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Conscious Leadership as a Future of Work Transformation Attribute

Business Leadership Diversity and Inclusion General Insights Talent by John Yuva on 11/30/2022

Over the previous weeks, we’ve recapped four of the five things discussed during the event.

In our fifth and final installment this week, we’ll be exploring conscious leadership as a Future of Work centerpiece.

Business Leadership Dictates Business Transformation

It is now time to share another thing to know about the Future of Work, which is conscious business leadership. This aspect speaks to the fact that the Future of Work is more than technology. Ask 10 different people their definition of the Future of Work and they’ll give 10 different answers.

However, business leadership really dictates business transformation. Consider diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I). While there are technologies that aid in understanding how an enterprise performs in those areas, the mindset of such programs comes from strategic thinking. The same is true for purposeful work and flexibility. Technology often sits in the center with talent alongside it, but it’s the transformation of business thinking that is going to spark the next future state of work.

Leadership Recalibration

The next future state will lead to a rethinking of business leadership. More specifically, a reimagining of our business leaders’ minds to be more empathetic and flexible to understand the perspectives of workers. If business leaders are in tune with the emotions of their workforce, it allows them to understand how workers are feeling and how that is affecting their productivity. Analyzing what is occurring within worker emotions and how, as business leaders, can help and support, can supercharge the effectiveness of their overall leadership. When this occurs, both the talent and the leaders win.

Conscious Leadership Leads the Way

Conscious leadership is the only way forward. While a bold statement, it is true. Business leaders who are conscientious are going to retain their staff, build trust between themselves and their workforce, avoid aspects of “quiet quitting”, lead with empathy and flexibility, and understand the perspectives of their employees. And again, talent is the number one competitive differentiator. Conscious leadership is one of the ways we foster a better relationship with our teams.

Finally, leaders must enable true workplace flexibility to improve corporate culture. Rigidity is really the antithesis of the Future of Work. A flexible workplace culture where we are open, honest, and inclusive of people and their schedules, emotions, and purpose is the ideal corporate culture. This is the way every organization should be run. And ultimately, it is going to help organizations get work done in a much more efficient manner.

FOWX Notes: November 18 Edition

General Insights by Christopher J. Dwyer on 11/18/2022

Some picked-up pieces, news, and insights from across the evolving world of talent and work:

Magnit appointed its first-ever Chief Technology Officer. The integrated workforce management platform (formerly known as PRO Unlimited) announced the hire of Mohan Natarajan as its first CTO. A 20-year software veteran, Natarajan joins the company after spending time at Salesforce, Motorola, Cisco Systems, and Silicon Graphics.
Direct sourcing platform Opptly launched its Opptly.Connect™ application. The app, part of the company’s innovative array of direct sourcing and candidate management tools, is a unique offering that connects candidates with jobs via AI-driven matching based on actors beyond skillsets, including hard and soft skills, workplace preferences (i.e., remote work, hybrid workplace, etc.), and type of role (FTE, contingent, etc.).
KellyOCG announced the appointment of Adelle Harrington as EMEA VP for MSP and adjacent workforce solutions. Harrington, who will report into KellyOCG president Tammy Browning, will oversee Kelly’s vast array of offerings in EMEA, such as SOW/services procurement, direct sourcing, and consulting services.
Leading talent marketplace GigSmart announced a partnership with Onfleet. The integration between GigSmart’s Best-in-Class talent marketplace tech and Onfleet’s last mile delivery management software platform will allow delivery organizations to engage, source, and manage candidate while also managing delivery operations and customer communication.
Industrial staffing giant EmployBridge completed its acquisition of talent marketplace and workforce management platform BlueCrew. The deal, which was formally announced on October 5, closed this week and will see the two organizations come together to build a “national workforce management platform.”
AMS recently announced the launch of its “AMS Verified” talent tech analyzer. The new platform has verified over 1,000 solutions across the talent technology ecosystem, including direct sourcing providers LiveHire, WorkLLama, and Opptly.
Allegis Global Solutions, the talent solutions arm of staffing giant Allegis Group, announced that Steve Schumacher is its new president. Schumacher succeeds Chad Lane, who held the role at AGS since April 2010. Schumacher has spent nearly 30 years within the Allegis family of companies and takes over as president effective immediately.

The Fourth Thing You Must Know About The Future of Work

Contingent Workforce Diversity and Inclusion General Insights HR Talent Technology and Innovation by John Yuva on 11/11/2022

The Future of Work Exchange (FOWX) and Ardent Partners recently hosted their complimentary webinar, The Five Things You MUST KNOW About the Future of Work, which discussed the critical capabilities that enterprises can unlock to truly optimize the way they address talent acquisition, extended workforce management, and, most importantly, work optimization.

Over the next five weeks, we’ll be recapping each of the five things discussed during the event.

In our fourth installment this week, we’ll be exploring artificial intelligence as a Future of Work centerpiece.

AI and the Rise of Total Talent Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the fourth thing to know about the Future of Work. If there was an informal poll asking to name the leading Future of Work technology, about 90% would say artificial intelligence (a not-so-surprising answer). Of all the technologies available to enterprises that help automate key workforce processes, AI is the pure representation of the Future of Work.

