How relationships evolve on film and with clients. [10:46] Entrepreneurship is Amina’s path—starting in her dorm room. [11:47] A talent for seeing gaps in the market spawns multiple new ventures. [12;15] Amina develops opportunities related to her core passion. [14:30] Pandemic-related issues are the genesis for non-profit Float Small Business. [15:43] Creative ground support for local businesses keeps Amina busy during a tough period. [17:34] A new venture to suit flexible workstyles emerges from their Airbnb host business. [19:22] Eliminating the overnight component increases safety and solves other hosting pain points. [21:25] New adaptations as employers integrate remote policies for the long term. [23:30] A compelling combination: no commuting, collaboration space, and the comforts of home. [24:28] Who pays for the space? Shifting to a B2B model. [26:24] Current RTO headlines don’t match the majority of companies’ work policies. [27:50] Amina believes most companies are trying hybrid as they are stuck with office leases. [28:38] The benefits of flexible, on-demand office spaces and who is likely to benefit most. [32:12] Have leaders who proclaim remote work isn’t sustainable been trained to manage in remote/hybrid environments? [34:20] Terminology needs to evolve to reflect the variety of remote work options and benefits. [35:58] Empathetic leadership leads to better team outcome for which leaders need upskilling. [36:58] Team level agreements need setting about expectations and communication styles. [38:35] How much autonomy is optimal to drive motivation and outcomes? [39:27] Companies signing up for flexible workspaces need a framework and process to ensure their employees use it. [40:22] Working with companies to understand their context and help them choose relevant workspaces. [41:29] Amina’s sense of purpose that energizes her and the team—we’re here to help bring fulfillment and work/life balance. [43:35] Radious’s core environmental and social solutions are significant motivators for Amina. [44:40] Local workspaces also support community relationships and business. [46:04] IMMEDIATE ACTION TIP: It doesn’t have to be a two-sided equation — either working at the office or from home. There are many other options to consider to support your employees, which don’t have the costs or commute of an office, yet offer camaraderie and community. RESOURCES Amina Moreau on LinkedIn Radious.pro Radious on X @RadiousPro Radious on Instagram @Radious.Pro QUOTES (edited) “One of the best things that you can study is how people think because in any profession, understanding how the brain works is kind of...

Tom Hunt is the Founder and CEO of Fame which builds profitable podcasts. Tom is also host of the podcast “Confessions of a B2B Marketer”. He leads a fast-growing fully-remote company and shares his journey intentionally learning effective leadership styles, management methods, and organizational practices. Tom discusses what he looks for in successful leaders and how he purposefully develops and upskills inexperienced employees. KEY TAKEAWAYS [03:01] Why Tom goes from studying chemistry to consulting. [04:11] A pivotal role working on outsourcing projects happens by chance. [05:19] Tom realizes being employed is not his thing and focuses on selling online. [06:32] Tom's first venture leverages his experiences outsourcing for large companies. [07:33] Tom focuses on what he enjoys doing and is good at. [08:41] The ability to fail and keep going is one of the best predictors of success. [09:53] The genesis of Fame and how they landed their first client. [11:19] Tom shares the multifaceted benefits of being transparent about Fame’s earnings. [13:36] Empathy is a crucial skill for leaders which takes more effort in distributed settings. [16:14] The benefit of paying attention to signals in asynchronous communications. [16:50] Continuing to explore how best to nurture distributed culture and connection. [17:56] Building culture through values awards. [18:29] Impactful for remote cultures: client-focused operational excellence and engaging elements in team meetings. [20:51] Employees are trained in interviews to assess for specific work history criteria. [23:19] Office space has been considered and Tom explains what issues it would create. [25:00] Fame's business is output-driven and well-defined effectively supported by strong, positive performance management. [26:59] intentional training and management engages and retains employees and adds value to less experienced hires. [27:45] Multi-touchpoint, frequent check-ins—with superiors and peers—help account managers grow. [28:35] The intentional approach to help supervising managers improve too. [30:45] The onboarding process is a key value add driver for Fame, continually evolving and being improved. [31:34] One employee's career development and why upskilling people builds strong cultures. [33:03] Tom promotes employees’ proactive and self-determined progression. [33:57] Study of leadership focuses Tom on creating cohesion, communicating with clarity, and reinforcing the clarity. [36:24] IMMEDIATE ACTION TIP: For leaders of fully distributed teams, use live interaction time with team members wisely to collect and convey information to improve people’s work lives. Don’t take those meetings for granted. You have to do your best work as a remote leader. RESOURCES Tom Hunt on LinkedIn X @TomHuntio Instagram @TomHuntio Fame.so Confessions of a B2B Marketer podcast Top Grading by Brad and Geoff Smart High Output Management by Andy Grove The Advantage by Patrick Lencioni QUOTES (edited) "The thing that I was looking for most with angel investing was founder resilience. Had this founder failed before and kept going? The ability to pivot, tweak things, and then go forward is probably the most important at that very early stage." "Empathy for each individual is one of the crucial aspects of leading. If you understand how each person is feeling, you can tailor your approach to working with them to maximize the output for both them personally and their group." "We decided that if a team member meets another team member in person, whether they’re doing work or not, they get an allowance for that meeting to be spent on anything. It’s a decentralized campaign that promotes in-person interaction, which benefits the company and the individual." "It’s not a process in which we try to fire somebody. It’s a process in which we’re looking to support someone to perform better." “The monthly chat...

Debbie Lovich is Managing Director and Senior Partner at Boston Consulting Group (BCG). She leads BCG’s thinking on making work work. Debbie describes Harvard research conducted at BCG on work/life balance. She shares insights as to why lasting solutions must be co-created, continuously improved, and include teams having open discussions about team norms. Debbie explains why her focus on joy (and productivity) is an economic one especially as Gen AI forces everyone to rethink work. Debbie portrays the Generative Leader and explains how their intent for improvement and team approach enables transformation projects to succeed. KEY TAKEAWAYS [02:28] Debbie loves business from an early age so she studies economics. [02:56] Companies move too slowly! Debbie discovers quickly that consulting is the right fit for her! [04:12] A random connection introduces Harvard professor Leslie Perlow about a research study on work/life balance. [05:01] Debbie has no work/life balance but wonders what Leslie might come up with. [06:30] Detailed data reveals consultants expect long hours but the lack of predictability is a huge issue. [07:30] Leslie wants to conduct an experiment with one team testing a more predictable schedule. [08:52] Looking for a team for the experiment, Debbie hears “Great idea, but why not your team?!” [09:57] How the lack of predictability is experienced by BCG consultants. [11:02] Debbie asks her important local client to support doing the HBS research with her team. [12:10] The experiment is successful and the model is scaled to the rest of BCG. [13:17] Debbie temporarily leaves BCG to commercialize the research results with Leslie. [14:34] Scaling a model is very different than managing one controlled experiment. [15:50] Data on client value delivery is key to convince others as the model is expanded. [16:56] Everyone has to design the change—at the start and evolving improvements over time. [18:40] Agreeing team norms is essential so different people and projects determine parameters. [22:01] With new tools, ubiquitous work is possible with zero boundaries and much waste. [23:35] When you constrain work, people have to prioritize and innovate. [24:10] In today’s labor market, work/life balance is an important reason to rethink work. [27:44] Debbie believes that work is fundamentally broken. [28:38] In a VUCA world, employers are giving workers more to do with fewer resources. [29:27] - The ‘unbroken state’ is when we are all in this together. [30:32] Debbie focuses on joy for economic reasons. [32:51] Trader Joe's employee-centric positive results. [34:56] Why organizations should think of employees like customers—including emotional benefits. [36:12] Gabby Novacek's work reveals everyone is motivated differently. Programs focusing only on few segments won't succeed. [38:24] Who Generative Leaders are. [39:18] Debbie explains the head, heart, and hands of generative leadership. [40:54] The most important things employees want from leaders and where leaders spend their time. RESOURCES Debbie Lovich on LinkedIn BCG.com QUOTES (edited) “If you want to make change stick, there has to be something in it for all parties.“ “Everyone has to design the change…15 years later, thousands think that they invented it, because they did.” “If you tell people they can’t work 24/7, you have to think about what’s the most important work to do. Are there different ways to get it done? And that leads to better work.” “We need to solve the needs of the work and the needs of the team in how we rethink work.” “When you constrain the work, you force people to prioritize. You force teams to talk about what’s going to get in the way of everyone getting their time off and making it work. So it forces innovation of new approaches.” “How do we make work more productive and more enjoyable at the same time?” “Gen AI is...

