Transforming Work with Sophie Wade

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 the flag on their employees who are not coming into the office, which is a really fast ticket to total loss of employee trust and bad relationships." "CEOs that are pushing hard on five days a week in office are almost deliberately not paying attention to the people who can't do that. And for whatever reason, that conversation still hasn't come really to the forefront." "I think the companies that are not requiring full-time in the office are going to outperform on recruitment, retention, engagement, satisfaction, and a bunch of different key employee outcomes that most people believe are leading indicators of performance." "The best fully remote organizations in the world are unbelievably intentional in terms of when they're online and offline and how they coordinate on those things, where they document things and how they get together in person." "Productivity is extremely difficult to measure because there's a different 'best' productivity metric for every different role type and it is variant by industry."

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 micro-community." "Everyone has to be equal at the official event. If you cannot have a level playing field, don't do it. I've seen bosses of small companies take people out for a big dinner and just give everyone a gift card if they can't come. It's not equivalent, you've created a hierarchy now of how people can connect with you as the boss."

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 with many unknowns. [45:38] Transparency about AI and its potential impact supports change management. [46:35] Individual contributor career paths present new options for those who don't like or aren't good at managing, which has been developed in engineering but not other areas. [48:52] Let's create two different career paths—a leadership track and an individual contributor track. [51:51] Engagement, upskilling, career development, and performance should be ongoing discussions. [56:20] IMMEDIATE ACTION TIP: We are all human beings first. We are all dealing with a lot and self-care for leaders and everybody is important. What's more, no one has all the answers. It's okay—as a leader--to say I don't know. It's ok to be vulnerable. IF you have curated a good team, they are going to rally. The better solution comes from collective thoughts from different perspectives. RESOURCES Paul Wolfe on LinkedIn Paul Wolfe on X Paul's book "Human Beings First - Practices for Empathetic, Expressive Leadership" Paul's website QUOTES (edited) "I would always hope that I'm open enough that my perspective on something, my truth on something, can be changed by experiencing something or talking to somebody or hearing a different idea." "I think leaders in general, not just HR leaders, need to get more in the mindset of every organization is this kind of living and growing being. It needs nurturing, it needs care taking. You can call it culture. You can call it whatever you want to. But that's not HR leader's responsibility. It's everyone's responsibility." "The more that you create this transparency, you start to set the stage for psychological safety within an organization and generate ongoing two-way communication—employees to leaders, leaders to employees, employees to employees. And you end up with better ideas, better solutions to problems, and a more kind of engaged and informed group of people. " "I've always run my HR organizations with this simple philosophy, treat people like adults more often, not they will act like adults. And the two to 5% that will never act like adults you deal with separately." "We all have different needs. So the idea of one size fits all is not right anymore. It's one size breaks all." "Let's figure out where your skill gaps are. We'll agree on those. Some of the stuff you're going to have to go get on your own and I'll point you in the right direction. I'll make sure that I give you interesting projects that love that start to tap into those areas that you don't have expertise in. And I'll block and tackle for you because a leader's job is to block and tackle most of the time." "My hope with performance, career, and engagement, it just becomes this ongoing conversation that happens."

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 educate their kids at the same time?" "I saw how my kids grew and evolved to the next levels whenever we were traveling. So to me, that was the most appealing part of this, facilitating more parents to be able to give this lifestyle to their children." "We need more kids to see each other and other people around the world as themselves and not as opposing enemies. The best way to do that is to take them to countries they've never been to and to get them to learn about the culture and feel like they're part of it." "Boundless puts older kids in more of a leadership role, and the younger ones have these mentors in their area. So I think there's a lot of growth when it comes from these social skills and communication skills and having the autonomy and responsibility to tackle real-world problems." "I think what we do experience is that some parents want something independent and alternative in terms of education, but they're still very much fear-based and still very indoctrinated that education needs to look like the way we were educated as kids."

