Empathy Archives - The Future of Work Exchange

Little League Lessons: What I Learned About Business Leadership from Coaching Summer Baseball

Business Leadership by Christopher J. Dwyer on 08/21/2023

My son is seven-and-a-half years old and is the epitome of a precocious, active boy: he loves playing, watching, and consuming sports of all kinds. For the three years he’s been involved in community and school sports, I’ve always been a spectator from the sidelines. When the opportunity arose to coach one team of a four-team summer baseball league, I jumped.

I’ve been a part of the corporate world for nearly 20 years. From my earliest days in the world of spend and supplier management (and accounts payable!) to covering the burgeoning evolution of the contingent workforce and, of course, the Future of Work, there are many, many (many!) lessons I’ve learned along the way in regards to business leadership.

I’ve coached, led, and advised teams for nearly two decades. And I’m pretty sure that there are things I learned from two-and-a-half months of coaching little league baseball that escaped me all of these years. Sure, it was absolutely an exercise in patience, considering that 13 or 14 would-be second-graders aren’t always a particularly calm bunch at 5:30pm on summer nights. Rowdiness aside, the experience taught me a few things that are valuable from a business leadership perspective, including:

Empathy should be the foundation of all leadership styles, no matter the size or scope of a team, unit, etc. The power of empathy-led leadership is a force to be reckoned with. When leaders take the time to truly grasp the motivations, strengths, and struggles of each team member, the results are nothing short of amazing. This empathetic approach goes beyond the surface, delving into the realm of real human connection. As a result, individual potential is not only unlocked but also nurtured in an environment that values each person’s unique contributions. The impact? A team that doesn’t just function, but thrives on collaboration and innovation. In the business world, this results in workers that feel truly understood and valued…and more likely to bring their authentic self to the table. This breeds a culture of trust, where open dialogue and creative problem-solving become second nature. It’s this synergy that propels teams to new heights.
Leaders lead in how they act (not just how they speak). Actions, after all, are the tangible manifestations of intent. Just as my kids observed my leadership through intentional coaching, such as helping players with the follow-through of their swings and assisting them with understanding the mechanics of fielding, they also observed me “playing” the game alongside them. I pitched to them and consistently coached them on how to approach hitting. I cycled around the field, shifting to each position as the ball was in play and showing fielders how to handle groundballs, flyballs, etc. Business leaders must rethink their strategies to facilitate more hands-on teaching and support; a worker is likely to be more engaged with leadership if said leaders are joining them in operations and enterprise processes; “acting,” in this sense, enhances the overall impact of a leader’s words.
“Cheerleading” is a hallmark of leaders who care. Kids are more impressionable than adults, for sure. They are often tuned into the body language of parents, relatives, and other adults; thus, it is critical to maintain a positive, optimistic, and engaging attitude. When a player made an outstanding catch, I made sure to comment in the moment and when we were in the dugout. Kids who struggled at the beginning of the season were mashing singles and doubles by the season’s end, and I made sure to compliment their approach and dedication. Sure, it was great for a smile in knowing that kids (at this age, particularly) thrive on positivity from those adults that are in mentorship positions. However, I noticed something critical just a few weeks into the season: my players reacted mightily to my “cheerleading” and phrases like, “There you go, kid!” and “Nice play!” and high-fives and fist-bumps. They acted more engaged in the game and the cheerleading was somewhat contagious, as the more I cheered and complimented them, the more likely they were to do the same for each other as teammates.

From the little league field to the corporate world, the core of leadership remains constant: authenticity. Just as coaching young players requires genuine guidance, effective leadership in business thrives on real connections and real emotion. The parallels between nurturing potential, fostering inclusivity, and driving collaboration are vivid. Whether we’re talking little league or the contemporary enterprise, true leadership seamlessly weaves together emotion, action, genuine empathy, and unwavering support, creating a tapestry that fosters growth and drives success.

Removing Limitations is the True Future of Work

Business Leadership by Christopher J. Dwyer on 06/22/2023

“When a man has put a limit on what he will do, he has put a limit on what he can do.” —Charles M. Schwab

There is something to be said about the personal effects of removing “limitations” on ourselves as people and as professionals. In order for us to truly thrive, we have to leverage rationale that doesn’t limit us in any way. We must be open to new ways of thinking that can change our lives for the better, and this often starts (or should start) with embracing change in all of its forms.