Denise Brouder, Founder and Head of Data and Insights at SWAY Workplace. As a flexible work skills expert, researcher, and consultant—with a Wall St background in financial oversight and controls—Denise discusses a risk-adjusted systems approach to implement flexibility and optimize performance. She explains why AI is a key factor driving us from fixed hybrid to flexible models as the only viable long-term solution. Denise explains the critical importance of empathy-based trust to effect flexibility at scale and fuel high-performing teams and that to work differently, we need to start by thinking differently. KEY TAKEAWAYS [02:39] From rural Ireland, Denise writes to Wall St. banks asking for an internship and gets one! [03:55] Denise is systems-oriented, finding banks’ capital, economics, and operations fascinating. [04:37] Denise compares Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs as organizations and employers. [05:17] As a young mother, Denise leaves Wall Street to join a tech startup and get more flexibility. [06:00] Denise finds she loves the process of starting with a problem and building something. [06:48] Working in a large company becomes transactional while at a startup to see how your everyday effort contributes to progress. [07:41] At a fast-paced startup, Denise learns to hustle, figuring things out as they build the business. [08:22] Denise finds building and scaling with limited resources a very interesting challenge. [09:02] Denise follows a colleague to LugTrack, launching with five people and a patent. [10:19] Persistence, creativity, and grit are critical for success as a startup—which are emotional skills. [11:06] Lithium-ion batteries catching fire on planes meant LugTrack’s business runway ran out. [11:49] After a course on the Future of Work, Denise takes a big leap of faith and founds a company. [12:30] Denise recognizes the work change ahead and wants to productize how to work flexibly. [14:29] Denise wants to yell “AI is coming! AI is coming!” from the hilltop! [14:45] Denise feels strongly about mastering flexible work at scale to propel everyone forward. [16:10] Denise thinks that flexibility at scale levels the playing field for women. [17:10] The first iteration of SWAY is a technology play using apps to convene the conversation digitally around new ways of working. [18:15] The advancement of women will happen by changing the system from the inside out, making flexibility a gender neutral issue. [19:38] Denise discovers she is a systems thinker and we have a systems problem. [20:32] The Science of Flexibility helps de-risk flexibility as an operational strategy for a large company. [21:17] If flexibility is demonstrated, measured, and communicated like a risk-adjusted talent model, senior leaders can get people on the same page. [22:49] In SWAY’s work, EQ and empathy demonstrate the intelligence that is in flexibility that we’re going to need in an AI-influenced world. [23:42] High-performing flexible teams are fueled by empathy-based trust. [25:32] Emotions are fundamental to our human design, but we only just starting to understand them. [27:47] Traditional working norms evolved around visual-based trust. [28:26] In hybrid models, trust levels feel low and are questioned—these are growing pains. [29:16] Flexibility at scale requires empathy-based trust. [32:03] The social contract used to provide stability. Now, what is the system? Do we trust it? [32:49] Reimagining the social contract may be an even bigger shift to prepare for in the future of work. [33:40] Denise is concerned that some employees are not fighting RTO mandates anymore. [36:05] In-office mandates are not long-term models, but the current situation is still malleable. [36:45] In face of AI disruption, Denise’s goal is to articulate that flexibility is not a fad or a perk but an intelligent model for the modern era [38:33] Mindset is...

Phil Kirschner, Senior Expert and Associate Partner, Real Estate & People and Organizational Performance at McKinsey where he advises executive teams on the future of work, employee experience, organizational health, and workplace strategies. Phil discusses systemic changes, expected rebounds in cities’ commercial real estate, and organizational health. He shares insights about workplace utilization, the critical emphasis on ‘how’ we work and change management to evolve behaviors, and the new retail-oriented perception of work. KEY TAKEAWAYS [02:25] Phil calls himself an accidental work strategist, starting out in banking. [03:37] Phil starts in the efficiency management group looking to save money in real estate. [04:40] How workplace innovation by Google and Microsoft caught public attention. [05:23] Competition for talent from other industries drives investment to improve work ‘place’. [06:30] Balancing not having your own desk with other amenities to improve the experience. [08:06] Trying to reduce office-based friction with shared environments. [09:00] Most managers absorbed a bit more pain to give team members a better experience. [10:00] The loss factor and importance of change management to establish new behaviors. [11:32] Where managers set the example carefully, the highest satisfaction is reported. [14:02] These are not real estate projects, but culture projects—requiring a cultural shift. [16:21] Ten years ago, productivity at the bank was measured through self-attestation and surveys. [17:00] Team dynamics, people’s ability to focus, and overall engagement all increased significantly. [19:57] McKinsey’s Organizational Health Framework and Index helps analyze work practices and how these tie to performance. [21:04] Studying fully remote companies to isolate specific variables, Phil finds them to be top decile performers. [23:20] Organizational practice surveys show if you give someone flexibility, they are much more likely to report positive outcomes for the organization. [25:25] You have to teach people how to use new environments and tools differently. [27:15] The four ways companies are showing up in the world nowadays. [28:35] Building facilities for very specific purposes rather than trying to solve all needs all the time. [30:10] Clearly defining the purposes of a workspace unlocks better outcomes. [32:37] Progressive companies with flexible hybrid policies are working hard to figure out how to adapt fully to all the new ways of working. [36:45] Most companies need to be focusing on ways of working and responsive spaces. [40:27] Technology is undoubtedly driving the change in how we work, Phil touches on how AI may change this further. [44:22] Phil explains the increasing retail nature of our work choices and some of the implications of this when it comes to competition. [46:56] The HR/IT/Real Estate stool now needs a seat to bridge the gap in employee and customer experience. [51:10] RTO is not sustainable; Phil explains why and what RTO focused companies can expect. [55:47] Phil breaks down what commercial real estate issues and positive trends to watch for in the coming years. [59:05] IMMEDIATE ACTION TIP: Stop thinking about inputs, the days in the office, or “what’s the right hybrid?” Focus on outputs and the impact on organizational health. Study work practices and outcomes across your organization based on how people work and collaborate to figure out the secret sauce, then pilot, test, learn, and scale those behaviors, and keep evolving. RESOURCES Phil Kirschner on LinkedIn McKinsey.com QUOTES (edited) "Those work environments with the bean bags, the beautiful amenities, and the campus also have a desk for each employee. We didn’t have the means for that, so to give you a better experience, you had to make a trade with us: give up your assigned seat." "We found that where you had the managers who...

