The Talent Time Machine: Take the trip to work 2050. Powered by Cielo.

Work has played a key role in shaping our identities and sense of self. By 2050, that single identity will have gone, replaced by a series of avatars: the representations of ourselves we mix and edit for different situations. We will be represented, not present. What does that mean for us, for our employers?In this episode, Marissa is joined by one of Forbes Top 50 Female Futurists, Professor Tracey Follows. Tracey is Visiting Professor of Digital Futures and Identity at Staffordshire University, a consultant to global businesses and a fellow podcaster with her series The Future of You. So, what is the future of you? A single human employee with a single job or a wardrobe of avatars shape-shifting for multiple different roles? We are already less ‘singular’ than we like to imagine. Will this new world simply be a new way of presenting multiple versions of ourselves in different situations? Will our avatars have their own experiences, resumes and CVs, or will we – the ‘original’ behind these copies – be what employers value? With us controlling how our avatars show up at work, will the digital self finally see the end of discrimination on characteristics like gender and race? Or will neurotech allow employers to collect brain data and introduce a new kind of discrimination: cognitive speed?

Will praise replace pay checks in a future? There’s evidence we put more value on how we are appreciated at work than on our financial reward. Listen to the evidence behind this trend and what it will mean for the employer of 2050.In this episode, Marissa is joined by Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Economics at Duke University and New York Times best-selling author Dan Ariely. His seven-year study of the Fortune 1,000 holds surprising insights into the prize for actively valuing employees more. Appreciating employees is not just about attracting and retaining talent: it is a more accurate predictor of share price performance than pay rates. These intrinsic, emotional rewards will matter more than extrinsic, financial ones. Businesses who learn to meet the emotional needs of their employees will be the winners. How will HR have to change to see this premium quantified and communicated in company performance?

Falling birth rates in developed economies are no longer just a social or political issue, they’re a huge a corporate one. Combined with the greatest transfer of wealth in human history, we are entering an age of inheritocracy where it is what you inherit – not how hard you work – that makes for success.In this episode, Marissa is joined by writer, speaker and consultant Eliza Filby to explore the demographic disruptions of an ageing workforce and wealth transference that will shape the world of work in 2050. If the sizes and ages of our populations shape our economies, how will employers have to respond to the reduced workforces of 2050? Will unequal responsibility for elder care see women lose the gains they’ve won in equal childcare? The Great Inheritance will further reduce our workforces as money becomes less of a motivator to work. Working for the Bank of Mom and Dad: will it make more sense in 2050 to invest your loyalty in your parents not your employer?

The world has legislated for a fairer workplace and companies have promoted their contribution to a fairer world for years. But has much really changed? By 2050, fairness and purpose will look completely different, and employers will have to adapt to new demands from employees.In this episode, Marissa is joined by Yale- and Stanford-educated Aubrey Blanche, a consultant for equitable organizational design to explore how to hardwire fairness into our businesses. As economic pressures give some employers an excuse to pivot away from DEI, what’s the prize for staying the course? Employers have attached themselves to high-sounding purpose statements, but many have strayed out of their lane and become less than credible. Will businesses have to show support for and even skill up their employees to be effective activists? Will the shareholder model of capitalism be overtaken by stakeholder capitalism where workers demand a fairer share of the value they create?

The future will see companies turning what they know about us as consumers into hyper-personalized, super-responsive experiences. Employees will demand that same personalized, flexible and immersive experience from work.We talk today a lot about candidate experience. The reality though is we often know more about our consumers than our own employees. In this episode, Marissa is joined by Bob Toohey, former EVP and Chief Human Resources Officer at US insurer Allstate, to look at the future demands of employees as career consumers. In a world where we can buy a car or a house on our phone, what will easy, admin-light and friction-free employee experience look like? How does our lack of knowledge about our own employees show up today? How could a real-time digital passport that captures our skills and experiences replace the resume or CV and unlock real career mobility? With employers knowing ever more about their employees to create more relevant experiences of work, what does this mean for privacy?

Experience says we tend to overestimate the short-term impact of a new technology, but underestimate its impact long-term. In all the AI hype of today, are we underestimating the seismic shift it will bring to the workplace of 2050?In this episode, Marissa is joined by advisor, author and co-founder of the London Futurists Calum Chace to explore the longer-term impact of AI on work and society, and what it means for our sense of purpose and identity. Our job roles have historically been key to our identities, but where will we find meaning in a world without jobs? What will be the last jobs to be automated? How will ‘work’ and ‘leisure’ be redefined in our lives in an AI-powered world? Will this be a world of AI-haves and AI-have-nots? How will we share the value AI creates?

For decades, society has adapted itself to meet the needs of work. By 2050, it’s work that will have to adapt itself to the needs of society. Successful businesses will be those who understand this are reshape their offer to employees.In this episode, Marissa is joined by anthropologist Dr. Tulsi Menon who uses ethnography to understand this changing contract between societies, work and individuals. Our one-dimensional work identities are at odds with the complexity of who we really are. How will we choose to contribute the skills of our more complex true identities in the future? After 200 years of the same corporate hierarchies, what will these look like in a more democratic world of work? How can employers respond and move from a narrow culture of acceptance to a culture of excellence?

Established professionals have one view of the future of work. The generation who will be living and working in that future have a very different one. They will be the leaders in 2050, so what do they want from employers and how will they shape work to meet their expectations?In this episode, Marissa hears from three of these voices: college students and grads at the start of their careers. Shradha Godishala, Jonathan David and Juan Lopez. Between them they’re studying mathematics, biology, business administration, entrepreneurship IT management and finance. They’re also all participants in Fuse, the Milwaukee Tech Hub’s summer AI bootcamp. Is the education we offer students today giving them what they need to build the future they want? Will company culture and values still be attractive to a new generation of workers who demand employers walk the talk? Will the lines between work and private and social lives blur, or will we still look for a sense of community from our jobs? What will it take to a place talent wants to contribute to in 2050?

Ian Beacraft, the founder of Signal and Cipher, explores the future of work where creativity trumps toil as AI transforms job dynamics. He argues that the future will favor 'creative generalists' who skillfully orchestrate tasks rather than being mere specialists. Beacraft discusses the necessity of adapting to a world where knowledge becomes commodified, and emphasizes the potential shift towards agile business models. He also delves into whether these versatile skills are innate or can be cultivated, highlighting the evolving role of technology in shaping our workforce.

What will work demand from us in 2050? And what does that mean for us now?Marissa Geist, CEO at Cielo, introduces a new season of her podcast "The talent time machine" exploring the trends, possibilities and new realities for talent. As business leaders and talent professionals, the further forward we look, the clearer our next steps become.