FOW_eBook_(09-16-15)

The Future
of WorkMake the Future Work For You
Tracy Brower – Gianpaolo Barozzi - Antonia Cusumano – Dany DeGrave –
Mark Edgar - Simon Elliot – Sara Sutton Fell – Antoinette Forth - Andy Jankowski – Tina Lai –
Tom Lamberty - Lorne Rubis – John Sigmon – Wendy Smith

The FOW Community (FOWC) is a brand network of the world’s most
forward-thinking organizations that come together to explore the future of
work. We are comprised of individuals, internal change agents if you will, who
are transforming and reshaping organizations and our own careers in
preparation for the new world of work.
The FOWC offers each of us a professional learning environment where we are
continually teaching and learning from each other. The more communication
and interaction between us, the more tacit knowledge is exchanged. As
Aristotle said, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” and we are
helping one another understand, innovate within, and adapt to the workplace of
the future.
Knowledge sharing is the new competitive advantage and we are using it to
see the future clearly and develop a proactive response in a world of constant
change.
Join us at: http://fowcommunity.com
Connect with us: Twitter: fowcommunity
Facebook: fowcommunity
About The
FOW Community

Introduction
5 Things You Need to Know Regarding the Future of Work
Five Steps To Create The 21st Century Workforce Experience
Time To Reinvent The Way We Work
What’s Your Competitive Advantage When The Machines Take Over?
Five Ways HR is Changing the Future of Work
Five Ways Employee Amenities Are Changing The Future Of Work
Five Ways HR is Changing the Future of Work:
Managing Remote Workers and Freelancers
The 50-Year Old Butterfly: 5 Critical Skills for the Workplace of the Future
It’s Time to Rethink the Employer Employee Relationship
Mentoring for Success: 5 Ways to Help Millennials Prepare Your Business for
The Future of Work
Are You An All In Leader?
You Aren’t Very Good at Interviewing
Today’s Consumer-WorkersTM
Contents
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Cover image credit: Jasper Sanidad jaspersanidad.com
DISCLAIMER
The contents or opinions in this publication are independent and may not necessarily reflect the
policies or views of an organization.

Introduction
The future of work has never before been as exciting or presented us with so many new
opportunities to succeed as an individual and collectively as an organization.
But with opportunities also comes a myriad of new challenges, including a fiercely
competitive business world - a world that has shrunk thanks to the enablement of
globalization by technology, and our willingness and desire to collaborate with others as
nearby as in our own backyard to the far reaches of the globe.
Most organizations, however, are not ready for the challenges of business world that is
constantly in motion. They are not doing enough to meet the disruption of new digital and
robotic technologies, shifting employee demographics, changing definitions of workplaces,
the introduction of new workstyles, accelerated rates of innovation, the threat of
cybercriminals, and a multitude of other trends that are impacting us all, whether we run a
small business or lead a global organization.
Not all organizations, however, are lagging behind. Many people within these organizations
are taking a leadership role in determining what the future holds for the working world.
Common among them are that they are FOW Community members and they all have a desire
to take a proactive role in continuous learning and sharing to create a better world, while
future-proofing their organizations and their careers.
What follows is a compilation of articles contributed by individual members of the FOW
Community and written expressly for this publication, the first in a series of publications that
we will be producing. Our members have contributed their diverse perspectives about the
future of work, each from a different lens. Their thoughts and insights may not be the
“answers” to your challenges but their ideas and concepts from their heterogeneous domains
of work could inspire you.
Tackling the future of work requires a collective effort by many, and while many of the articles
hail from an HR perspective, isn’t people where it all starts?
Connie Chan
Co-Founder, The FOW Community
4

Five Things You Need to Know
Regarding the Future of Work
By Dr. Tracy Brower, PhD, MM, MCR, Global VP of Workplace Vitality for Mars
Pick up any book or article in the past six months and it’s impossible not to be awash in
perspectives on all that is changing in the workplace. Competition is increasing, global
business is ubiquitous, and traditional boundaries between companies are collapsing.
Workers are changing, work is changing, and workplace is changing. At the same time, we
are under unprecedented pressure to contribute with speed and substance, and to deliver
results. The bar is high and it’s getting higher all the time.