Michelle Coulson is Founder and Chief Remote Rebel at Remote Rebellion whose mission is to enable people to live the life that they choose. Michelle shares her journey working around the world finding opportunities in response to economic, pandemic, and workplace changes. She explains how the COVID19 crisis gave everyone time to reflect about their life, work, and happiness. Michelle discusses reactions to being told to go back to the office--and finds meaning in launching her own venture. She questions what people settle with but could ask for and explains how to explore and navigate new remote working possibilities. KEY TAKEAWAYS [03:02] Michelle early love of travel guides her studies. [04:06] 2009 is a bad year to graduate, so Michelle makes her way to Thailand via Australia. [05:50] Michelle finds comfort and a better version of herself in Southeast Asia. [07:15] Working as a tour guide takes its toll on Michelle’s health and she turns to digital marketing. [08:27] Planning to cycle the globe motivates Michelle to find more lucrative opportunities, she stumbles into recruitment, and a relationship. [11:27] Catalyzed by a breakup and the pandemic, Michelle leaves London for Bali. [12:22] A forced return to the office prompts Michelle to quit and explore what career will let her work from anywhere. [14:14] Michelle explains the birth of Remote Rebellion. [17:19] Recognizing “there is more to life than work,” Michelle explores what makes her happy and builds a remote community. [20:43] After reflecting during the pandemic, many people still feel guilty to ask for more for their lives. [21:49] Michelle dives into Remote Rebellion’s mission vision and purpose. [23:56] Remote Rebellion’s clients are diverse and yet all enjoy choosing where they work. [26:09] Jack is one client who went from fitting kitchens to SEO work! [28:53] Building confidence is a significant part of the journey. [30:45] What Michelle misses and hopes for the future of Remote Rebellion. [32:46] Remote work is here to stay while growth has slowed, for now. [34:15] Michelle is wary of some companies’ reasons and parameters for their hybrid model. [36:21] IMMEDIATE ACTION TIP: If you want a remote job, first check why you want it. If you aren’t happy with your life, what would enrich your life and how can you achieve that? Remote working may not be the solution, but if you think it is, also investigate the downsides. Then experiment to see if you like it. RESOURCES Michelle Coulson on LinkedIn @RemoteRebellion on X Remote Rebellion on Instagram remoterebellion.com The 4 C'S Formula: Commitment Courage Capability and Confidence, by Dan Sullivan QUOTES (edited) “I changed and I became quite materialistic, which I hadn’t been before. I bought a designer handbag, and I don't even like this stuff. What am I doing?” “And when the call back to the office came, I was literally holding onto the post… I don’t want to do this. I said, if you won’t let me work remotely from here like I have been for the past year and a half, then I quit.” “I felt like it was a rebellion because I was angry that we were being forced back into the office when we didn’t need to be. We were working great. A lot of people work better when they’re able to have the freedom to choose where they work from.” “I’m not anti-hybrid. I'm anti being told and being forced when you go into the office. And a lot of hybrid companies do do that. I just think there’s a lack of trust.” “Do you not get lonely if you work remotely? If your only source of social interaction is in the office or the people you work with, maybe you need to be questioning that.”

Nick Bloom, Professor of Economics at Stanford University and co-Founder of wfhresearch.com and wfhmap.com, has studied remote work for over two decades. Nick discusses fundamental data issues, sources, and collection as well as understanding macro and firm level productivity. He talks about the demise of RTO (Return To Office) efforts and the stabilization of hybrid models. Nick describes the changing attitudes and demographics of people working from home. He also shares insights about HR’s rising strategic importance as talent management increases in complexity. KEY TAKEAWAYS [03:02] Born and educated in the UK, Nick starts off consulting and working at HM Treasury. [03:35] On a speaking engagement in California, Nick is offered a job and returns to live long-term. [04:42] Nick was interested in management practices early on and, as a child, experienced both parents working from home. [05:22] One of Nick’s students is a travel agent. Their randomized WFH trial generates much interest. [04:42] Focused on daily commuting, early WFH data only tracked fully remote or fully in the office. [06:50] Nick begins bridging the gap and finding multiple sources as government data collection lags. [07:35] Nick finds ways to collect reliable and more frequent data from many businesses. [09:41] Productivity is easy enough to measure at the macro level, critical for setting interest rates. [10:31] At the firm level, productivity is very hard to measure for many disciplines and jobs. [11:34] Initially surprised at the pandemic’s duration and effect on WFH, Nick then visualizes the tombstone for Return To Office. [12:35] Nick explains the inherent bias in Kastle’a data for trending upwards. [14:01] The perception of working from home is much more positive than a decade ago. [15:28] People working remotely are now more likely to be higher paid professionals. [16:25] The leisure boom resulting from reduced commuting—why not play golf then?! [17:57] With hybrid stabilizing, HR is more important to manage more complex talent dynamics. [20:55] In-person outperforms virtual teaching for now, but Nick expects this to evolve. [22:11] How important coordination is to improve in-office experiences and activities. [23:34] MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses) learning is likely to improve dramatically with technology advances (e.g. new headsets). [25:58] Why CEOs tend to have the most negative opinions about remote working. [26:49] At all levels, most people find no change to corporate culture caused by working from home. [27:32] A reasonable cadence of in-person connection to build and maintain culture. [28:49] Nick was amazed hybrid stabilized so quickly. [29:33] Top human resources pay has risen steeply recently to support new work- and talent-related developments. [31:10] How work arrangements are best tailored for the target audience, product/service, and talent. [32:16] IMMEDIATE ACTION TIP: Your priority should be getting your hybrid model to work. If compliance is low for four days a week in the office, try one or two days and make those a success so people feel it’s valuable time spent in the office (not on Zoom). RESOURCES Nick Bloom on LinkedIn wfhresearch.com wfhmap.com QUOTES “Hybrid’s going to get better in the sense of more coordination, better use of space.” “At the end of 2022, there's a little tombstone somewhere that says “Return To Office, Rest In Peace.” And since then, work from home levels have been stable.” “I could easily see a norm being two or three days a week in the office and two, three days. The thing for me is that coordination really matters.” “Mid-managers tend to actually be relatively positive working from home because they have houses and kids.” “Meeting up once a month for a day or once a week for one or two days, you can really get a big boost to culture building and there are diminishing returns which is why...