If there’s anything that the business arena learned in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s that change is not always a choice. Seemingly overnight, life was halted in ways we could have never imagined. Entire sports seasons were delayed and postponed, businesses were shuttered, and concepts like “lockdowns” and “social distancing” became part of everyday vernacular (as did facial coverings in any type of public setting).

As humans, we adapted, we changed, and we persevered. Although times were frightening and the ambiguity of those days are memories we will unfortunately never forget, many of us saw our fundamental beliefs change in such a way that allowed us to foster better connections with ourselves and each other.

As people, we became more in tune with our emotions, routines, and purpose. As professionals, we now continue to become more aware of our emotions, routines, and…purpose. Sense a pattern? “Purpose” was a fundamental reason why the so-called “Great Resignation” persisted for such a long time. If “work” was such a critical piece of our foundation, then the reevaluation of its place in our lives was amped more than ever so before. Unhappiness, a lack of flexibility, and a lack of true purpose were all limitations that needed to be broken through.

We changed as humans, and thus, we changed as professionals. Through either choice or evolution, we removed limitations on ourselves to optimize our personas.

Enterprises must follow the same approach if they want to thrive in this dynamic new business arena. Archaic thinking threatens the very success of the average organization, be it through a lack of flexibility, failure to adopt new work models, and a general ignorance of innovative technology. Some business leaders are rooted in pre-pandemic thinking, with a belief that now that the emergency phase of the crisis is over, it is time to return to the ways of 2019.

As the Future of Work Exchange once stated months ago: we’re not going back. Not now, not ever.

To think that there is some semblance of years past in 2023 in beyond is, frankly, disengenuous. It speaks to a possible fear of the future, that progression somehow means that business will enter an era of chaos. In some ways, thinking archaically is akin to a level of comfort, a warm and fuzzy feeling that’s synonymous with “easier” times that weren’t founded on uncertainty and change. If we think like it’s 2019, does that mean that the world around us will look, feel, and act like 2019?

Well, no, of course not. 2019 thinking is old thinking, and old thinking is a limitation. And, limitations are essentially barriers to innovation. The workforce is changing. The workplace continues to change. Workers themselves continue to change. Technology is evolving, as is its role and impact on every feature of the modern organization. All of this means that leadership needs to change, as well. We must embrace the transformation around us, be it open talent, blockchain, digital staffing, flexible and empathy-led leadership styles, etc.

There is so much that can be done in today’s dynamic world of work, whether it’s applying artificial intelligence to both tactical and strategic attributes (i.e., scenario-building, predictive analytics, etc.), developing new and exciting work models that promote real workplace flexibility (such as remote work, hybrid workplaces, or even introducing the metaverse to business operations), or revamping the ways the greater business engages and acquires talent (i.e., direct sourcing, omni-channel talent acquisition, etc.). The Future of Work Exchange has often stated that “the transformation of business thinking” is a fundamental component of the Future of Work movement; in essence, the pandemic challenged the ways businesses ran and forced them to reimagine nearly every facet of how they operated.

Although the pandemic was a humanitarian crisis that caused untold loss and disruption, it resulted in an opportunity for businesses to “reset” and rethink the ways they operate and address how work is done. Many attributes of the progressive enterprise were accelerated, enabling a chance to experiment with technology and innovative strategies, as well as push the boundaries of what was possible in regards to the flexible (and agile) workplace and workforce. Many business leaders claimed this opportunity to reimagine what was possible in a corporate setting, but many did not…an all-too-common result of the weight of limitations on leadership’s thinking.

The Future of Work is a movement that is founded on flexibility, innovation, and business transformation. It thrives on new ideas and fresh concepts. Right now is an opportunity for business leaders to remove limitations from their thinking and develop the next-generation workplace (and, of course, workforce) that can take the enterprise into a new dimension.

What’s The Deal With Virtual Layoffs?

Business Leadership by Christopher J. Dwyer on 04/24/2023

Try not to read that title aloud in a Jerry Seinfeld voice.