What kinds of results are required? Research in Bring Work to Life by Bringing Life to Work:
A Guide for Leaders and Organizations , suggests that senior leaders prioritize key business
drivers like shareholder value, growth, customer satisfaction, and market leadership. The way
to accomplish these results is through creating fulfillment for people – when organizations
take approaches that serve people and create great workplaces, they increase the likelihood
of overall success for the company.
Ultimately, this success and the future of work will be about fueling the intersection of
engagement, collaboration, well being, and productivity. Through these efforts, companies
can in turn deliver results. Companies want to create the future, not just react to it – and we
know that passion, purpose, and place combine to reflect five key realities that will dictate
success going forward.
5

Today, the emerging model of employment
is based on aligning work with talent. The
‘Hollywood model’ in which teams regularly
form and re-form based on projects rather
than functional silos is becoming the
norm. The most successful companies will
embrace this new pattern of work and tap
into talent which is increasingly selective
about their work. The employer brand will
matter more than ever since companies
will constantly need to attract the best and
the brightest employees who have a lot of
options about which companies they join.
They will choose where to contribute based
on a match to their passions and skills.
Social media applications such as Glassdoor
will guarantee a previously-unknown level
of transparency. Companies will need to
manage their reputations and their brands
such that they can attract, engage, and retain
talent. In addition, these more amorphic
employee teams will require leaders
to quickly acclimate new members, set
direction, build teams, and foster a climate
of results. Overall, success will require
identifying talent and providing opportunities
for people to channel it into the work that is
the best fit for their passions.
The future of work will be about
purpose. It will be about
organizational culture and
leadership.
2.Tapping into Passion
1.Prioritizing People.
Ours is a service and knowledge economy.
The way companies create value – ultimately
– is through people as our most critical
resource. Attracting them, retaining them,
engaging them, sustaining them, and
motivating them will be the most important
job of every leader in every company.
Consider this logic train: a great work
experience motivates people who can in turn
do their best to create value for customers
and the company. The logic train works with
almost any variable we affect. Leadership
skills, workplace, and training approaches
are examples. Through any of these, we’re
seeking to positively affect employees so they
can in turn deliver for the company. The best
companies will recognize this logic train and
prioritize programs and processes that make
the greatest contribution to the employee
experience. Companies need to tap into
employees’ discretionary effort – the above-
and-beyond time that employees are willing
to spend when they are passionate about
their work and feel good about the company
to whom they’re making a contribution.
Companies must determine people’s interest
and skills and align job responsibilities
accordingly.
The future of work will be about people and their
work.
6

Organizational culture is defined as the
norms, values, and patterns of behavior
in an organization. It is ‘the way things get
done around here’ or ‘what people do when
no one is looking’. As the speed of change
increases, culture will be the constant, and
it will create a sense of overall purpose and
context for employees. It is the one element
that provides insulation against competition.
Competitors can copy strategies, mimic
marketing plans, and even hire away
talent, but culture is the one aspect of an
organization that is hardest to duplicate.
It is also the element in an organization
that guides behaviors and performance. It
is therefore a cornerstone for companies
that create their own future. Successful
companies will consciously assess and
manage culture and recognize that it cannot
be left to chance. In addition, effective
companies will consider all of their policies
and approaches – from hiring practices and
development approaches to compensation,
measurement, and well-being practices – in
order to ensure they are aligned with the
purpose they are pursuing and the kind
of culture they are seeking to create and
constantly renew.
Of course organizational culture is deeply
affected by leadership in organizations,
and leaders are in a critical role to give
people a sense of purpose and the bigger
picture. Leaders engage employees in the
vision, select employees, assemble teams,
set expectations, reinforce performance,
and reward outcomes. In addition, as
people begin to work differently – in terms
of where they work, when they work, and
how they work – leaders will need to lead
differently. Effective leadership will be
based on managing total outcomes, not
simply on ensuring employees’ presence
in the office. In addition, because of their
visibility and position, leaders send cues to
the organization about what is accepted and
valued in the organization. Leaders shape
policies and their practices and decisions
have significant impacts on their employees.
The most successful organizations will
attend to leadership by ensuring they are
selecting the best leaders, holding leaders
accountable, continually developing leaders,
and providing feedback so leaders can
continuously improve – and in turn develop
and continuously improve their teams and
be a positive influence on the people around
them.
Finally, the future of work will be
about place, specifically,
the workplace.
3.Culture
4.Leadership
7