Jeff Frick is the host of ‘Work 20XX’ and ‘Turn the Lens’ podcasts, a media entrepreneur—founder and principal of Menlo Creek Media, and a seasoned operator from the tech sector. Jeff shares his journey experiencing Silicon Valley’s technology evolution, starting with early hardware and emerging software ventures exploring internet commerce. Pivoting with the pandemic, Jeff uses technology to enable collaboration and create and elevate community. He shares his predictions for tech-driven changes as we learn, appreciate, and integrate new applications that facilitate and (re)shape our working lives. KEY TAKEAWAYS [02:29] Studying economics, Jeff is inspired by the new perspectives of his psychology professor/pilot. [03:46] Jeff’s lab rat encounter and observations as he learns the addictive nature of random payouts. [05:43] Delving into cockpit design to explore the hierarchy of needs for human/machine interactions. [07:37] Jeff double majors in economics and psychology to better understand humans’ emotional drivers. [08:15] Working in sales elevates the importance of emotion and empathy and what makes people tick. [10:00] Consumer electronics gets disrupted, so Jeff goes to business school, then starts a tech career. [10:54] The clunky beginnings of Intel’s early chip, with its accompanying ecosystem and jargon. [12:32] Jeff has the most retail experience as Intel/SAP try to launch one of the first B2C online malls. [13:33] Offline supply chain basic logistics hamper early B2B internet commerce. [14:40] Jeff rides the internet bubble as auction and software ventures get funded and bought or crater. [16:24] Early learnings from online commerce backend issues and front end behaviors. [18:12] His mother’s questions prompt Jeff to invest in himself and take an entrepreneurial route. [19:00] The business of bug fixing and transitioning! [20:11] Atlassian had a different (Australian!) attitude—share, be open, and build schools in Africa. [22:40] The bugs drive Jeff into an out-of-body experience, out of Jira, and right into theCUBE. [23:44] theCUBE’s format enabled people to tell their story in a professional setting. [25:32] Jeff hosts over 2000 live interviews with many memorable tech sector CEOs. [27:42] Technology’s rapid and often surprising evolution is a key reason Jeff loves the field. [29:29] AI’s outputs are pretty generic now to Jeff, but he anticipates much change in a short period. [31:50] The pandemic generates new media consumption habits—asynchronous and collaborative. [33:40] Jeff experiences collaborations across overlapping communities and building new audiences. [36:15] The Super 73 makers have nurtured an engaged and powerful community driving the brand. [38:47] Developing a community to become a movement. [40:10] Experiments with a new medium and audience are a driver for Jeff to launch his podcast. [42:47] Jeff podcast is evolving with the world of work as new threads and issues emerge. [44:16] The future of work in 2024 with a real estate reckoning and tight labor supply. [46:37] Distributed teams have been around forever and work isn’t at the office it’s on your phone! [48:47] There is no steady state to expect, Jeff emphasizes how fast things are moving today. [51:25] Jeff shares his excitement about drones heralding how much more 2024 can bring. RESOURCES Jeff Frick on LinkedIn Work20xx.com turnthelenspodcast.com QUOTES (edited) “Most people never get the opportunity to tell their story in a professional setting. And most people have an interesting story to tell if you’re willing to dig a little.” “Authenticity is the key and often that works well as a leader.” “What’s interesting about technology is that it seems like we’re always in the first inning. We never get to the third inning! Suddenly there’s something new that’s big, and it just keeps accelerating. It just keeps going...

Cecelia Girr is the Strategy Director at TBWA\Worldwide and Director of Cultural Strategy at TBWABackslash. Cecelia’s career has been focused on researching, gathering, and distilling cultural intelligence to understand cultural changes, prevailing sentiments, core issues, and emerging trends. She shares insights from Backslash’s new Future of Employee Engagement report including employees’ desires and concerns, why flexibility and upskilling matter, and the importance of investing in employees’ experiences. Cecelia advocates for healthy employer/employee relationships with life stage-related and tailored benefits that help employees live better lives. KEY TAKEAWAYS [02:52] A love of stories prompts Cecelia to study political science, having considered documentary filmmaking! [04:12] Political science studies power that shapes the world, paying attention to nuance and ambiguity. [05:43] Explaining cultural intelligence and solutions journalism—which focuses on learning from people trying to solve problems. [06:51] Gathering intelligence and looking at the unintended consequences of actions and events. [08:05] Before 2020, workplace culture was emphasized, but more as a ‘cult of work’ mentality. [08:55] An earlier work revolution to make work sexy and coworkers pseudo family members. [09:50] The pandemic caused us to recognize ‘toxic’ aspects and develop more healthy employer/employee relationships. [12:05] Culture isn’t focused on ‘place’, but more on flexibility now and different aspects that are driving our relationship with work. [13:38] The four big tensions comprising the employee experience today. [15:20] Cecelia shares her key work-related issues—flexibility is top, then customizing benefits. [16:37] Cecilia’s friends are focused on flexibility and always on upskilling, since college isn’t enough. [17:28] How upskilling needs are affecting people of Cecelia’s parents’ age. [18:44] Heat protection innovation is solving issues for outdoor workers facing hotter temperatures. [22:00] As the speed of change increases, employees are needing to become educators. [22:59] How employers are changing their attitude to investing in employees. [24:25] Upskilling and internal marketplaces are not just for retention, they will be future recruitment tactics too. [26:20] Companies are trying a variety of flexible options—not clear what the ‘right’ solution is—and employees will find their fit. [28:31] Some companies are offering employees the chance to experience different countries. [30:14] Artificial intelligence presents many positive opportunities as well as some concerning elements. [31:57] Cecelia is excited about new employee benefits that can help people live better lives. [33:35] Benefits that boost wellbeing—such as those supporting employees at family planning, life, and caregiving milestones. [35:13] Compensation structures can now be customized to suit employees’ current priorities. [36:33] Earned wage access—being paid at the end of the shift—enables workers to achieve more financial security. [37:06] New emphasis on trying to find a wellness-oriented relationship with work. [38:23] The possibilities of work helping you live a better life—from scheduling to adaptive pay and life-stage customized benefits. [39:10] IMMEDIATE ACTION TIP: First, encourage transparency, listen to employees’ needs, and make long-lasting efforts to respond. Second, embrace flexibility, beginning by understanding employees’ lives and them as human beings. Third, invest in the employee experience, financially. RESOURCES Cecelia Girr on LinkedIn Download The Future of Employee Experience Report at Backslash.com Backslash on Instagram @tbwabackslash QUOTES (edited) “Culture in the workplace was not emphasized with an eye towards the health of employees or with the individual at heart.” “Now when we hear the word culture being used by company...