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 people to be engaged and focused on their work. I'll be there to provide feedback, guidance, mentorship, whatever it is. That's my responsibility." "If you don't make diversity visible people will not know it's a place that they can be. They need to see people like them in leadership roles." "A lot of Unlearn is a system of experimentation. You are diagnosing limiting behaviors or beliefs and reframing them as outcomes that you want, and then experimenting to drive those outcomes." "The trick is doing uncomfortable things but making them smaller." "You never learn stuff, if you don't create the space for it to happen." "What can hinder us from creating an exciting future for ourselves, each one of us is the habits of the past."

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 full-time job but if it's not the right fit, it's not the end of the world. And you haven't invested so much into them to the point of an average employee, which can be a higher cost." "I would want my leader to talk about some of the vulnerabilities that they struggle with so that I could feel safe enough to come to tell them what I have to deal with." "You're looking at an entry-level job that requires you to have two to five years of experience, no guaranteed training, and there's no pension, there's no lifelong employment. You're an at-will employee, which means you can literally be fired any time. Would you commit to staying 25 years with that?" "The ideal is those rotational programs where you get to really experience different things. I think that's the best investment a company can make in early career talent. I think it's a great way to recruit and retain people."

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 critical to develop deliberately across organizations to permit non vertical career development, so that managers are willing to share one of their rising stars to another team or division." "For now, it is easier for employees to quit to advance their careers than move within their own organization." "The Future of Work is tech-driven and talent focused." "Empathy is essential in modern work—giving us each ability to understand other's perspectives and connect with their experiences." "Everyone providing value to your business across your entire workforce needs to be a "creator"."

Joe O'Connor is the Director and Co-founder of the world's first Center of Excellence in Work Time Reduction. Joe brings his previous experience as CEO and global pilot program manager of 4 Day Week Global, where he led the design and implementation of four-day week trials all over the world. Joe explains the intention and process of reduced-hour, productivity-focused new work routines and shares data, insights, and predictions having supported over 200 employers and 10,000 employees make the transition. TAKEAWAYS [03:00] After studying accounting, Joe does a master's in strategy and innovation management. [03:57] Leading a work-related research project within the Irish Public Service, Joe makes a surprising discovery that working parents can achieve the same results in less time. [05:16] Applying Parkinson's law in reverse, what might be possible? Joe wonders. [06:57] Competitiveness, productivity, and hours worked—how the US and Europe actually compare! [07:27] The short workweek is public sector driven in Europe and by private sector experimentation in the US and Canada. [08:33] The private sector catches up where the initial impetus comes from government, eg Iceland. [09:08] Technology advances previously reduced worktime, but that hasn't happened recently in the US and the UK. [10:00] What the 4-day week really means in Iceland and elsewhere. [11:27] The central premise of the 4-day week and associated commitment. [12:14] The different variations that companies adapt for their specific business and workforce. [13:11] Worldwide, companies' interest in experimenting with reduced work time skyrockets with the start of the pandemic. [14:46] Infrastructure needs to be developed to support the number and variety of organizations trialing the 4-day week. [16:20] Why we should focus on the process of HOW to adhere to the 4-day week. [17:08] How participants' habits change and what potential is unlocked. [18:03] Inefficiency and optimization lie in "off system" tasks that aren't designed or documented. [18:56] Why operational excellence must be at the core of a trial project. [21:01] The diagnostic phase answers: readiness, constraints and challenges, and optimal structure/model. [22:17] The corporate culture—and related mindset—affects a pilot project's progress. [23:27] Companies most likely to succeed have cultures that elevate trust, autonomy, and experimentation. [25:49] Key hurdles to overcome: resetting boundaries and expectation and aligned resource management. [27:22] Clients are part of projects too—benefiting from transparent communication. [28:53] Three implementation variations relate to (a) pre-work, (b) a graduated rollout, (c) client interaction. [30:21] Recognizing and adjusting for interdependencies is critical—requiring flexibility for employees. [31:23] Understanding trade-offs and hand-offs. [32:19] The 4-day week is not about eliminating discretionary effort or flexibility. [33:04] Framing the intention: redesign and bite-size rather than intensify and speed up. [33:50] The essence is to eliminate wasted efficiency and unlock potential, incentivizing psychological behavioral benefits. [35:25] Some leaders 'just do it' and—rather chaotically—make it work! [36:10] The high success rate results from organizations self-selecting. [36:41] A few companies dropped out usually caused by some other unexpected significant change. [37:20] Most organizations can make the 4-day week work with clear benefits for attraction and retention. [38:18] IMMEDIATE ACTION TIP: To propose a four-day week trial at your company, pitch a feasibility study to build the business case, recognizing the conditionality of a trial based on hitting targets and offering nascent thinking about what could be done differently. RESOURCES Joe O'Connor on LinkedIn Work Time Reduction Center of Excellence on LinkedIn Work Time Reduction Center of Excellence website QUOTES "There is not a linear relationship between hours worked and productivity." "The idea that advances in productivity and technology can be shared in the form of reduced work time has been an age-old reality." "On one side there's a commitment to a genuine reduction in hours for the same salary, and on the other side there's a commitment to maintaining output which in itself assumes some form of increase in terms of hourly productivity." "I think part of the reason why some leaders and some organizations are resistant to this idea is because of how it gets interpreted in the media. It's very outcome driven rather than process driven. It's focused on the results rather than how organizations did it." "I think one other misunderstanding about the shorter work week is that it is a very rigid model. Actually this is not about eliminating flexibility. This is not about eliminating discretionary effort." "If you've got a top down command and control style leadership this is probably not going to work. It relies on a very bottom up approach where there's a partnership between employees, managers, and leaders."