There’s no denying that recessionary fears are resulting in sometimes necessary cost-cutting strategies for businesses across the globe. And there’s no way around budgetary concerns when the economy is still at an unsettled point only three-and-a-half months into 2023. Layoffs are an unfortunate attribute of the corporate arena, in which headcount is reduced in mass quantities as a result of poor performance, market conditions (like we’re experiencing today), a global health crisis (hello, pandemic), and a slew of other reasons.

The world’s biggest and most popular fast-food chain will always weather whatever storm they face, but even McDonald’s has limitations on how they can operate in an uncertain economic climate. Alongside global organizations like Amazon, Goldman Sachs, Meta, Google, etc., the golden arches now faces their turn in the “let’s reduce headcount to save dough” game that so many other enterprises have faced over the past several months.

While layoffs can be heartbreaking and disruptive, they are a cost of business. No one would fault McDonald’s or any other large global entity for slashing their workforce in 2023’s rocky economic road. However, there’s a very, very fine line between a layoff and cruelty…a line that McDonald’s crossed just this past week.

We’re not lovin’ this. At all.

As stated above, yeah, layoffs sometimes need to occur for a business to move forward. Especially in the world we’re living in today. Although costs need to be front-and-center, there’s a right way to conduct layoffs and a completely, erratically wrong way to do so. Guess which way McDonald’s chose?

As reported by The Wall Street Journal:

“In an internal email last week, McDonald’s told U.S. employees and some international staff that they should work from home from Monday through Wednesday so the company could deliver staffing decisions virtually. McDonald’s asked employees to cancel all in-person meetings with vendors and other outside parties at its headquarters.”

McDonald’s U.S. employees were told to work from home for three days and await word on whether or not they would be laid off. Imagine working on a critical project for the fast-food giant; a worker now has the normal, everyday stress of their position while also anxiously anticipating word on whether that position would be cut.

Would anyone be surprised to take a peek at the productivity numbers for those three workdays and notice something off? Ardent Partners and Future of Work Exchange research has found that nearly 75% of businesses are currently experiencing workplace culture issues due to worker anxiety related to economic conditions. And this sentiment was in place before the McDonald’s anti-Future of Work, apathetic display earlier this month. Asking employees to work from home and await a catastrophic decision acutely contributes to this anxiety.

On top of all of this, McDonald’s rolled out sweeping cost-cutting measures (even as the company continues to herald new store openings across the world) such “allowing” employees to keep their jobs with reduced compensation and less bonuses and equity awards. Part of this restructuring also included changes of titles across the organization.

The bottom-line for all of this is all too clear: virtual layoffs, for some organizations, may be a necessity given available resources, however, this is still an area that flies in the face of our Future of Work movement…especially in an age when the candidate experience and the worker experience are supposed to be paramount.

Some may feel that organizations have no choice to deliver layoff news virtually because it’s part of the way we work today, maybe considered a dark side to the remote work boom. Others believe that life-changing news, particularly layoffs, should happen in-person as part of face-to-face meetings.

What’s missing in all of this is the human factor, that sense of empathy and emotional understanding that was such a positive outcome from working under pandemic conditions. Employees will have questions about severance, equipment, and other aspects of their roles; at their core, layoffs are very, very personal conversations that should not occur in a mass environment, let alone virtually.

McDonald’s will unfortunately join fellow corporate giants such as PepsiCo, Twitter, and Google as household brands that drew ire from the world of work for their emotionally-absent layoff methods. Layoffs are a woeful but necessary piece of business today and always, however, they are made much worse when the human factor is completely erased from the process.

Five Ways Business Leadership Is Evolving

Business Leadership by Christopher J. Dwyer on 03/21/2023

The Future of Work is built on transformation. When enterprise rethink and reimagine the ways they get work done, innovation becomes the nexus of business operations. The Future of Work Exchange has long defined the Future of Work movement to include three major pillars: 1) the evolution of talent acquisition and talent engagement, 2) the impact and utilization of new technology and innovation, and, 3) the transformation of business leadership.