Sophie Wade is a work futurist and strategist, workforce innovation specialist, keynote speaker, and host of this show. She is an author and authority on the Future of Work, and a course instructor with over 0.5 million LinkedIn Learning learners on Gen Z, empathy, and Future of Work skills. Sophie shares three key pathways for 2024 and decisions to make to move forward successfully. She describes the human-centric system of modern work, highlights the guiding work/LIFE principles, and recommends learning the fundamental practices. TAKEAWAYS [01:29] Sophie predicts what will significantly impact your company’s outcomes this year. [02:19] You have noticed some of the new era’s defining characteristics—such as how customers are reacting and how tasks are changing. [03:59] This year, figure out what works for your company, not wait to see what others do. [04:41] High-performing companies that have embraced modern work are demonstrating the principles and fundamental practices. [06:09] During turbulent conditions, emphasize cohesive principles of modern work internally—Learning, Intention, Flexibility, and Empathy. [07:53] The meaning of work/L.I.F.E equilibrium. [08:17] Is your company equipped for the new digital rules of engagement? [09:10] Sophie predicts three roads ahead in 2024 and explains the choices and challenges. [11:49] Using workplace policies to explain CEOs’ (lack of) commitment to modern work. [13:39] The difference between conceding to a policy compared with committing to it. [15:49] What strategic framework applies to modern work? [16:28] Starting with target customers and their needs to ensure everyone understands them and is aligned. [18:59] Discovering and assessing your Customer Journey and how to make meaningful improvements. [20:12] The importance of the complementary Employee Journey. [21:17] Evaluating and upgrading all stages of the Employee Journey. [22:15] The long-term benefits of shared values and deeper connections throughout your business ecosystem. [24:27] How does a human-centric system and an emphasis on talent change outcomes for your business? [25:24] The fundamental practices of modern work. [26:55] Survey data from workers providing important intelligence for decision-making and progress. [28:13] Weighting historical and recent data in the current environment. [29:19] Balancing old and new inputs, making measured decisions, using data, logic and reasoning. [30:40] Which path will you to commit for 2024 keeping work/LIFE principles top of mind? RESOURCES Sophie Wade on LinkedIn Sophie’s company website Flexcel Network Sophie’s book “Empathy Works: The Key to Competitive Advantage in the New Era of Work” Sophie’s book “Embracing Progress: Next Steps for the Future of Work” QUOTES “The essence of modern work can be captured in four core principles that are relevant for any ecosystem, organization, team and individual. These are: Learning, Intention, Flexibility, and Empathy.” “The Employee Journey is the “yin” to the Customer Journey’s “yang””. “The human-centric approach is applicable all along your supply chain as extensive ripple effects potentially impact everyone’s revenues and future growth possibilities.” “Tech is a given. Talent is a gift.” “Right now, recent data is often most relevant and reliable for projecting out the possible pathways.” “Our habit as humans, our instinct, is to invent and innovate, to continue our evolutionary path forward, to learn from disruptions and gain from turbulent disconnection to make jumps and leaps forward—which aren’t necessarily comfortable at first. “

Josh Bottomley is CEO of Dunnhumby (UK), a global leader in customer data science. Josh has led digital transformation initiatives at media and finance businesses. After overseeing customer data-focused traditional print businesses, Josh gained invaluable strategic experience early in the digitalization of organizations’ income streams and operations. Josh shares his insights about how he aligned multiple internal groups as new tech-enabled opportunities cut across business units. He explains the importance of working frameworks and freedom for employees and how to view any roadblocks. KEY TAKEAWAYS [02:46] From childhood, Josh was interested in what will eventually be called systems thinking. [03:52] Joining the Financial Times during the internet’s early days, Josh’s job takes an unexpected turn. [04:47] How the internet changes the way a newspaper needs to operate. [05:51] Josh tries to recruit for jobs and titles that don’t exist yet. [06:46] The importance of details in marketing. [09:43] Digital transformation isn’t easy—how Josh succeeds by talking to customers. [12:54] Using YouTube as a Trojan Horse to move parts of advertising budgets from TV to the Internet. [15:45] How Josh finds an innovative way to create alignment in teams and mindsets. [17:38] Digital integration is done cautiously across a company, working closely with customers. [19:59] The perfect place to be is one step ahead of your customer, not three. [21:58] What Josh took from Google to HSBC and every organization after. [24:47] Why we now think more about systems and ecosystems to understand our world and business. [27:02] What Dunnhumby has been doing for over 30 years. [29:20] How “nudges” help people get what they want. [31:40] How to strike the right balance relating to employees’ need for freedom and structure. [35:05] Clarity about expectations and sustaining individual motivation are key to empower employees. [37:54] Having a sense of purpose and nurturing it in others helps internal mobility, Josh explains. [39:40] IMMEDIATE ACTION TIP: Pick a theme, a sense of purpose. Leadership is a journey. You may or may not get to your destination. Rather than getting frustrated, be curious about the silly stuff that gets in the way — see them as roadblocks to overcome as you progress. Life is an obstacle course, not a sprint. [42:21] Gen AI may be leveling blue and white-collar work--the impact has yet to be estimated. RESOURCES Josh Bottomley on LinkedIn dunnhumby.com QUOTES (edited) “We would spend $200 million a year on direct marketing and get a response rate of 2%. If we could get the rate to 3%, we would be getting 50% more customers for our money because one person in a hundred is making a different decision. So the lesson was, I might operate in this business at a level of detail such that one person in a hundred makes a different decision.” “The perfect place in the business is one step ahead of your customers, not three.” “Get curious about what’s getting in the way. And once you know what’s getting in the way, you can usually find a way to fix it.” “Shoppers are not totally rational. That’s why I love businesses where the data and the tech result in some form of human decision.” “I'm so impressed by younger generations because I think life is much harder. The default career options aren’t there. I think it’s much harder coming into the workforce now than it was when I was at that stage.”