However, there are different shades of artificial intelligence helping organizations optimize the way they get work done and how they think about talent. It’s more than having an artificial persona to help figure things out and make decisions — instead, it’s enabling smarter decisions.

Consider the rise of total talent intelligence. Today, an enterprise’s workforce may consist of 35%, 40%, or 45% non-employees and extended talent. For some, those numbers may be lower, but for others, they’re also higher. Earlier this year, Future of Work Exchange research found that 47.5% of the average company’s total workforce was considered extended, non-employee, contingent, or contract (this figure also includes freelancers, contractors, temporary workers, gig workers, consultants, etc.).

Total talent intelligence is a gateway to understanding the totality of the workforce; a gateway stimulant, so to speak, for total talent management. It’s the idea that enterprises have enough information and data on the entirety of their workforce – including skills, performance, and productivity levels. All of this information allows business leaders and hiring managers to make near-instantaneous, real-time decisions about the talent they need for a new role, project, or initiative.

Total talent intelligence enables smarter, more perceptive hiring. And AI is the way to get there.

AI as a Conduit for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Assessments in Recruited Marketing

If bias can be removed from decision-making and technology, and AI is set up in such a way that there is no unconscious bias, then it is possible to understand how diverse the workforce truly is. The Exchange has long said (including many years ago) that a diverse workforce is the deepest workforce. Being able to bring in different voices from different cultures allows businesses to be more innovative and think outside the box. And AI is a perfect conduit for that.

With regard to candidate assessments, there is wonderful technology out there that helps organizations better understand how efficient and effective a worker can be. It helps the business that went through an AI-fueled candidate assessment tool to source the best talent.There are similar solutions for recruitment marketing that have robust AI capabilities. These solutions are more than chatbots; they’re ubiquitous in how they help a candidate feel more comfortable and engaged. A candidate can use a mobile app and understand how to apply for a job. Likewise, the process for onboarding is clear, especially as it relates to healthcare benefits, time off, and open shifts. It’s these solutions that benefit the recruitment and onboarding side of extended workforce management.

On the workforce management side, AI helps with recruitment marketing. The idea that enterprises can program a bot to fill their talent pipeline overnight is quite amazing. Beyond just providing data, artificial intelligence can spark some of these processes that are beneficial to the business.

Turning to the volatile economy and its potential impact on the workforce, predictive analytics and scenario building are about managing these uncertain times. If enterprises are preparing for a recession, it is important to understand where they’ll be in six months. Data can be fed into a solution to help enterprises build a scenario and predict their financial picture or the state of global markets. The same type of data can model where the workforce is headed based on rates of resignations and retirements. Will there need to be cuts based on finances? Artificial intelligence is the perfect fighter against volatility by providing a clearer understanding of the future and how the workforce may look.

The Role of Blockchain in Candidates’ Digital Identities

Business Leadership General Insights HR Technology and Innovation by John Yuva on 11/07/2022

A more digital Future of Work environment also means an increase in data volume. Information about potential job candidates collected through direct sourcing efforts, as well as more process digitization puts an abundance of sensitive data at HR’s and business leaders’ fingertips. Concurrently, cybersecurity risks continue to grow as threat actors attempt to thwart individuals’ and corporate efforts to defend against them. Enter blockchain, a technology that holds the potential for capturing and securing sensitive personal and workforce data.

What Is Blockchain?

At its core, Synopsis defines blockchain as “a decentralized, distributed, and public digital ledger that is used to record transactions across many computers so that the record cannot be altered retroactively without the alteration of all subsequent blocks and the consensus of the network.” For each ordered record (i.e., transaction) a block with a timestamp and transaction data is created and linked to subsequent blocks forming a blockchain. Whether it’s financial records, supply chain transactions, or personal information, blockchain guarantees a record of integrity and trust for all parties — without requiring a third party for verification.

Blockchain is most associated with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin to secure a record of transactions. However, it is gaining more attention in industries outside of banking, including pharmaceuticals, aerospace and defense, and food and beverage, with several companies piloting blockchain technology for track-and-trace initiatives. For example, in the food supply chain, a supplier is unable to alter transaction data such as batch numbers, ensuring the ability to appropriately track and trace specific food shipments in the event of a recall.

The technology is now making its way into the HR function. This week, we’ll look at blockchain from the individual level (digital identity), followed by part two, exploring areas where HR can leverage blockchain to benefit the enterprise.

Defining Our Digital Identity

Our digital footprint includes basic information such as name, address, nationality, and social security number, as well as data related to our banking activities, professional history, and online interactions and behaviors. Much of this information resides on websites and is accessible with a username and password. Unfortunately, security breaches can threaten our information and digital identities — with implications affecting HR and employment databases.

Blockchain and Digital Identity Control

Blockchain is capable of revolutionizing what it means to have a digital identity through digital identity management and a decentralized identifier (DID). Digital identity management solutions can help provide greater control over our own digital identities and who has access to them.