Tracy Brower
@TracyBrower108
https://www.linkedin.com/pub/tracy-brower-
phd/6/2b/336
tracy.brower@effem.com
Dr. Tracy Brower, PhD, MM, MCR is the Global
VP of Workplace Vitality for Mars Drinks and
the author of Bring Work to Life by Bringing
Life to Work: A Guide for Leaders and
Organizations which focuses on work-life
fulfillment. Mars Drinks creates great-tasting
moments at work and is a 100% workplace
dedicated segment of Mars, Incorporated.
Mars Drinks supports businesses who want to
provide great working environments for their
people by inspiring workplace engagement,
collaboration, productivity and well-being.
5.Workplace
The future will bring with it a paradox. Our
technology has created a world in which
we won’t need to come to work in order to
do work. Employees can increasingly work
from anywhere: their homes, third places, or
fourth places (think, workclubs). So if people
don’t have to come to work in order to do
work, why would they show up? For the social
contact, collaboration, and relationships.
The workplace needs to be a magnet and a
destination. It must provide the best value
equation for an employee who can choose
to work anywhere. Humans are wired to
connect and when we feel good about the
people and relationships around us, our
brains release the feel-good neurotransmitter
oxytocin . This causes us to want to repeat
positive experiences. Workplaces that give
people a chance to connect in a ‘coffee shop
experience’ provide for this social craving.
When new employees join an organization,
they want to rub elbows with others . They
want to learn and connect and grow their
networks. Workplaces that have places for
connecting over coffee or comfortable zones
for impromptu conversations will be best
positioned to take advantage of this social
reality.
The seeds of the future are planted now
and we can begin creating the future today
by smartly anticipating it. Create passion
by focusing on people and the work that
means the most to them. Prioritize purpose
by ensuring culture and leaders are context
for organizational success. And create a
place that stimulates, enlivens, and fosters
connections among co-workers. The future of
work will be about inspiring passion
and purpose in the workplace by fostering
engagement, collaboration, well-being, and
productivity. These will be what dictate
success in the future.
8

i
Brower, Bring Work to Life by Bringing Life to Work: A Guide for Leaders and Organizations, Bibliomotion,
2014.
ii
Ibid.
iii
Dishman, Lydia. What Glassdoor has Learned from Seven Years of Studying Other Companies, Fast
Company, July 17, 2015. Retrieved on July 19, 2015: http://www.fastcompany.com/3048590/lessons-learned/
what-glassdoor-has-learned-from-seven-years-of-studying-other-companies
iv
Brower, Tracy. Bring Work to Life by Bringing Life to Work: A Guide for Leaders and Organizations,
Bibliomotion Publishing, 2014.
v
Lieberman, Matthew. Social, Crown Publishing, 2013.
vi
Brower, Tracy. Bring Work to Life by Bringing Life to Work: A Guide for Leaders and Organizations,
Bibliomotion Publishing, 2014.
References
9

Five Steps To Create The 21st Century
Workforce Experience
By Gianpaolo Barozzi, Senior Director, HR and Tom Lamberty, HR Manager, Cisco Global
Talent Management
“Disrupt – or be disrupted” is the new norm in almost every major market across the
globe, including the global talent market. The “world of work” – how talent is identified,
leveraged, allocated and engaged, and how work is organized, measured and rewarded
– is exponentially impacted by an increasingly competitive, complex and rapidly changing
business environment. To succeed organizations must transform their culture and their
practices to create an innovative work experience to manage this exponential change.
There are five key components that are success-critical to this transformation:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Their combination will create, shape and realize the 21st century workforce experience.
Introducing a new “people deal”
Being essential to establishing a foundation for adaptive, agile organizations, which will be
fueled by...
A new reputation-based culture; forming...
An environment empowering real-time talent transformation, driven and enabled by the
use of...
Innovative technologies
10