Rob Sadow is the CEO and Co-Founder of Scoop and Creator of the Flex Index. He is a LinkedIn Top Voice on Flexible Work and a Forbes Future of Work 50. Rob shares how his own commuting experiences generated the initial focus on flexible working which morphed during the pandemic as employee behaviors evolved. Rob explains the genesis of the Flex Report, which tracks employers’ workplace policies. He brings insights about employers’ and employees’ changing sentiments during 2023 and the challenges of measuring productivity and workplace policy compliance. Rob describes his expectations for flexible working in 2024 and Scoop’s emphasis on the core issue designing how to work effectively. KEY TAKEAWAYS [02:45] Rob chooses consulting after college to learn by working with top companies and executives. [03:58] After a transfer to San Francisco, Rob decides to launch a business with his brother. [05:52] Scoop addresses commuting pain which Rob is familiar with from high school. [07:51] When COVID end a significant portion of commutes, Scoop has to reinvent itself. [09:56] Rob explains their bet in 2020 with the information they had at the time. [11:19] Society does not adapt to rapid change easily. [12:28] The two things COVID did to work as we knew it. [14:27] Rob details the implications of a remote and hybrid operating system. [17:00] The realization that all that is expected and promised may never come is a stark gift from COVID. [19:05] How the Flex Index came about. [22:45] What does scaling a fully remote company look like? [24:21] The biggest problem facing a fully remote or even hybrid future according to Rob. [26:13] Rob shares why compliance is complicated with examples of grey areas. [29:25] What the most successful companies are doing since compliance is challenging to enforce. [30:45] Rob offers data points reinforcing the broad benefits of offering workforce flexibility. [32:36] Rob expects recognition of higher performance from employers with flexible working policies will shift sentiment further in 2024. [34:50] Hybrid is the hardest. We must be intentional about “how” we work. [37:23] How the Flex Report data is generated and how companies can use this tool to monitor competitors. [39:16] The Flex Index’s expansion plan to include granular subpolicy information. [41:09] Productivity is hard to measure and Rob proposes tracking aggregate employee outcomes instead. [43:49] IMMEDIATE ACTION TIP: To move forward productively in 2024, start with a good recurring cadence of getting feedback from employees on what’s working for them so you can make adjustments. Second, update leadership development to focus on managing outcomes, projects, and performance, checking in on people you don’t see daily. Third, design a better workflow supported by appropriate documentation and tools. RESOURCES Rob Sadow on LinkedIn Scoopforwork.com Scoop on X @scoopforwork The Flex Report QUOTES (edited) “It is hard for society to adapt to rapid change. Most adoption cycles take decades.” “We need people who have grown up in this experience. The executives of the future who grew up in a hybrid or remote capacity, and who will usher in a different set of best practices and understanding on what it means to build companies.” “Hybrid and remote work fundamentally are not just policies, they are operating systems, and they require a different way of thinking about culture building and relationship development and synchronous versus asynchronous work.” “The biggest problem for a lot of companies is that a lot of CEOs — in their heart of hearts — hope that hybrid work is a way-station on the way back to full-time in office. So, you have a lot of companies that have laid out a policy, but have done no more than that because they're hoping it's transient.” “Compliance is somewhat meaningless in practice: You are relying on managers who are going to raise...

Margaux Miller is the Global Director of Community at Toptal, a podcast host, emcee, and remote professional. She is focused on engaging Toptal’s fully remote worldwide network of freelance talent. Margaux has much experience building networks and leading community engagement—including her passionate involvement supporting women in tech. Margaux shares insights about the importance of community to create connection and belonging—across fully remote and hybrid teams and organizations. She explains how to build strong community engagement without competition and meet core human relationship needs. KEY TAKEAWAYS [02:20] Margaux decides she wants to be a background actor and gets into voice acting very early. [03:58] Margaux side hustles as the voice of a cartoon for two years while at university. [05:17] Recording all your lines alone can be challenging! [06:28] Margaux starts in experiential marketing, quickly leading large teams. [07:39] Community is a group of people with mutual concern for one another’s welfare. [09:13] Margaux describes the broad set of skills required for effective community building. [10:49] Margaux finds her passion building a community for women in technology, combining multiple communities. [14:04] Trust is a critical for a community to thrive together with clear identity and rewarded participation which all need continuous practice. [16:43] Distributed communities get stronger during the pandemic as behaviors change. [18:36] How to maintain a community at a completely remote company. [20:13] Toptal’s values are discussed in interviews to assure a good mutual cultural match. [22:03] A community needs a clear boundary or it’s a mob! [23:26] How Margaux keeps a global community engaged to retain Toptal’s talent network. [25:32] Connecting people with similar skill sets but in non-competitive ways yields beneficial results. [27:56] Pulse surveys are one key tool for managing a 140+-multinational diverse community. [31:24] Margaux advises how create a level playing field to bridge the potential divides of hybrid models. [33:10] How equitable rule and tools establish new norms to engage fully remote and hybrid workers. [34:45] Why protocols matter and need to be followed. [36:34] The biggest benefit of regular in-person gatherings is to reinforce existing relationships. [39:38] The importance of local connection and communities, which Toptal fosters actively for employees. [43:08] Where does culture end and community begin? [44:13] IMMEDIATE ACTION TIP: To build and strengthen community and belonging, create occasions and environments that are open and accessible for everyone to get involved: design events and spaces where people are encouraged to have fun and build connections. Generate activity with multi-level stakeholders on board, joining in to show it’s safe to share, and reward participation. [48:11] As a remote professional, Margaux feels the world is her oyster! RESOURCES Margaux Miller on LinkedIn Margaux on X @MargauxAMiller Margaux on Instagram Margaux on YouTube QUOTES (edited) “For it to be truly a community, there has to be a mutual concern for one another's welfare. Or you could frame it another way to say, a community is a group of people who care about each other and feel they belong together.” “It goes identity, trust, and participation. When you get people to trust you they're going to come and do the thing: come to the mixer or the event or whatever, be part of the online chat. And then you need to reward them for that behavior.” “I think that people would be surprised by how much humans want to connect with one another in non-competitive ways. People do truly want human connection, even introverts.” “People stay with companies so often because of their managers or because of the team that they're on, not necessarily the company, but it's often that group that they're within, that...

Paul Wolfe is Author of “Human Beings First - Practices for Empathetic, Expressive Leadership” and a Human First Leadership advocate. Paul was the long-term CHRO of Indeed with a seasoned career in HR leadership. Paul shares how he transferred skills from Customer Service to Human Resources and built his expertise across different cultures and industries. He explains the value of transparency during periods of transformation and offers new career paths options as we transition from career ladders. Paul describes why flexibility is important for every employee and the difference human first leadership makes. TAKEAWAYS [02:35] Paul goes to college with a full scholarship but doesn’t like it which displeases his mother, a teacher. [03:45] Paul leaves college, starts working, then joins American Express and finishes his degree in parallel. [05:47] CitiSearch.com’s CEO and Founder ask Paul to move from Customer Service to Human Resources. [06:30] Paul agrees to try the HR role for six months, transfers his skills and enjoys the new role. [07:50] CitySearch and other companies go under Ticketmaster’s umbrella and Paul takes on an international role. [09:54] Working three months in each country opens Paul’s eyes about work and other cultural differences. [11:10] Paul’s philosophy as a CHRO: People get their work done well and clients are taken care of. Timing and surf/walk breaks are not a concern. [12:03] Recognizing the realities of people working in other countries challenges our assumptions. [12:50] Paul moves to Match.com initially to run both HR and Customer Service! [14:05] Moving again within IAC, Paul helps Cornerstone build up an engineering group and go digital. [16:10] Transparency is key during periods of change to explain what’s happening and why. [18:04] During the pandemic, with almost no data to inform decisions, Paul increases transparency and discusses what information supports the latest direction. [20:29] Organizations are living, growing beings with a culture generated by the environment that is everyone’s responsibility. [22:09] At Conde Nast, Paul explores a non-tech industry and checks he is good at his job! [24:39] As a storied, family-based corporation, Conde Nast gives Paul new insights about culture. [26:35] Paul is offered the top HR job at Indeed, but he turns it down. He doesn’t want to move again. [27:36] Six months later, Indeed still wants Paul to head up HR, agreeing he can stay in NYC. [29:41] Indeed only uses Indeed to recruit, experiencing what its customers go through. [30:36] Paul finds everyone focused on protecting Indeed’s culture. [31:18] Growth is strong, the workforce expands from 1000 to 12,000 and attrition stays low. [31:41] Paul’s first epiphany about human first leadership happens during a Zoom call in 2020. [33:44] We are all the same before we become different. [34:08] Paul does a “Dig” and discovers “Better” is the word driving his personal operating system. [35:08] To make the world better, Paul leaves Indeed to write a book and spread the message. [36:42] Employee flexibility is key. Paul believes in treating people like adults. [37:48] If executives believe hybrid working is negatively impacting collaboration, how were they measuring collaboration effectiveness before? [38:31] Why not be transparent: describe metrics, trial a plan, and review the data in six months? [39:02] What about asking employees to discover the range of situations they are dealing with and using that information to develop policies? [40:52] How much (better) were people really working when in the office at their desk?! [41:31] Flexibility for employees who have to work onsite—giving them equitable options. [42:18] Managers are not great at performance reviews, so making remote working a reward for performance is complicated. [44:30] How leaders can help employees deal with ongoing changes, especially...