Digital identity management. According to 101 Blockchains, the following are advantages of using blockchain for digital identity management:

Blockchain features the elements of maintaining data in an immutable and encrypted manner. Thus, it ensures that the digital identity is secure and easily traceable.
The efficiency of blockchain encryption alongside the facility of digital signatures ensures effective “Privacy and Design.”
Maintain records of every identity throughout all the nodes across the network and thus make it trustworthy.
Maintain the communication metadata in a distributed ledger, and consensus mechanisms help in verifying data authenticity across multiple nodes which improves trust.
Set clear roles for identity issuers, identity owners, and identity verifiers by simplifying the processes associated with each stakeholder.

Decentralized identifier. Coupled with digital identity management, a DID provides a holistic approach to digital identity protection through blockchain. Georgia Weston, a prolific subject matter expert in the blockchain space, says the DID is an important concept within digital blockchain solutions.

“It is actually a pseudo-anonymous identifier for a specific object, person, or company, and a private key secures the DID. Individuals who own the private key can prove ownership or control over a specific identity. One person could have multiple DIDs, which can restrict the extent of tracking throughout multiple activities in everyday life.

“…Decentralized identifiers also feature a collection of attestations or verifiable credentials which verify the specific traits of the DID. Generally, the issuers of the verifiable credentials sign the credentials cryptographically. Owners of DIDs could store the credentials on their own without depending on a single service provider.”

DIDs and digital identity management can be critical pieces for maintaining and verifying information about one’s educational background and professional history. Enterprise recruiters and HR can verify and authenticate a person’s identity — but with consent while ensuring their privacy and data control.

Pam Baker, a technology subject matter expert, shared insights and results of a blockchain report by the American Productivity and Quality Center in an article for Tech Target, describing the potential for personal blockchains and the workplace. “Employers would need permission to access and add to an individual’s private blockchain. Employees could provide access keys to employers and then rescind the keys when they leave the organization to maintain control over their personal records.

“Blockchain HR technology used in this way would effectively function as ‘value passports’ that employees could take anywhere and continue to build throughout their careers, according to the report’s authors.”

Future of Work and Mainstream Digital Identification

Blockchain is an evolving technology that requires cooperation and adoption by several entities before it becomes a mainstream solution. Governments, industry, vendors, and users themselves must agree on the foundation and potential regulations for how to leverage digital identifiers. It is a complex but important discussion due to the growth of data through Industry 4.0 and other technologies.

The possibility of having a university issue a college degree or an enterprise award a training certificate via a digital certificate on a personal blockchain is not far-reaching. It represents the purest and most authentic form of our personal and professional histories.

Enterprise recruiters and HR will have confidence that the candidates they select (using blockchain technology to verify and authenticate) truly possess the experience and skills for the position. Digital identity could become the preferred method for applying through a job portal or engaging with a recruiter.

In part two, we’ll explore blockchain from an HR and enterprise perspective. There are several use cases to consider in such areas as contract management, payroll, and recruitment.

The Third Thing You Must Know About The Future of Work

Business Leadership Direct Sourcing General Insights Talent Talent Acquisition by John Yuva on 11/01/2022

Over the next five weeks, we’ll be recapping each of the five things discussed during the event.

In our third installment this week, we’ll be exploring the evolution of talent as a Future of Work centerpiece.

Talent and Talent Acquisition Transformed

To begin, the number three must-know about the Future of Work is the evolution of talent as a Future of Work centerpiece. When talking about the evolution of talent as part of the greater definition of the Future of Work, it goes back to how talent and talent acquisition are changing for the better. Major transformations are occurring, but talent helps make the world go round and helps businesses run. It provides a competitive advantage. Talent is the number one competitive differentiator from one organization to another. With the right talent in place, enterprises can do remarkable things.

The fact that talent engagement and talent acquisition have been evolving for some time, speaks volumes for how it has become the centerpiece for the Future of Work. Let’s look at digital staffing, which enables accelerated hiring. Enterprises can find the workers they need very quickly without making a phone call or sending an email to a staffing supplier.

The other link to this evolution is direct sourcing, which has come a long way over the past few years. Direct sourcing is a talent acquisition revolution, but is not a brand-new strategy (the idea of becoming one’s own recruitment agency was spearheaded 10 or 15 years ago). It’s certainly not a new concept, but according to the Future of Work Exchange and Ardent Partners research, it has become one of the number one priorities for businesses today.

Businesses have woken up to the value of direct sourcing. Business leaders enabled with a direct sourcing program and associated technologies have the ability to curate talent into a talent pool or talent community and then segment those workers into tiers by geography, skillset, and compensation, and quickly tap into that community when needed, resulting in true workforce scalability.

Grow the Candidate Experience

Thus, talent communities need to be fostered and nurtured. Businesses need to keep their talent engaged. So much is about the candidate experience, and enterprises should never get away from that. Always touch candidates with value, whether through emails or text messages. Use talent intelligence to know when the best time is to reach out to those in the talent community. This type of end-to-end program helps boost the quality of talent, speeds up talent acquisition and hiring, and improves the way talent is brought into the organization and redeployed in the future.

Again, regardless of the business function, the candidate experience is paramount when sourcing and hiring talent. There needs to be a level of culture-building that extends to clients and candidates and how they perceive the business. Consider how the brand is perceived, down to the colors of the company logo. Are those colors present on the career page and job portal? Do candidates know who the company is and what it stands for? Recognizing and knowing those things goes a long way in building rapport with candidates.