Employee Value Propositions won’t do
anymore. Lifetime employment is over. On
the other hand it will be impossible to build
a lasting, and innovative business without
engaged employees. Hoffman, Casnocha
and Yeh analyzed this dilemma in their
book “The Alliance” – and started to think of
employees as “allies”. Engagement needs
to become a two-way-road: between the
employee and the organization and vice-
versa. That’s where the “new people deal”
comes in: representing both the heart and
the backbone of the relationship between an
organization and its talent. The organization
providing a compelling story of why it exists,
how it works and what it is offering to anyone
joining it – in an inclusive and inspiring way.
This is complemented by and matched into
a clear outline of what is expected from
employees willing to engage. Hence creating
a mutual foundation where loyalty, trust
and joint values are forming an explicit deal
against which both parties commit for shared
success. Organizations are becoming much
bolder and more credible in enabling and
introducing innovative workforce practices.
The “new people deal” is going to be core
for any organization preparing to transition
from today’s static structures to more
agile and adaptive forms and procedures.
It will be the essential “contractual” basis
for the creation of a self-adaptive talent
marketplace and brokerage model, which
allows for dynamic allocation of the right
talent to the right assignment at the right
time. This provides the organizational agility
and adaptability to succeed in a Volatile,
Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous (VUCA)
market environment. The talent marketplace
is going to become the hub where
challenging work assignments, innovations
ready for incubation and development
assignments focused on emerging skill sets
meet with the skills and aspirations of the
employees. The opportunity to work on
diverse assignments, in different areas, on
inspiring teams will be key for people to
achieve their potential in a way that helps the
organization realize its own potential. The
diagram below outlines the main stages and
characteristics of the evolution towards an
agile and adaptive organizational framework.
1.Redefine Employee
Engagement: A New
People Deal
2.Re-Invent The Org
Structure: The Adaptive
Organization
11

The agile and adaptive organization is going
to be embedded in a highly transparent
corporate culture, fueled by ongoing peer
feedback, real-time check-ins (#gladtobehere)
and a personal reputation index. This cultural
environment will make employees and
leaders proud to share their personal brand
with those in the organization and outside
the company (e.g., external talent platforms).
Reputation – composed by professional
impact, successes, experiences, capabilities
and aspirations, as well as recommendations,
endorsement and feedback – will become the
de-facto currency in the talent marketplace:
A reputation-based culture is going to be
the vital ecosystem enabling organizations
to transform their talent in real time by
removing the roadblocks of traditional
process-heavy hiring and allocation
mechanisms. And it will synchronize talent
transformation with the speed at which
organizations need to transform themselves
and their business. Current and future
assignments and related skill sets will be
visible and accessible for all employees.
Employees will be supported by their leaders
in building the reputation and experience
required to acquire these assignments,
ensuring their short- and long-term
employability and continuously transforming
themselves.
3.Leverage Talent
Transparency:
Reputation-Based
Culture
4.Remove The Roadblocks:
Real-Time Talent
Transformation
Individual Reputation: To access best fit,
engaging and challenging assignments
Leadership Reputation: To attract the
best talent to work on their assignments
Employer Reputation: To attract, engage
and develop the best talent in the market
13

5.Cut The Edge:
From Information
Technology To
Innovation Technology
The adaptive organization, reputation-based
culture and real-time transformation will only
be possible through the innovative use of
technology. The advent of cloud computing
– essentially migrating the management
of applications and data to agile, scalable
cloud providers – dramatically transforms
the traditional Information Technology (IT)
operating model. It opens up a huge variety
of opportunities for organizations to utilize
technology in a much more innovative way to
drive their business and engage their talent –
bringing the People Deal to live.
Technology is becoming the key
enabler and driver for more:
IT will be moving from the basement to the
boardroom taking over a role as a strategic
partner for the organization – in transforming
its business models and the organization
itself.
Efficient ways of collaboration (e.g., mobile
video as a key component to feel =connected,
messaging and social media platforms)
Flexible ways of working (e.g., work from
anywhere, anytime on any device; smart
kiosks in offices to personalize the work
environment)
Impactful ways of turning data into
information (e.g., smart analytics to support
business decisions)
The 21st Century
Workforce Experience:
Transparent Adaptive Talent
Marketplaces
Starting off with new people deals, adaptive
organizations and reputation-based cultures
will radically transform the way people
can be at their best every day at work. In
the new “world of work” titles and formal
roles will become futile and irrelevant for
employees and leaders to qualify themselves
and achieve their goals. The 21st Century
Workforce Experience – an intelligent
combination of the components outlined
above – will be made possible by utilizing
cutting-edge technology in innovative
ways. Enabling employees to connect and
collaborate to increase innovation will benefit
them and the organization. Their “world
of work” will be more effective than ever
before – increasing their impact and degree
of freedom. Innovative technology is going to
provide the flexibility, choice and opportunity
organizations need to drive business impact
and customer value in unparalleled ways. The
future begins with a New People Deal.
14