Rekha Magon is the co-founder and Head of Education at Boundless Life and an ed-tech entrepreneur. Rekha shares her journey from accounting to combining homeschooling and entrepreneurship before and during the pandemic, incorporating mindfulness as a key component. She describes the genesis of Boundless Life and explains their transformative approach to combine education, work, and community. Rekha shares the accelerating expansion of the lifestyle network as hundreds of families join Boundless to experience the multiple destinations—enabled for remote work, cultural immersion, and a forward-thinking education system for children. KEY TAKEAWAYS [02:43] With a love of math and interest in people, Rekha studies accounting and HR together. [04:09] Rekha’s parents took her on meditation and mindfulness retreats from a young age which become integral to her life. [05:19] Pregnant with her first child, Rekha has five months of bedrest to reflect on what fulfills her. [07:56] In Thailand when the tsunami hit, Rekha found life full of purpose helping Thai people. [09:25] Mindfulness is important for kids as well as adults and Rekha wants all children to benefit. [11:06] Rekha’s son is not showing his usual curiosity and creativity in the traditional school system. [12:08] With a fresh approach after much research, Rekha starts homeschooling her son. [13:30] On bedrest, pregnant with her daughter, Rekha develops her company the Mindful Scholar. [14:36] When the pandemic hits, Rekha joins a new learning venture using MIT’s creative pedagogy. [16:44] The student led orientation and empowered education environment was hard to leave. [18:37] Boundless Life begins with locations in Portugal, then Greece, Italy, and now Bali. [19:06] Rekha explains the genesis of Boundless Life and the solution it offers for families. [20:28] The founder offers Rekha an empty canvas to develop and run the education program. [21:09] Rekha finds her children always grow and evolve significantly whenever they travel. [22:38] Boundless Life’s creates an education system with the world at the forefront so children learn about other people as themselves. [24:26] Boundless Life launches quickly during the pandemic—the time is ripe with parents working from home. [25:23] For many people, it is a pivotal moment as they consider returning to a prescriptive life/lifestyle. [28:04] Community becomes one of the biggest value propositions which was a surprise for the team. [29:14] How does Boundless Life work? What do the different programs offer? [31:16] Who are Boundless parents? How are they able to join the programs? [32:44] New offerings for older kids and a travelling school! [35:07] Rekha shares what happens to kids going back to “normal lives” after Boundless. [36:54] Parents’ reactions when they get back home after their Boundless experience. [38:35] Embracing the lifestyle, 40% of families join the longer term cohort—6, 9, and 12 months. [41:14] Visas currently limit long-term stays, but Boundless enables families to try out a new country. [42:20] The demand for programs for older kids implies a desire for a long-term lifestyle offering. [43:00] Despite growing through word of mouth, hundreds of families have already participated in Boundless programs. [44:03] Mostly US and Canadian to start, now more European families—including Italian, Greek and Polish—are signing up. [44:45] Rekha explains Boundless offers the Nordic Baccalaureate curriculum. [46:45] Breaking the older fear-based apprehensions about education is part of the process. RESOURCES Rekha Magon on LinkedIn Boundless.Life QUOTES (edited) “At this point, mindfulness wasn't a thing. Calm didn't exist. Headspace wasn’t doing anything specifically for kids. I just knew it was what I needed to teach my kids, but why should it only be my kids?.” “Why can't families be able to travel and...

Barry O’Reilly is the author of the best-seller “Unlearn: Let Go of Past Success to Achieve Extraordinary Results”. He also co-authored best-seller “Lean Enterprise” — part of the Eric Ries series. Barry is also Co-Founder and Chief Incubation Officer at venture studio, Nobody Studios, and faculty at Singularity University. Barry brings insights from his career at the intersection of business model innovation, product development, organizational design, and culture transformation. He describes how we can learn but not make progress and how some discomfort enables breakthroughs. He explains what questions can help you identify where you get in your own way, and what small iterative changes can do for you. KEY TAKEAWAYS [02:22] Barry was interested in business but a new university tech course takes him by surprise. [04:49] Barry moves to San Francisco to work for CitySearch.com which almost merges with Elon Musk’s first venture, Zip2. [05:39] The power of technology in business becomes clear to Barry. [06:28] When Barry finishes his degree his pre-signed job with an economic downturn. [08:24] Barry moves to Edinburgh and starts building games for Sony, Sega, and Disney. [09:20] Barry and team find out they have no idea how to scale when the business takes off. [10:12] A 6-month sabbatical after 3 years working is Barry’s preferred working rhythm. [11:44] Australia offers Barry an interesting opportunity in e-learning and ‘game’ businesses. [13:02] On to London, Barry joins pioneers in the agile movement and shares the genesis story. [14:34] Working at ThoughtWorks is a mad experience and a huge accelerator for Barry. [15:11] The company was contrarian. It had no-rules, but a strong culture, setting the bar for how people showed up. [16:12] Barry was inspired by Ricardo Semler, the young CEO of a Brazilian manufacturing company. [18:17] Why have people report to you if they know what they’re doing? [19:29] ThoughtWorks was 30% female engineers—publishing this data openly which supported diversity. [21:16] Barry co-authors Lean Enterprise his first book. [24:03] Barry’s ‘unlearning’ Aha! And Eureka moments in a Sichuan restaurant in San Francisco. [25:40] Diagnosing limiting beliefs, ‘Unlearn’ as a system of experimentation. [27:00] Asking the questions to find out where you’re stuck, what you’re afraid of doing. [28:04] Barry offers piercing diagnostic questions--what 3-4 ideas do these questions raise for you? [28:42] Barry’s personal example of using the Unlearn method. [29:18] Figuring out what the outcome is you actually want. [30:42] After defining the goal, experimentation starts with small uncomfortable shifts in behavior. [33:48] Leaning into discomfort is one way to find breakthroughs. [35:01] A senior bank executive used unlearning to stop making any decisions! [38:10] Barry trains with BJ Fogg an innovators of behavior design, author of Tiny Habits. [39:24] Defining your vision and future is key to finding focus and moving forward. [43:22] IMMEDIATE ACTION TIP: You don’t just have one shot, you actually have many. If something didn’t go how you would like, that wasn’t IT. It was just a moment. Take the lessons from it—look for some hard lessons rather than to other folks as to why it didn’t work. Then dust yourself down and prepare for the next opportunity because it WILL arrive. RESOURCES Barry O’Reilly on LinkedIn Barry O’Reilly on X @barryoreilly BarryOReilly.com Barry’s books: Unlearn: Let Go of Past Success to Achieve Extraordinary Results Lean Enterprise: How High-Performance Organizations Innovate at Scale. QUOTES (edited) “Every single person that walked through that door was bright, talented, and capable. Culture has a huge impact on the way people feel comfortable and how it can also cause an adverse reaction.” “I strive not to have anyone to report to me. I want them to own their work. I want...