That third pillar has been critically important over the past several years, especially as many organizations have “rebooted” their operations in the wake of a global health crisis, a newfound focus on “humanity,” and the need to be more talent-oriented to thrive during uncertain times. With this in mind, Ardent Partners and the Future of Work Exchange has developed the below infographic, Five Ways Business Leadership Is Evolving.

Remote Work, Flexibility, and Trust

Business Leadership by Christopher J. Dwyer on 01/30/2023

Stop me if you’ve heard this idea before: a grizzled executive decides that remote work was just a fad and it’s time for all workers to return to the office. He or she believes that the pandemic was an anomaly and any changes associated with corporate operations because the crisis was meant to stay within the confines of this short, confusing, and challenging era.

These are the CEOs and executive leaders that made news throughout 2021 and 2022 by saying, collectively, “It’s time to go back (to the office).” These are the leaders, many of whom control very large and household brands, that still believe that most, if not all, necessary collaboration between workers must happen within the physical presence of an office.

It seems that James Gorman, CEO of financial giant Morgan Stanley, fits squarely into this bucket. “They don’t get to choose their compensation, they don’t get to choose their promotion, they don’t get to choose to stay home five days a week,” he said in an interview with Bloomberg while in Davos. “I want them with other employees at least three or four days.”

BEST OF 2022: The “Heart” of Workplace Culture

Business Leadership by Christopher J. Dwyer on 12/29/2022

[The Future of Work Exchange will be back next week with all-new content and insights to kick off the new year. Until then, enjoy our “Best Of” series that revisits some of our most-read articles from 2022.]

Earlier this year, the Future of Work Exchange featured a piece that discussed why the Future of Work movement required more humanity:

“This is where the “human element” enters the picture. Today’s business leaders don’t have to wrap every one of their approaches in a sheen of empathy, they just need to integrate more humanity into how they manage and structure their workforce, as well as how the overall enterprise gets work done. This transformative strategy towards leadership requires a bit of “reimagination” and a dedication to emotions and being purposeful with those emotions.”

Today’s business leaders have been bombarded with recommendations from both sides of the Future of Work coin, feeling they must improve their technology utilization and acumen and enhance they way they manage and lead. It’s the type of pressure that can be too much to bear, especially considering that 1) we’re still in the midst of a pandemic, 2) there’s a war raging on the other side of the world that is both a humanitarian and economic crisis, 3) supply chain disruptions are still the norm, and, of course, 4) a tight and competitive labor market is one giant staffing nightmare (hello, Great Resettling!).

But, the truth is this: no matter how much like it feels we’ve returned to “normal” in some aspects of our lives (back to concerts? Movies? Restaurants?), the business arena is one that will forever be altered by the many Future of Work accelerants that transformed it over the past near-26 months. And it cannot be said loudly enough: the workplace itself has changed and must continue to change in the months ahead.

There’s a “heart” in the center of every organization, one that beats in tune with the way the enterprise treats its workforce, partners, suppliers, and customers. A once-in-a-lifetime pandemic forced us, as people, to give more heart to ourselves and each other. We’ve seen this in parallel with many businesses around the world…but there are too many out there that haven’t bought into this concept. The Future of Work, in 2022, is about empathy. It’s about emotional intelligence. It’s about the humanity within ourselves, our leadership, and our workforce. It’s about the way we treat each other when things are great…and when things aren’t so great.

That beating heart at the center is reflected in workplace culture. It’s reinforced by the way leaders allow staff the flexibility they need to get work done and be normal, functioning humans, parents, caregivers. We’ve talked about conscious leadership, empathy-led leadership, and other non-technological shifts that have welcomed the Future of Work into businesses across the world. The best workplace cultures are ones that prioritize enterprise values and support “beyond-perk” attributes for their staff, such as hybrid work models, true flexibility, and behaviors that reflect corporate, ethical, and social responsibility.

The heart of workplace culture must pump with purpose, fueling both leaders and workers alike with a sense of inclusion, diversity, and wellbeing. These non-technological attributes, when combined, form the foundation of a corporate culture that is appealing to new and existing workers, helping to redefine talent retention. And, critically, in a business arena in which approximately 43%-to-47% of talent operates remotely (according to Ardent Partners and Future of Work Exchange research), the permeation of a positive and human workplace culture means that even staff that aren’t in the physical location will benefit from this major shift in business leadership and corporate transformation.

