The Future of Work means many things to many people. Some may position technology as the front-and-center nexus of all things related to the Future of Work movement, while others will point to the evolution of robotics and artificial intelligence as a harbinger of how work will be done in a nebulous future state of business.

If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that the way we now get work done is dependent on access to the tools and technology necessary for total interconnectivity and on-demand collaboration. There should be no more silos of innovation, but rather a free-flow of ideas and insights that permeate a “open” and automated realm from which to strategize the way projects, operations, product development, manufacturing, etc. are executed.

No matter how far we traverse into the ether of technology, however, the Future of Work always comes back to one thing: the people. The workers. The professionals. The leaders. The expertise. The skillsets. The humans.

If we just take a step back, the answers are vividly clear. Why did the Future of Work and its accelerants sweep through the world over the past two years? Because of the human elements of work and the workforce, of course. Consider that:

• The so-called “Great Resignation” happened (and is continuing to happen in some form) because of a human-led desire for flexibility and better working conditions.
• That need for flexibility is a driven by a human-level need for a better balance between personal life and professional life.
• The concepts of remote work and the hybrid workplace reside firmly in the greater need for businesses to support the human elements of the workforce while boosting productivity and attempting to curb burnout.
• The very idea of “open talent” was catalyzed by the need to address skills deficiencies with agile talent…especially extended labor that is tethered to socially “open” concepts of working and collaborating.
• The value of an empathy-led, inclusive workplace culture has sparked business leaders to lead with a nurturing touch that, of course, takes into context the fact that workers are human.
• The role of purpose (and purposeful work) are perhaps the most critical drivers of the Future of Work today, with enterprises focusing on passionate and talented individuals who prioritize the ways their work contributes to something greater in their lives and aligns with their overall human journey.

The great revolution of talent and work is upon us. Technology, artificial intelligence, and innovative tools with surely lead and direct us, but is is the people, the humans, that spark the real Future of Work.