Danielle Farage is a Gen Z, digital native and nomad, and a work futurist. Danielle helps seasoned senior executives attract and better understand their young workers as well as giving advice to fellow early career talent so they can find employers who will support their growth and mental health. Danielle explains how vulnerable approaches help connect us with others’ experiences. She shares insights about what resonates with Gen Z, from culture, values, and leadership, to onboarding and career progression, especially for those entering the workforce for the first time. KEY TAKEAWAYS [02:46] Danielle's interests have always been closely connected with people, leading her to major in psychology. [04:49] Danielle notices her older siblings did not love their jobs. [05:17] Danielle asks herself why do companies not treat their employees like human beings? [07:26] Focusing on leadership, Danielle discovers the best leaders have good human skills including empathy and active listening. [08:18] Danielle’s first job is an internship turned full-time, turned remote by the pandemic, and deteriorates. [10:45] Danielle has an exemplary leader as her next boss. [12:23] Valuing a tough initial experience, Danielle is pushed further and develops a broad array of new skills [13:49] Onboarding was a meaningful experience, firstly, highlighting diversity and inclusion and their steps to eliminate bias. [15:39] Secondly, the Head of Sales breaks down Danielle’s goals showing they are interested in her growth. [17:02] Why a three-month contract to start is such a win for Danielle. [21:04] Producing different events, Danielle notices conversations about the Next Generation do not include inputs from Gen Zers. [22:28] Danielle starts sharing her voice moderating ideas about mental health, culture, and leadership. [24:25] Mixing a diversity of people and of ages is key to building generational bridges. [25:15] Danielle's audiences on LinkedIn are mostly older decision makers and on Instagram are Gen Zers. [26:39] Danielle finds being curious and open-minded, she is able to start changing people's minds. [27:15] Danielle shares a recent situation explaining her point of view about leadership vulnerability. [30:17] how people's experiences affect their perspectives about loyalty. [31:11] What the right culture looks like to Danielle. [35:23] Gen Zs didn't start ‘job-hopping’ or ‘quiet quitting’, they illuminate existing problems. [37:08] Fear, uncertainty, expectations, and choices make career exploration challenging for Gen Z. [40:35] Startup experience—wearing multiple hats—and rotational programs are helpful for early career talent to experience. [41:10] To recruit and retain people, invest in them. [42:29] Students coming out of college still don’t feel prepared for the workforce. [45:00] Danielle asks friendtorship workshop attendees three questions to help them discover what they want to learn. [46:50] Discovering people's knowledge bases, skills and interests to leverage people for the job they were hired into AND the job they might want to explore. [48:48] IMMEDIATE ACTION TIP: Inspire younger employees in ways that will benefit them as well as being vulnerable — such as sharing daily stressors as points of connection to empathize, and mutual support and accountability. [53:24] Gen Z is motivated to make change but disheartened by how inauthentic Corporate America is. [54:53] Danielle shares succinct advice for people whose career launch was impacted by the pandemic. RESOURCES Danielle Farage on LinkedIn QUOTES (edited) “Why does it seem like companies are treating people like cogs in a wheel rather than human beings with lives and aspirations and goals and children?... The problem must be that people in these organizations don't really understand what people want.” “It was a three-month contract, which I really appreciated: it’s a...

Sophie Wade is a work futurist and strategist, author and authority on the Future of Work, instructor on Gen Z, empathy, and Future of Work skills, and host of this show. Sophie discusses modern work—what it is, why and how it is different and human-centric. She explains how to adapt to be prepared for the ongoing changes around and ahead of us, accelerated by AI. Sophie sets the landscape, describes enterprise needs, and why employees are the focus for the future. She shares the core principles of modern work and why practicing empathy is key. TAKEAWAYS [00:45] Sophie wants to take stock of where we are and what’s ahead that we need to prepare for. [01:27] Our environment is highly-digitalized and interconnected, generating fast-paced change. [03:30] Artificial intelligence has become a top strategic priority for most businesses. [04:19] Driven by technology, is your customer base changing, how you serve them, or how quickly you have to upgrade your products? [04:49] To respond to marketplace demands, operations become more flexible and the nature of work evolves. [05:52] The pandemic catalyzed us along a path we were already on. [06:12] The impact of technology updates on employees needing frequently to upskill and reskill. [07:07] Why enterprises need to create a skills inventory and be mapping every employee’s skills. [07:28] Hierarchies have flattened for businesses to be more nimble. [08:10] Non-linear careers must be planned and managed even when skills and roles are evolving. [08:50] Internal talent marketplaces and cross organization relationships facilitate non-vertical career development. [09:41] Why younger employees quit if they can’t easily move internally with their current employer. [10:43] Jobs with high and low automation potential can be compared for skills matching to assess possible future transfers. [11:53] How BCG consultants used GPT4 and completed more tasks faster and better! [13:11] Why the Future of Work is tech-driven and talent-focused. [13:54] Empathy is essential in modern work to ensure the emphasis is on people. [14:38] Each business is different so there are principles of modern work to adapt appropriately. [15:10] The core principles of modern work are: Learning, Intention, Flexibility, and Empathy. [16:25] Why workers need to be creators. [17:04] Thinking outside the box is critical and what the box symbolizes—before and now. [17:45] A strong culture is essential, grounded by empathy and other timeless values. [18:50] AI is likely to net out creating more jobs, but much will shift during the transition. [19:10] What is the broader impact of encouraging your team to use of AI? [20:11] Empathy can help us focus on progress rather than more debates about work locations. [20:52] IMMEDIATE ACTION TIP: To start the transition to modern work, be curious and open-minded. Ask coworkers for ideas and recommendations and explore new possibilities. Curiosity primes you for learning, being flexible, and empathy about other’s viewpoints. [21:27] Modern work IS different—adjusting for our new environment as well as enterprise and employee needs. [22:17] The process of transformation is messy, but there are great benefits all round when we create and co-create together. RESOURCES Sophie Wade on LinkedIn Sophie’s personal/speaker website Sophie company Flexcel Network’s website QUOTES “These change that are upon us has been building in momentum for years already and causing strain within our fixed internal structures.” “We have been transitioning for years already to modern work which is about flexibility—accommodating activities that are less linear, less routine, with more collaborative and cross disciplinary.” “Numerous rigid layers of hierarchy have intentionally been reduced significantly in many cases to enable businesses to be more nimble and responsive.” “Stronger relationships are...