BEST OF 2022: Flexibility Is a Catalyst for the Next Great Iteration of the Workplace

Business Leadership by Christopher J. Dwyer on 12/27/2022

There’s enough discussion around the technological components of the Future of Work movement: artificial intelligence, machine learning, blockchain, digital staffing, etc. While “innovation” in and of itself is one of the three major foundational legs of the Future of Work (the other two being “the evolution of talent” and “the transformation of business thinking”), there’s so much more to the very notion of work optimization than just automation and new technology.

As we’ve learned over the past two-plus years, the workplace itself has become a living, breathing entity that has the power to determine the overall productivity of a business, and, more importantly, how emotionally tethered the workforce is to the greater organization. For the record, it’s not just a matter if or when a business offers remote or hybrid work options, but rather how deeply rooted flexibility truly is within all facets of how work is done and how the workforce is ultimately managed.

Now would be the best time to bring up the annoying factor in every business-related conversation: “The Great Resignation” continues unabated, sparked by a veritable “Talent Revolution” that has restructured the way workers perceive their jobs, roles, and career paths. The very concept of flexibility is not just a “perk” for talent; it’s become a determining factor in whether or not a professional chooses to remain with an enterprise or search for greener pastures.

From here, flexibility is catalyst for the next great iteration of the workplace. There are undeniable roots from the larger idea of flexibility, including empathy-led leadership (more flexibility in how leaders lead), leveraging new models to get work done (distributed teams, new functional collaboration, etc.), more humanity within the fabric of the workplace, and, of course, more malleability in where workers work (remote work, hybrid workplace, etc.).

And, when we bring up this idea of “flexibility,” it doesn’t just translate into specific aspects of the workplace, but rather all of them. That’s right: the next iteration of the workplace centers on how work is done rather than on archaic principles of control and authority, including:

Promoting an inclusive workplace that welcomes and values all voices, no matter their differences, disabilities, etc.
Relying on empathy-led and conscious leadership that takes into account worker emotions and perceptions.
Offering various outlets of paid leave (maternity, paternity, wellness, etc.).
Embracing flexible work models, including fresh takes on shift-based work, four-day work-weeks, collaborative-led schedules, etc.
Supporting remote and hybrid work options (including offering proper hardware, software, leadership support, etc.).
Augmenting these remote and hybrid models with digital workspaces.
Measuring both employee engagement and productivity, and;
Detailing flexible work options within new job requisitions (to attract talent).

BEST OF 2022: The Future of Work Needs More Humanity

Business Leadership by Christopher J. Dwyer on 12/26/2022

I remember speaking with a Fortune 500 executive sometime around April 2020 during those scary, early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. We chatted about her staff, the quick move to getting more of the workforce into remote environments, and the uncertain future ahead. What struck me most about the conversation, however, wasn’t the strategic approaches towards managing during uncertain times…it was her attitude.

“All I want my team to know is that I am here for them. The rest of the leadership team is also ready to support them as we go through this period together. Whatever they need from us, be it time with family, more flexibility…whatever struggles they may encounter, we will help them get through that.”

Some leaders are naturally gifted with empathy; those executives were the ones that successfully led their teams through the most tumultuous business period since The Great Recession of 2008-2009. Effective leadership over the past two years has involved shouldering a mental health load of numerous colleagues, when execs played the role of counselor and confidante to those workers that needed support. As times became better and as businesses moved more towards a “living with the virus” mentality, business leaders found that long-term empathy could be emotionally draining, considering that there were hundreds of other tasks and responsibilities that required their energy in an increasingly-globalized and complex enterprise landscape.

That doesn’t mean that empathy goes out the window, though. We’ve come too far to see a natural and beneficial by-product of the past two years lost in the newfound optimism that declining COVID caseloads and fewer restrictions brought about as of late. It does mean this, though: the Future of Work not only needs more humanity, it requires human-led tenets to underpin how work gets done.