• Hoffman R, Casnocha B, Yeh C “The Alliance”, Harvard Business Review Press, 2014
• “Our People Deal”, Cisco Systems, http://www.cisco.com/c/r/weare/people-deal.html
• Bersin, J. et al. (eds., 2015): Global Human Capital Trends 2015, Deloitte University Press
• Glad to Be Here ® - http://johnfoleyinc.com/
• McGrath R.G. “The end of competitive advantage”, Harvard Business Review Press, 2013
References
Gianpaolo Barozzi
Email: gbarozzi@cisco.com
LinkedIn: it.linkedin.com/in/gianpaolobarozzi
Gianpaolo Barozzi is an HR Sr Director within the Cisco Global Talent
Management organization. His current responsibilities include enterprise-
wide leadership for career enablement, management development and
internal talent marketplace. Gianpaolo is based in Milan, Italy, and holds a
degree in Physics.
His passion for science, design thinking and the blend of theory and
experiments is the foundation of his characteristic innovative and future-
looking professional forma mentis.
Tom Lamberty
Email: tolamber@cisco.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/isberlin
Twitter: @MerveVerlag
Tom joined Cisco in 2011 in the role of a Human Resources Manager
focusing on innovation enablement and recently people leadership. He has
a background as an HR Consultant with Hewitt Associates and held a broad
range of HR roles with Siemens beforehand.
Exercises:
New People Deal
1. Do you have a clear and visible story to tell about why you exist as an organization, who
you are, what you do, and why someone should join your organization?
2. Do you explicitly outline what your employees can expect of your organization and what
the organization expects of them?
Agile and Adaptive Organizations
1. Does your organization feel the pressure to become more agile and adaptive?
2. If so, are you embarking on a journey toward building an agile and adaptive organization?
Where is your organization heading as of today and what needs to change?
15

Time To Reinvent The Way We Work
By Antonia Cusumano, US Technology Industry, People and Organization Lead
Our world has changed. In a remarkably short period of time, it has become digitally
connected. But even as businesses strive to innovate, most have not yet seized the
opportunity to change the way employees work. In fact, the way we work has not
fundamentally changed for 30 years. That has to change.
Both the tools and desire are there. According to PwC’s 18th annual Global CEO
survey:
77% of CEOs believe that digital technologies are creating value for internal and
external collaboration
61% of CEOs think socially enabled business processes are strategic to their business
88% of CEOs believe digital technologies are creating quite high or very high value in
operational efficiency
Executives are realizing that reinventing the way their organizations work can drive
measurable performance gains in value, growth and leadership. As one CEO survey
respondent noted, it’s important to “think differently. We get awfully wedded to what might
have been successful in the past, and that sometimes can trap us.”
16

We believe there are seven
ways companies can avoid
that trap, and reinvent
work to fuel competitive
advantage.
1.Recharge productivity
to access information and take action
anytime, anywhere and on any device. This
involves making a proactive shift from a
world in which employees communicate
statically, create individually, comment in
isolation, and consolidate asynchronously.
The destination? A world of active
engagement where employees communicate
dynamically to create together, where they
can share ideas and documents in real-time.
2.Rethink innovation
so new ideas can build from across your
organization. According to our survey, 71%
of CEOs believe digital technologies are
creating quite high or very high value in
innovation capacity. In fact, the ideas with the
greatest impact are created by boundaryless
groups who can tackle problems with a
broader perspective. Hierarchy does not
create innovation; adaptable teams who
can reach out for expertise anywhere in the
organization do. But to do so, they need
digital access to find the right colleagues and
access the right information.
3.Reimagine knowledge
management
through better search and storage. On
average, knowledge workers spend 62%
of their day lost in email and information.
Capturing, developing, sharing and using
organizational knowledge and data should
be an accelerator to innovation, rather
than a roadblock. KM today is a labyrinth
with thousands of documents, subjective
document ratings, multiple versions,
tags-gone-wild and impossible searching.
Reinventing KM through a unified platform
with best-in-class search-and-storage
capabilities sparks enterprise intellectual
firepower and makes sense of big data within
an organization.
4.Recreate context
for global advantage. Global collaboration
can be as easy as local collaboration, where
colleagues can pick up editing of documents
at the start of the day right where others
left off at the end of their day. The use of
translation tools and other collaboration
software have simplified the process, and
network advancements have provided
employees with access to data even in parts
of the world with low bandwidth.
17

