Do Your Employees Feel Seen and Valued?
This week marks a huge milestone for me as my son turned four. I was able to take the day off and arrange my schedule before and after the big day for related errands.
Listening to this week's Future Work episode with Gallup Chief Scientist Jim Harter, it's classical "Blender" behavior – mixing work and life rather than "Splitting" time.
I know this is a huge privilege, as many are forced back into offices (see last week's story.) This, while half of employees haven't even had a conversation about when and why they should be back, according to Harter.
As we talk about the evolution of work, how do we create environments that not only drive progress but also allow people to savor their moments—be it with family or as part of a team?
This week’s insights explore how gratitude, effective communication, and celebrating milestones (big and small) can drive meaningful impact in our workplaces.
Here’s to building a future of work that makes room for life! 🎉
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FEATURED PODCAST
ADP highlights employee experience and well-being as ongoing business priorities, identifying them as one of six key parameters to help HR build a strong foundation in the evolving world of GenAI.
Exploring this topic, Tim Reitsma, host of the Future Work Podcast, dives into employee engagement and well-being with Jim Harter, Ph.D., Chief Scientist of Workplace Management and Well-being at GALLUP.
Jim is a renowned researcher and bestselling coauthor of It's the Manager and Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements.
As the lead researcher of Gallup's groundbreaking study on employee engagement and business outcomes, Jim has analyzed data from over 82,000 business units, covering 1.8 million employees across 49 industries and 73 countries. His work connects engagement to critical metrics like profitability, productivity, and retention.
A thought leader featured in the Harvard Business Review, The Wall Street Journal, and more, Jim specializes in psychological measurement and the economic impact of management strategies.
Tim and Jim shared insights on:
- Leadership Sets the Tone: Employee engagement flourishes when leaders prioritize clear communication, role clarity, and accountability.
- Start with One Actionable Step: Enhancing engagement begins with one small, intentional action to build momentum and make progress manageable.
- Connect Engagement to Results: Leading organizations link engagement metrics to tangible outcomes like productivity and retention to drive success.
- Build Trust and Set Expectations: Trust is the foundation of engagement, and employees with clear expectations are likelier to excel.
- Sustain Engagement Through Challenges: High-performing organizations make engagement an ongoing priority, even in tough times, to maintain morale and performance.
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HR teams spend up to 50% of their time answering repetitive employee questions.
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✅ Answers everywhere: Your HR team never needs to leave their workflow with our integrations into Gmail, Outlook, Slack, and Teams.
✅ Employee self-service: Turn on employee self-service and enable Winslow 24x7 for your employees through Slack or Teams.
Winslow is giving HR teams superpowers in nearly every industry and is funded by leading Silicon Valley figures, including Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, and Reid Hoffman.
See How You Can Save Up to 50% of Your Time!
Thanks to Winslow for sponsoring this issue of Future Work. Want to get your offering in front of tens of thousands of people and HR leaders? Partner with FlexOS.
HOW HYBRID WORKS
Brought to you by Tactic
Welcome to this week’s How Hybrid Works, your go-to section for the latest updates in hybrid work, sponsored by Tactic.
Stay ahead of the trends with expert insights, case studies, and industry news designed to help HR, workplace, and people leaders thrive in the evolving work environment.
From Offices to Outcomes: A New Paradigm
Our Lead With AI Community member, Henrik Järleskog, Sodexo's Head of Future of Work, poses a challenge to HR: Are you ready to lead in a world of distributed work?
With 100% of Fortune 500 Europe Q4 2024 Top 10 performers (e.g., Volkswagen, NVIDIA) embracing hybrid models, success demands a shift from outdated presence-based management to outcome-driven leadership.
How can HR create “epic meetings” to build culture, redesign workflows for asynchronous collaboration, and transform offices into vibrant cultural hubs?
The future of work isn’t just about where employees work—it’s about how they work and thrive.
The organizations that adapt now will not only lead the future of work but define it, turning hybrid challenges into opportunities for strategic advantage.