Francis "Fran" Saele is Managing Principal at Mortevita which provides specialty consulting on the new knowledge workplace and corporate real estate. Fran has deep experience in the corporate real estate sector. He shares his insights and views about the history, dynamics, and future of office infrastructure and the evolving impact on Central Business Districts. Fran is passionate about new ways of working and the workplace transformation that supports it—developing the infrastructure of distributed work. He discusses workplace flexibility and the timing for making decisions and moving forward. KEY TAKEAWAYS [03:27] Fran starts studying psychiatry but moves to psychology after challenging lab sessions! [05:03] Fran is tasked with finding a purpose for a newly built building with a lot of empty space and catches the development bug. [06:37] The difference aspects of real estate and development work. [08:11] Speculative development requires incorporating flexibility to allow adjustments for prospective landlords' and tenants' needs. [09:56] Market needs differ, but similarities remain regarding office spaces. [11:00] In the decade before the pandemic, large businesses' trend to centralize operations generated Central Business District (CBD) clusters. [12:40] To compete for talent, Fran had already developed remote working capabilities for his team before 2020. [15:00] The mechanisms that enabled quick adaptations to remote work. [17:44] Why there are 'Return To Office' mandates and why the push is a mistake. [20:30] How organizations are thinking about mitigating reduced office usage. [25:11] Can the shock to the corporate real estate sector trigger a recession? [27:11] How can we reuse of office spaces: Condos? Vertical farming? [30:21] Smucker's workplace flexibility model developed after discussion with employees. [33:44] Hybrid isn't meant as a permanent solution. Working out compromises will require "Smucker's" type moments. [36:10] The tension surrounding 'Return To Office' mandates have yet to result in mass action by employers. [40:14] The role the public sector has to play in reinventing business areas. [42:41] Fran explains the future of the office within the community, including the evolution of malls. [46:30] IMMEDIATE ACTION TIP: To discover the right work model for your company, do a meaningful diagnostic to find out what your company needs to be and wants to be in the future and how best to get there. Identify management bias first, then talk to employees and understand what makes sense from their perspective. Then decide how best to redesign to achieve more progressive workplace operations, which drive real estate decisions. RESOURCES Fran Saele on LinkedIn fran.saele@mortevita.com QUOTES (edited) "There's a natural instinct in everyone to return to a homeostatic state—a state that worked well for you. Hence the 'Return To Office'." "If you talk to anybody in a real estate organization: service providers, brokers, owners, or lenders, they recognized that any material change to how work was done was going to be a threat to their investments, their loans, and their economic future." "There are billions of dollars of existing financing on thousands of buildings across the country that will come up for refinancing. How much is that going to affect the non-real estate sector, and does it have the potential to drive the economy into a very deep recession?" "Hybrid was never really intended to be a final solution. It was a compromise solution that allowed employees to have some time away and management to have people back in the office." "I think organizations need to be careful about being too pushy on 'Return To Office'. A matter like this is likely to lead to some type of labor action, some attempts to move in the direction of unions." "They've got to figure out what to do with the buildings. If they don't, if there is no mission at all — and this will be true for a lot of B, C, and D quality buildings around the country — they're going to at some point demolish them because there will be no uses that make any sense." "The infrastructure of distributed work is going to happen, it's just going to take time. Getting rid of the large investment in CBD office is going to take time."