In addition, what is the overall talent experience when applying for a job? Is it easy to apply for a job and is there an assessment? What type of assessment is it? Can it be completed via a mobile app or laptop? Is the assessment aligned with the candidate’s skillsets and the job itself? Does a candidate know if the organization aligns with them from an individual perspective? All those aspects help build up an amazing candidate experience.

Purposeful Work Is Fundamental to the FOW

The other aspect pertaining to the evolution of talent is purposeful work, which will shape the future of the workforce. It is a non-technological component of the Future of Work.

For many, work is a paycheck that puts food on the table for their family, helps pay for their children’s college, and funds vacations and other extra expenses. The concept of purposeful work fits into the idea of what we are doing with our lives. Is there a purpose behind the work that we’re doing? If we’re spending 10 to 12 hours (including commuting) at our places of employment, are we doing something that satisfies us as humans?

Purposeful work has become a crucial way to think about talent and the workforce. People want their work to be purposeful, which causes many to reevaluate where they are in life. They question what they’re doing with their lives. How are they working? Whom are they working for? How do they fit into the Great Resignation, or more appropriately, the Great Resettling? Many workers were either displaced or left voluntarily but will eventually resettle in some way. They may be doing more purposeful work by starting their own business or becoming an entrepreneur. Some become freelancers or contractors to suit a more flexible lifestyle.

Whatever the reason, purposeful work is going to shape the future of the workforce. This is an area that the Future of Work Exchange will always remain incredibly bullish on because it is a fundamental piece as humans to want to have a purpose in how we work.

The New Definition of “Team” in a Future Of Work-Led World

Business Leadership General Insights Talent Technology and Innovation by John Yuva on 10/27/2022

What does the concept of “team” mean for today’s remote and hybrid enterprises? Many workplaces now operate with dispersed teams. With the criticality of teamwork to execute company initiatives and projects, how teams function in the evolving Future of Work environment will likely have lasting implications on work culture and business success. Thus, it is imperative that organizations consider how their teams are designed and how collaboration occurs. Coupling team systematics with technologies that facilitate and encourage collaboration helps unify remote and in-person team members. Let’s take a closer look at what that means.

A Growth in Interdependence and Unity

The pandemic helped propel a shift in how employees work together and collaborate. With most people working from home for more than two years now, there was a need to almost over-communicate. Workers found themselves frequently video conferencing with team members whom they had only exchanged emails with in the past. Yet, despite the circumstances, teams accomplished their projects successfully and executed their goals.

A byproduct of this experience was greater team interdependence and cohesion. There was a feeling of “we’re all in this together” — a necessity for today’s dispersed teams post-pandemic. However, it is one thing when nearly everyone in the company is remote, compared to being one of a few working virtually. Without that sense of team interdependence and belonging, it can feel as if you’re working on an island. Companies and business leaders must recognize that the Future of Work means maintaining team unity regardless of where members are located.

So much of our work is team based. The pandemic already demonstrated that all-remote teams can be successful. Whether it’s remote or hybrid, we’re all individuals contributing to the collective success of the team. During an interview with Protocol Workplace, Kat Holmes, senior vice president of UX and product design at Salesforce, shared, “The way we reward employees or recognize employees is still very much built on this individual model of, ‘What impact did you have this quarter? What individual outcome did you accomplish?’

“The truth of it is, ‘Where did people contribute to you, and how did you contribute to other people’s success?’ That’s a shift that’s deeper than just the language of it. It’s really in framing what it means to be a successful team in a virtual environment,” Holmes said.

Bridge Remote and In-Person Team Members

How can teams build interdependence and unity among remote and hybrid team members? Here are a few ideas.

Schedule time when everyone meets. For many teams, especially those that are cross functional, it can be challenging to schedule meetings that work for everyone’s calendar. However, the opportunity to interact virtually and be visible cannot be understated. For large teams, strive for a once-per-month all-team meeting to communicate progress, challenges, and upcoming milestones. Recognize those contributors who went above and beyond to help the team achieve its goals. Smaller teams or those specific to certain aspects of a project or business unit are known to meet daily or weekly for briefings. Communication should be deliberate and concise to ensure discussions remain relevant and within the specified timeframe.
Meet in-person as a team or company. Having the opportunity to meet in-person with team members enhances that sense of connectedness. A Canadian company, for example, had several employees based in Phoenix. Those workers often met for in-person collaboration and activities. Another company that was fully remote held two staff retreats (for those employees located east and west of the Mississippi). The company paid for the flights and accommodations for all employees citing that in-person retreats were essential to unify workers and build community among the staff.
Decide on a communication system. Regardless of team size, it is important to have a hierarchy of how information is communicated and prioritized. Gregory Ciotti from Help Scout shared how the company prioritizes and communicates specific messages. When do you use Slack versus email? Quick messages with questions or project updates are done as a chat message in Slack. For questions that require a longer explanation or supporting material and are not time-sensitive are communicated through email. Any lengthy team updates regarding bi-weekly or monthly metrics are posted on Slack’s virtual bulletin board. The communication hierarchy ensures that inboxes are not overloaded and that critical information is not overlooked.
Spark spontaneity. One aspect of in-person interaction now gaining attention is that of social spontaneity. Serendipitous moments walking by a team member or meeting at the water cooler leading to insightful conversations are lost for remote employees. Or are they? In an interview with Sococo, Pilar Orti, director of the remote work training company Virtual, not Distant, promoted the idea of social rituals to build team culture. Whether it’s a virtual coffee break or lunch, or an activity where everyone participates is an opportunity to socialize and share ideas. “Having ideas and innovating are slightly different. We can have spontaneous idea generation,” Orti says. “The online world is much better for that than the co-located because you can have asynchronous online spaces where people can post their ideas as they come up.”
Choose technology tools that solve a business need. There are technologies for nearly every aspect of communication and collaboration. However, choose technology that solves your specific business need. For example, need a collaborative solution where all team members can track project progress and review associated files? Then Basecamp could be the answer. Looking for a video-sharing solution with collaborative tools? GoTo Meeting may be an option. Virtual whiteboards like MURAL bring remote and in-person team members together for innovative ideas.