The Roam Talk: Remote, Hybrid, or RTO? Headlines Versus Hard Data
Our Future Work Alumni—Brian Elliott, Nick Bloom, and Annie Dean, joined with Jane Thier, explored the shifting dynamics of work, emphasizing the transformative benefits of hybrid models, including lower attrition, greater diversity, and real estate savings.
Notably, 77% of employees perceive RTO as control-driven, while intentional togetherness events boost team connection by 27%.
The panel advocates fostering emotional proximity, reimagining workspaces, and embracing flexible, results-oriented leadership to meet the demands of distributed teams and ensure long-term success.
What’s Emotional Proximity—and Why Does It Matter?
Emotional proximity—feeling valued and impactful—has emerged as the secret sauce for thriving hybrid work models, far outpacing the benefits of mere physical proximity.
Experts say it’s all about intentional connections: shared experiences, authentic vulnerability, and inclusive activities that steer clear of “mandatory fun.”
To make it work, employers should foster empathy for the company mission, spotlight cultural moments that matter, and help teams build meaningful bonds in person when it counts.
Quick Hits:
- RTO is Backfiring: Brian Elliott highlights the trend of harsh RTO mandates as "soft layoffs," where companies like Amazon, Dell, and The Washington Post push voluntary resignations by enforcing strict in-office requirements. Leaders such as Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy openly describe these policies as a "wave of voluntary terminations we welcome," bypassing severance costs while driving attrition.
- When the Office is No Longer the Office: Join Denise Brouder and top industry leaders at the 361Firm Annual NYC Conference as they explore the future of NYC commercial real estate, uncovering bold insights and solutions for the hybrid work era. Expect a lively, thought-provoking discussion with experts shaping the future of work!
THE FUTURE OF HR ROUNDUP
I follow and summarize the news that future-forward and people-centric leaders care about, so you don't have to.
This week:
2025 HR Priorities: Navigating Change and Driving Growth
As businesses enter 2025, HR leaders face shifting CEO priorities, with 62% focused on growth and only 27% prioritizing workforce concerns, according to Gartner.
Generative AI adoption faces hurdles like skill gaps and change fatigue, pushing HR to emphasize strategic workforce planning.
Gartner’s Mark Whittle highlights three key areas for HR: aligning people strategies with business growth, embracing change management as leadership, and preparing for the future with skills-focused workforce planning.
With 85 million jobs expected to go unfilled by 2030 and 23% of jobs changing in the next five years, HR must prioritize productivity, adaptability, and collaboration to build a future-ready workforce.
From Silence to Influence: Speak Effectively
Deloitte Private says large companies are three times more likely to struggle with gaining buy-in for talent initiatives.
Front-line managers, who oversee 80% of employees, play a crucial role in driving organizational progress by sharing ideas but often find speaking up intimidating due to status differences.
NeuroLeadership Institute highlights that adopting brain-friendly communication—minimizing status threats, focusing on data over opinion, and inviting collaboration—can help managers present ideas effectively.
Can People Analytics Shape HR’s Future?
Dani Johnson and Josh Bersin spotlight people analytics as the game-changer for navigating workforce challenges like economic uncertainty, AI adoption, and generational shifts.
Johnson calls for data-driven solutions to reskill teams, enhance DEI, and boost wellness, while Josh Bersin champions "Systemic Business Analytics," integrating people data into business strategy for real-time impact. As AI accelerates adoption, businesses that master this approach will lead the future of work.
Gratitude: Timing is Everything
Expressing gratitude timely, before tough tasks can strengthen resilience, social worth, and team bonds, according to Harvard Business Review.
Our Future Work Alumnus Ashley Herd’s practical tips and scripts can help managers make gratitude a meaningful habit—showing teams their efforts truly matter.
Btw, when was the last time you gave or received a heartfelt “thank you” at work?
Your Weekly Must-Read Insights about the Role of HR in the Future of Work
The world of work is changing faster than the time we have to understand it.
Sign up for my weekly newsletter for an easy-to-digest breakdown of the biggest stories.
Unsubscribe anytime. No spam guaranteed.