Paula Allen, Global Leader and SVP of Research and Client Insights at Telus Health, brings her career-long expertise spanning health and productivity management, workplace and mental health, and total well-being strategies for the workplace. Paula shares her insights about how increased uncertainty and overwhelm in a fast-changing world affect workers. She explains why investing in a strong culture and relationships at work, and well-being initiatives which focus on empathy and recovery, are key to achieving and sustaining a healthy workforce and business outcomes. KEY TAKEAWAYS [03:03] Images of stress-related structural brain changes cause Paula to study neuropsychology. [06:00] Paula is appalled witnessing how adults with mental health issues are treated in the workplace. [06:32] The CEO asks if Paula wants to change the situation—she says "Yes!". [07:17] Paula boldly calls a prior CEO at her company after hearing him talk about providers' failings. [08:14] They had the opportunity to redesign the system from the beginning so people struggling would get what they needed. [09:30] With an empathy-based approach for physical health, they achieve better outcomes. [10:30] With access to research, Paula hones in on the drivers behind different workplace behaviors. [12:27] Focusing on and sharing expectations of recovery are beneficial all round. [13:30] They discover a correlation between the decrease in middle management and increase in mental illness. [14:30] Most supervisors know something is "off" early on, but they just don't know what to do. [16:45] A manager's core job is to ensure teams are productive but that only happens when people are feel safe and get training. [18:20] We have had a reset relating to mental health since the pandemic. [18:58] Because people derive part of their identity from their work, fostering a healthy environment is critical. [20:35] A few reasons why employees in need are not using their employer's benefits. [22:32] Stigma comes from lack of knowledge; Paula shares an interesting way to reframe how we treat people who are struggling. [24:36] Occupational health is also mental health. Paula notes her predictions with the coming change of pace with AI. [28:17] Paula talks about the recent organization-led innovations in the mental health space and shares some interesting demographic data. [31:12] The very real increase in stress younger generations is having to live with and how to face it. [33:08] Paula touches on the increasing pace of change and its negative impacts on human mental health — and what to do about it. [36:23] Paula shares an interesting research parallel between the management of dementia and overwhelm. [38:18] The Stockdale paradox. [40:30] Paula discusses the types of support benefits that exist today and the ones that would be ideal for flexible, distributed workforces. [44:41] The solution to mental health in the workplace is multi-layered. [46:26] IMMEDIATE ACTION TIP: Our best source of resilience is our relationships with other people. Social support is the core of everything to feel a sense of belonging in some group. So if you are feeling off, reach out and talk to someone — you don't have to talk about what the issue is. Just be connected. On the other side let people in your life understand that they're important and keep connected to them. RESOURCES Paula Allen on LinkedIn Telus.com Telus' Mental Health Index Telus Mental Health Index July 2023 QUOTES (edited) "Giving people what they need allows the clinical work to come to fruition." "When you look at drivers of productivity, of absence, of turnover, of innovation, of collaboration, of really strong workplace culture, you end up coming back to mental health and well-being." "A manager's job is to help make sure that their teams are productive. People are not going to be productive if they don't feel safe. We're not training managers to be counselors, clinicians, or psychologists! We're training them to create healthy workplaces that are productive." "If your people aren't in a good place, you're not going to be in a good place as an organization. The pandemic made this pretty clear." "Make sure that people do not feel alone, that they feel connected to your workplace. Have team meetings that are small enough that people can't be on a screen with the camera off. If your employee is feeling isolated in your workplace relationship, you are going to pay for it and they are going to suffer."