The Future of Work movement dictates that teams are going to have distributed members that need a feeling of connection and belonging. Business leaders must recognize this fact or risk having an environment that lacks accountability and cohesion. Now is the time to design a team atmosphere with success as its cornerstone.

The Second Thing You Must Know About The Future of Work

Business Leadership Contingent Workforce Diversity and Inclusion General Insights HR Talent Technology and Innovation by John Yuva on 10/25/2022

In our second installment this week, we’ll be diving into the “first-mover advantage” and what that means for innovation and resiliency.

Adoption of Future of Work Accelerants

The number two must-know about the Future of Work is that the first-mover advantage (in this case, early adopters of Future of Work-era strategies and solutions) translates into urgency for innovation. During the scary early days of the pandemic, businesses were either struggling for survival…or were thriving. When we think about where we are today, let’s look at the organizations that adopted some of these Future of Work accelerants: they tapped into remote work, became more diverse and inclusive with their workforce and in their workplace, while also improving their workplace culture and overall work optimization strategies.

Businesses also embraced aspects like artificial intelligence and used their technology more expansively. For example, a Vendor Management System (VMS) wasn’t used just for requisitions, but also to build scenarios and leverage predictive analytics to scale the workforce and understand what could happen tomorrow based on today’s numbers. Doing so could lead to smarter and more educated and intelligent-led talent decisions. Thus, there is an urgency for innovation.

This is not simply about thriving, but surviving as well. Those businesses that have adopted some of these accelerants, whether they’re strategic or technology-led, are much more likely to thrive in the months ahead. The first-mover advantage sets these organizations up very nicely for the future.

Thrive Through Understanding and Embracement

The Future of Work Exchange’s architect, Christopher J. Dwyer, highlighted a discussion he had with a director of talent acquisition, who said it was easy for her company to transition to a remote workforce because it was already a hybrid workplace. The company took what it learned in pre-pandemic times over so many years that it was fairly simple to transition to remote work. It already leveraged both HR and contingent workforce technology and had those systems integrated, so it knew where its workers were across the globe — a company with approximately 300 global locations. She said the company had the capability to know who was working on what projects, where they were located, when their assignments ended, and what locations were being hit hard by a COVID-19 surge, which allowed them to react in real time. Speaking with her months later, said Dwyer, the company was thriving because of the lessons learned and its embrace of Future of Work accelerants during the early days of the pandemic.

This is not to say that a business struggling in 2020 couldn’t be thriving today. The first-mover advantage means that enterprises shouldn’t sit back and watch others pass them by in terms of what they’re adopting and embracing from Future of Work, innovation, and progression perspectives. What else is happening out there? What are their peers and competitors adopting from a technology perspective? How are their business leaders managing the workforce? How are they treating their workforce? Why are they losing talent to other organizations? Why are they getting hit harder by The Great Resignation than others?

The next economic recession will be unique because of existing inflation; however, many industries are doing well and thriving because of lessons learned and the collective trauma experienced over the last three years from the pandemic. During the next downturn, companies are likely to weather the storm much better because of the technology they’ve adopted and the new strategies they’ve embraced. The innovative thinking that comes from those decisions makes companies better suited to handle the challenges of today.

Flexibility Cannot be Underestimated

What does this mean for the workplace? In many respects, hybrid is the ideal workplace model because of the flexibility that workers crave. Obviously, many workers are unable to work remotely because of their job description. And, some businesses look at remote and hybrid work models with concerns about productivity and workforce control. However, time and time again, workers have proved that avoiding a 90-minute commute to and from work allows them to be more productive each day.

It also speaks to the flexibility of taking care of life events. The ability to go to the dentist or pick up a sick child from daycare or school can mean a great deal to workers. Workers are humans, not just numbers on a spreadsheet. It doesn’t matter if you’re a contractor that worked 4.5 hours or an employee who has been with the company for 40 years. These are not faceless workers. We are humans and humans crave flexibility. We want the ability to feel connected to the organization.

