Redesigning work, working and the workforce

The New Shape of Work interview series addresses the challenges and uncertainty brought on by the coronavirus with a focus on how to transition to a more agile workforce for the future.

Our Global Talent Trends 2022 research shows that redesigning work is a top priority for this year. Whether they are looking at digitalization plans, embracing the role of ESG, or how to transition to skills-based work, employers and their employees are managing through a tremendous amount of change. In this episode, Ravin Jesuthasan Global Transformation leader and Brian Fisher Solution Lead for jobs and skills with Mercer discuss employers’ need for agility, and how technology, new operating models and cultures need to come together to help employers be successful in the future of work.

Interesting moments from the interview:

What are some of the challenges to accelerate into the future? What we know from that study is your two top things number one: too many competing priorities. This isn't a surprise, in addition to the future of work that Ravin commented on, companies put dozens upon hundreds of legacy projects on hold during the height of the pandemic. And now they're trying, now they're picking them back up. And number two employee exhaustion and burnout. Of course halting transformation is not an option, so organizations are needing to focus on the critical few which requires them to align on the top priorities across the firm, and also keep a pulse on energy levels of their employees.
The shift towards skills being the currency of work really requires the capacity to perpetually reinvent work, and frankly perpetually reinvent oneself, in order to stay relevant for this continuously evolving nature of work that were that we were going to continue to experience.
I think it's really four things that HR leaders need to do as they shift to becoming stewards of work, not just stewards of employment. You know understanding the work, not just the jobs. Ensuring that we are getting to the optimal combinations of humans in automation and in a sustainable way. Ensuring that we've considered the full array of human work engagements, not just jobs or outsourcing, but all of the different ways in which talent can connect work. And then creating the capacity to keep perpetually reinventing work so it's not a one off big transformation, but a mindset and a framework that ensures you're continually staying relevant and your workforce is staying relevant as well.