The downside to empathetic leadership is that executives feel what their workers feel, and when too many instances of on-demand support pop up, these leaders risk burnout. A psychologist I spoke with told me this: “Experiencing empathy in the workplace is by far a positive development, however, just as we as ordinary people can become overwhelmed with a range of emotions by supporting others, this too can occur in the business arena. As leaders start to see their operations shift a little bit with encouraging conditions, they can still offer “modes” of empathetic support without it becoming a central focus of their overall leadership strategy.”

This is where the “human element” enters the picture. Today’s business leaders don’t have to wrap every one of their approaches in a sheen of empathy, they just need to integrate more humanity into how they manage and structure their workforce, as well as how the overall enterprise gets work done. This transformative strategy towards leadership requires a bit of “reimagination” and a dedication to emotions and being purposeful with those emotions.

The backdrop to The Great Resignation is a “Talent Revolution” in which millions of workers are voluntarily quitting their jobs due to the multi-faceted desire for more: more purpose, more career advancement, more work-life integration, and yes, more empathy and compassion. Leaders sit in an interesting position at this point in 2022; they have been drained of that empathy and are facing burnout along with their short-staffed workforce. The best strategy, after two years of balancing emotions and operations, is to understand that the wide spectrum of next-generation leadership begins with understanding the perspectives of workers, feeling what they feel, and using that knowledge to guide decisions and support.

What is needed now is an integration of humanity and work optimization, bringing together the emotional elements that define great leadership and an inclusive, positive workplace culture. Compassion and empathy are the cornerstones of the human-led elements of the Future of Work movement, and, if leaders can adapt to changing times and shift their thinking to include these attributes in how they manage, they will not only curb the negative ramifications of The Great Resignation, but will also ensure that their workforce remains engaged.

Conscious Leadership as a Future of Work Transformation Attribute

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

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 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.

The Five Things Driving the Future of Work (Right Now)

Business Leadership by Christopher J. Dwyer on 08/23/2022

If you take a step back and say the words aloud (like I do dozens of times a day), it seems quite weird: the “Future of Work” is about the future, but it also revolves around the present, right? So, when we discuss the Future of Work, we’re essentially discussing the continuous optimization of work through current progressions and how it will evolve over the coming months and years.

And the most interesting idea around the Future of Work movement is that there are so many attributes of work, talent, technology, and business leadership that serve as real-time accelerants and harbingers of things to come.

Here are the five things the Future of Work Exchange believes are driving this moment today (and will drive tomorrow):

The “human” elements of work and talent. From pandemic-driven anxiety and the desire for more purposeful work, today’s business professionals crave more than just a paycheck. These workers truly require an emotional connect with their work in such a way that it solves both the work-life integration problem and allows them some semblance of flexibility in both their personal and professional lives.
Direct sourcing’s continued impact on talent engagement and talent acquisition. Many large-scale enterprises have begun “reactive layoffs” in anticipation for a possible recession. However, as many news outlets would note, there are more job openings right now than there are job seekers. This weird labor market translates into the need for businesses to harness the power of talent pools, talent communities, and talent clouds to essentially overcome the rigidity of engaging and acquiring talent through traditional means.
The transformation of business leadership. This item has long been a foundational element of the Future of Work movement; however, the way leaders lead has been continually evolving since Day One of the pandemic. There is, of course, the notion of conscious leadership and being in-tune with the workforce. And, on top of that, especially today, business leaders must fuse empathy and flexibility into their strategies. They must contend with the remote vs. in-office conundrum, the specter of a recession, and applying the best talent retention strategies to their talent. Transformation, in this case, isn’t a one-shot alteration.
Artificial intelligence drives decision-making. AI can be considered “vaporware” to some executive leaders, however, many of the prominent solutions in the workforce technology industry provide real-deal AI to help procurement, HR, and talent acquisition leaders understand the best-fit talent for a role, how their workforce will look given current economic trajectories, and support DE&I initiatives, as well as fuel enhanced candidate screening and candidate assessment.
The strategic application of new and innovative work models. Worker-led work structures. Digital collaboration augmented by infrequent in-person meetings. AI-fueled process management. Consumerized capabilities across core enterprise functions. An enhanced hiring manager experience. Developing a path to total talent acquisition (and then, perhaps, total workforce management?). The reimagination of worker productivity. These are all innovative ways of rethinking the boundaries of how work gets done, and, true extensions of the Future of Work movement.