A famous CEO of the world’s largest search engine said that “the Future of Work is flexibility.” We’ve been saying this for a long time on FOWX and it’s true: the Future of Work is built on flexibility.

The Future of How We Work Includes…Naps?

Business Leadership General Insights by Christopher J. Dwyer on 10/24/2022

Raise your hand if you’ve experienced burnout at work sometime over the past year. Worker burnout (notice that it’s worker burnout, not just employee burnout; external workers face this issue, too) has become a critical issue in the new world of work, with more professionals than ever before dealing with overwrought anxiety, stress, and both mental and physical exhaustion from their careers.

A study by job board Indeed, released earlier this year, found that 52% of all workers are feeling burned out, which was a near-10% increase from a pre-COVID study. While this increase doesn’t seem like much on the surface, just imagine the cross-section of workers this represents in terms of sheer volume…that’s millions and millions of business professionals, blue-collar workers, white-collar workers, freelancers, contractors, gig workers, etc. that are currently mired in a burnout epidemic.

Too, Ardent Partners and Future of Work Exchange research found that 72% of executive leaders anticipate transforming the way they manage their teams by centering their understanding of workers’ perspectives, feelings, and, yes, stress and exhaustion. This shift in business thinking (a key element of the Future of Work movement) translates into leadership knowing that burnout has become an issue to tackle in an increasingly-evolving world of work.

Nearly two weeks ago, The New York Times ran a feature on Tricia Hersey, the so-called “Nap Bishop” who preaches the value of rest, recovery, and reflection on the human body…and mind.

“Thus the Nap Ministry was born, and Hersey anointed herself its Nap Bishop. She urges followers to use time they might otherwise devote to extra work to sleeping instead, the stretches they’d spend staring at a screen to staring into space. Tense moments given over to worry about disappointing others would be better spent reflecting on our own needs and comforts, Hersey said. It’s about collectively refusing to run ourselves into the ground.”

The most powerful statement in that excerpt? “Collectively refusing to run ourselves into the ground.” Too many of us (the vast majority of us, I would believe) work well past the 40-hour mark each week, dedicating ourselves to our craft, our professions, and our passions. And, just because something is a passion doesn’t mean it can’t burn us out. Even the best-fit, best-aligned roles that make us complete can also make us haggard and exhausted.

When I first read the feature on Hersey and her Nap Ministry, I was a tad confounded myself; after all, taking a snooze at 2pm in the afternoon when you’re supposed to be behind a laptop, on the surface, just seems wrong. And it’s here where Hershey just nails this idea of “rest as privilege”:

“Rest can also feel like a privilege, and many people tell Hersey they can’t afford to lie down when there are bills to pay. She acknowledges that many see walking away from obligations as unrealistic, but counters that devoting even one spare moment to rest is worthwhile, and a practice that can be built on over time.”

Burnout has become an epidemic within the workforce over the past several years, particularly over the last two-plus years due to more and more professionals spending more time in a remote environment, in which the boundaries between “work” and “personal life” are often blurred. Those workers that cannot operate in a remote environment have also been pushed beyond their limits with staffing shortages abound.

I’ve worked remotely for a number of years and decided to experiment a bit with Hersey’s teachings. All of last week, I incorporated more rest, reflection, and yes, naps, into my daily work routine:

Monday. An afternoon stacked with meetings and calls means I can’t sneak away for some shuteye during the second half of my work day. I decide to shut down my laptop for 45 minutes at 12pm, play some acoustic Smashing Pumpkins, and close my eyes. My alarm blares as I am in a deep dream state. Immediate insights: Don’t nap when you came home at 12:30am from a concert in the city (again, Smashing Pumpkins), still feel the effects of a COVID vaccine booster, and wake up at 6am to walk the dog. If my alarm didn’t ring, I could have slept for another few hours.
Tuesday. My day looks nearly as same as it did on Monday, with a heavier arsenal of meetings during the second half of the day. Without the aura of exhaustion that plagued Monday, I set an alarm for 3:57pm (three minutes before my 4pm meeting) and head for the quietness of the master bedroom at 2:45pm. Immediate insights: This one actually rejuvenated me and gave me enough of a boost to 1) get through the rest of my work day, 2) manage two overtired children for homework and dinner, and 3) be awake enough to catch up on some television with my wife.
Wednesday. This is a truer test for the power of naps, with meetings staggered throughout the day (every other hour beginning at 10am). I aim for a 30-minute snooze after lunch. Immediate insights: This was less a “nap” and more “reflection.” I didn’t truly all asleep, but the serenity of sitting on a comfortable bed with nothing but my thoughts helped me refocus on my breathing and thoughts. It was a nice addition to the work day.
Thursday. The calls are relentless today, as is my delivery schedule. I notice that my only real opening for rest (or reflection) is at 4pm. I take the opportunity to shut down the laptop a bit early, head to the master bedroom, and set a timer for 70 minutes. Immediate insights: This was, by far, the best nap all week thus far. I had enough energy to handle an extra hour of work while the kids did their homework. And, thanks to Freshly, I didn’t have to cook. And, Thursday Night Football (the entire game, for once) was a real possibility.
Friday. Some team meetings in the morning, as well as catching up with old friends in the MSP world. With (obviously) much work to do in a no-call afternoon, I consider skipping a period of rest and reflection today…but when I realize that the weekend ahead is filled with kids’ activities and sports, as well as some FOWX work to tackle, it bodes well for my body and mind to slow down and shut off my mind for a bit. Immediate insights: My final nap during this very, very interesting experiment is absolutely refreshing. Many of us feel exhausted on Friday afternoons, with that edge of burnout carrying into the weekend.

While most of my experiment revolved around naps during the workday, the underlying foundation of Hersey’s mission is not for all of us to shut down and sneak in a snooze, but rather truly rest and reflect during those chaotic hours in which we are toiling away as part of our professional personas. Replace any of the above naps with 45 or 60 minutes of self-reflection or mindfulness, and the result will be the same: some semblance of a solution to burnout in an era when it’s just too, too common. We are all very likely to open our laptops during non-work hours, so there shouldn’t be an issue with grabbing some rest or reflection (or just some quiet non-work time) during the business day.

Supporting the Future of Work Through Innovative Technology

Direct Sourcing General Insights HR Solution Providers Talent Technology and Innovation by John Yuva on 10/20/2022

One of the defining characteristics of the Future of Work is digitization. Enterprises are now operating with more remote and hybrid workplaces. Thus, technology is imperative to a cohesive and efficient workforce. What this means for the individual employee is more daily immersion in various technological platforms and solutions. Upskilling will be a critical aspect for workers as they harness more advanced technologies to communicate, collaborate, and execute their roles.

Digital employee experience (DEX) is a term that describes how effective workers are in using digital tools. DEX is a growing area of interest as companies adopt a plethora of digital tools to augment their dispersed workforces. Companies want to ensure the tools they have integrated into the workplace are intuitive and enhance worker productivity.

Tom Haak, director at the HR Trend Institute, says, “Technology offers enormous opportunities to improve the life of people in and around organizations. In HR, the focus is still too much on control and process improvement, not enough on really improving the employee experience.”

Today, with remote and in-person workers, enterprises must bridge those two environments and focus on technologies that both attract and retain workers regardless of where they work. Technology that supports the Future of Work comes in a variety of forms. Often, artificial intelligence (AI) permeates many digital solutions, providing automated processes and data outputs for better workforce decision-making.

Throughout the remainder of the year, the Future of Work Exchange will be highlighting several technologies from blockchain to e-wallets, and how they impact Future of Work strategies. However, the following are technologies that business leaders and employees are using now and, in the future, to enhance the DEX and drive workplace efficiency and community.

Communication and collaboration. The COVID-19 pandemic put communication and collaboration to the ultimate test. Enterprises and employees experienced first-hand the potential of digital communication as they grew accustomed to using Zoom, Slack, and Microsoft Teams. These platforms proved that remote work could, in fact, be accomplished with the same productive and strategic outcomes as in-person work models. It is one of the major reasons why remote and hybrid workforce options were embraced by enterprises post-pandemic.

There are several communication and collaborative tools to serve the enterprise and its remote and in-person workforce. Basecamp provides both a communication and collaborative platform to keep projects on schedule and lines of communication open. Trello also makes project management run smoothly regardless of where an employee is based.

Beyond these more common collaborative solutions, companies are utilizing chatbots for internal use for collaborative purposes and employee support. ServiceNOW, for example, offers its Virtual Agent solution to bring people to the same collaborative workspace or provide answers to employee questions.

Another evolving collaborative offering is the virtual whiteboard for use during company and team meetings. Companies such as Miro, MURAL, and Stormboard provide effective tools for diagramming and presenting in real time.

Big data (predictive and people analytics). Volumes of data flood enterprises from a variety of sources. For HR and other business leaders, big data is crucial to their Future of Work strategies, generating analytics across the talent acquisition and talent management landscape. Predictive analytics, for example, will grow as a key component of direct sourcing initiatives to curate a pipeline of potential job candidates.

According to a post on the Future of Work Exchange (FOWX), “While predictive analytics are not commonplace today, soon, a majority of enterprises will look to scenario-building as a way to enhance overall talent intelligence. Predictive analytics, in this realm, will augment the organization’s overall knowledge of its in-house skills as well as the expertise available externally (across all talent communities, including talent pools).”

Where predictive analytics will help prepare the enterprise for its future talent needs, people analytics are necessary to understand how employees are embracing digital tools and applications. Are shared applications being utilized by the workforce? Is there participation in virtual workspaces? What are employee sentiments around an enterprise’s digital transformation? People analytics help answer these questions and provide key insights into employee productivity, well-being, and digital adoption.

Virtual reality. In a previous post, FOWX explored the possibilities of the metaverse. Virtual reality will stretch the limits of employee interaction and community. Virtual workspaces where employee avatars can converse and strategize are likely to come to fruition in the coming years. It levels the playing field for remote and in-person employees by creating a setting for everyone regardless of location.

Artificial intelligence is also a major piece of the virtual reality offering. Currently, employees can create an avatar to complete repetitive tasks using AI or communicate with customers to answer product questions. As technology advances, the potential influence of virtual reality on the Future of Work will only increase. Today’s chatbots are just the beginning of how enterprises can leverage the virtual world and bridge humans with AI.

Just as the Future of Work evolves, so too will the technologies that support it. There are dozens of software applications on the horizon to benefit business leaders and their employees. Explore the options and how they align with your workforce strategy.

The First Thing You Must Know About the Future of Work

Business Leadership Contingent Workforce Direct Sourcing Events General Insights Talent Talent Acquisition Technology and Innovation by John Yuva on 10/17/2022

The Future of Work Exchange (FOWX) and Ardent Partners recently hosted their complimentary webinar, The Five Things You MUST KNOW About the Future of Work, which discussed the critical capabilities that enterprises can unlock to truly optimize the way they address talent acquisition, extended workforce management, and, most importantly, work optimization. Over the next five weeks, we’ll be recapping each of the five things discussed during the event. In our first installment this week, we’ll be diving into the evolution of talent and the ever-present phrase, “The Future of Work.”

The Evolution of Talent and Talent Acquisition

When it comes to the Future of Work, one of the first things to know is the evolution of talent and talent acquisition. And this idea of the “evolution of talent” can be ambiguous. Talent is always evolving and has been for a long time. The way that businesses perceive their talent is also evolving. And, the way that those businesses get connected to talent, and vice versa, continues to evolve. It’s also being innovated through technology and new strategies and new programs.

The fact is nearly half of our workforce today is comprised of extended workers or contingent workers. We have aspects like direct sourcing and digital staffing that are making it much easier for businesses to find the talent they need to get work done to address those mission-critical projects and fill the appropriate roles. FOWX and Ardent research has been focused historically on the extended workforce and contingent workforce, but we’re talking about all types of talent.

Thus, talent acquisition as a function and as a series of processes has also progressed. We need to consider aspects like the candidate experience, and the way that our culture and our brand attract new talent into our organization. Many business leaders think of the Future of Work as being centered around technology, revolving around the idea that technology drives the Future of Work. And we wouldn’t necessarily disagree with that; technology is a critical piece. And for some aspects and attributes of the Future of Work, technology and innovation are the nexus of those areas.

Technology is a Future of Work Centerpiece

Talent and the growth of the extended workforce represent the first leg of the stool with such things as diversity and candidate experience, but also digital staffing, direct sourcing, online talent marketplaces, and core workforce management solutions (such as MSPs and VMS platforms) These technologies are helping us to redefine the way we think about work. We’re living in a world where even though we don’t want to hear the word “pandemic” anymore, the pandemic really did shape what we think about the Future of Work.

It’s really critical to think about aspects like remote work and the technologies that support a hybrid workplace and how we leverage digital workspaces, digitization, and the idea of the digital enterprise, all rolling up into this notion of digital transformation. New technology and innovation are not the totality of the Future of Work, but certainly a centerpiece of it. And when we look at the transformation of business leadership, we often juxtapose this with business transformation or business leadership transformation, as well. It is leadership that dictates strategy, it dictates vision, and it dictates culture. And by proxy, we transform the way business leadership manages itself, manages its workforce, and how it expands its power and control over the organization.

Thus, the transparent transformation of business leadership is really critical, and honestly has nothing to do with technology. It all revolves around aspects like conscious leadership, empathetic leadership, empathy at work, and flexibility — thinking about how we lead in very new and different ways. It’s turning on its head the idea that “the boss” is always this very strict person who’s known for rigidity in how he or she perceives and manages the workforce. Business leaders are transitioning to be more flexible in their thinking. When you combine all these aspects together, that’s the future of work and the view of the Future of Work Exchange and Ardent Partners as well.

Ever-Present Future of Work

Thus, the “Future of Work” phrase is ever-present. It’s everywhere. Back when our FOWX architect, Christopher J. Dwyer, started using this phrase in 2013/2014, there weren’t many others using it. Today, we see so many conferences named “The Future of Work” as well as many websites and research studies. But unlike a lot of phrases that are hot today, it’s anything but hype. It really is this idea of permanence. Much of the change that we’ve gone through as people, as leaders, as workers, and as businesses, it’s not hype…nor is it a fad. The Future of Work is permanence. It’s not going to fade from view.

Future of Work “accelerants” that were once seedlings to the world of work and talent are now table stakes. Remote work, for example, is not new. Many of us have been working in a remote or hybrid workplace for most of our careers. And there are many others who have done so, as well. But for some business leaders and workers, it’s a very new aspect of their daily work lives.

The “Future of Work” phrase is ubiquitous. It’s an omnipresent way of looking at the current and future state of work. We are now focused on how we can improve the way we get work done, the way we manage talent, the way we engage talent, and the way that we treat our workforce. But we’re also thinking about tomorrow and the ways we’re going to get work done depending on several factors, including the economy, politics, global markets, and other aspects that could change the business arena.

General Insights

Digital Credentials Provide Talent Visibility, Skill Recognition

RTO Mandates Lead to Hushed Hybrid Trend

Artificial Intelligence Mitigates Unconscious Bias in Hiring

Direct Sourcing Gains an Assist with Chatbots

Value of Artificial Intelligence Delivers for Human Resources

A New Era for the Future of Work Exchange