That’s an ambitious slate, but by following
a plan, enterprises can achieve it. In order
to develop an integrated experience to
drive near-term value and sustainability,
enterprises should embark on five key
activities:
5.Rewire work
to be more like life. Only 15% of people
prefer the technology they have at work
to the technology they have at home –
yet the lines between work and life have
been permanently blurred. Employees are
increasingly demanding that work software
be as accessible as consumer software, which
means not only heightened usability but also
the ability to be constantly connected with
anytime, anywhere access to information
that enhances their ability to be productive.
Leading companies today realize they need
to respond to this seismic shift to attract and
retain the top talent.
6.Redefine the workforce
Just as the way employees collaborate
is changing, so too is the makeup of the
workforce. It’s becoming global, multi-
generational, and incorporating freelancers
and partners more than ever before. For
enterprises, that presents a challenge of
applying the right capabilities to the right
problem at the right time. Providing the
virtual workforce with a secure platform on
which to collaborate and innovate will be key,
as will rapidly integrating capabilities into
teams that are immediately productive while
still short-term and fluid in their makeup.
Enterprises will need to find, engage, and
transport on board (and off) this new
workforce seamlessly.
7.Reshape security
Making data and colleagues quickly and
reliably available frequently requires moving
to the cloud, which brings its concerns about
data privacy and security. Several recent
crippling security breaches took place on
non-cloud hosted infrastructure and email
systems, attacks that could have been
defended more reliably on a cloud platform.
Enterprises need a trusted cloud framework
to eliminate security concerns.
Identify clear value drivers to develop
the tailored roadmap for your business,
supported with a strong business case
Leverage pilot projects to co-create
innovative solutions tailored for your
business and exercise prototypes with
early adopters
Attack system integration and application
remediation head-on to proactively
address interdependencies specific to
your IT ecosystem
Manage analytics-driven dashboards that
give you real-time insight into the change
and adoption throughout the journey,
allowing you to take actions where
needed to reduce risk and Increase value
Execute a go-to-market launch program
incorporating the latest techniques to
drive adoption, behavior change, and a
cultural shift
18

It can be done. PwC has tracked the stock performance of multiple companies before and
after they embarked on digital transformation and noted there has been significant increase
in shareholder value compared to the rest of the market Overall, the result of these efforts
can create a measurable win-win-win situation: an improved employee experience; new
efficiencies; and new revenue growth opportunities. All it takes is a concerted effort to
mobilize employees to think, decide and act together in new ways and at new velocities, to
ultimately create a new enterprise agility.
Antonia Cusumano
@antoniacb
https://www.linkedin.com/in/antoniacusumano
Toni Cusumano has 20 years of experience helping global businesses
achieve their business strategies through organization and people. She is
passionate about co-creating innovative solutions that help solve people
and HR issues. How do you create more agility in your organization to
move faster to market? How do you find and retain the right talent? Are
you leveraging social to create a Connected Employee Experience?
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19

What’s your competitive advantage when the
machines take over?
By Dany DeGrave, Sr. Director Unconventional Innovation & Networks Sanofi Pasteur
It is striking to see how the same job can
be executed in different ways in different
regions of the world. In the US a road
construction STOP sign will be held up by a
person while in Europe typically a robot will
do the same. The personnel cost is higher in
Europe hence the approach with a robot is
more quickly cost-effective.
Image Credit: Andy Shupe
You are probably not surprised by this
example as it makes perfect economic sense.
Why would you pay a human to get the job
done when a machine can do it at least as
effectively, 24/7 if needed, without the need
for sick days or kid-football game time off,
and cheaper?
We are used to these evolutions in the
world of work. The travel agent, the music
store employee, the parking lot cashier
and many more have been replaced by
electronic transactions. Brick laying and
grass mowing robots made their entry. We
are not surprised to see typical manual
jobs disappear as a result of technological
innovation. We actually like the convenience
it brings to our life.
You can’t be replaced by a
machine. Or can you?
But what if your job was next? Yes, the job
that pays well because of the expertise you
built up over so many years, because of your
skills in extracting valuable insights from the
information and data you handle all the time,
because of your unique capabilities in doing
things computers can’t do?
How would your company react when,
just like for the STOP sign worker, a choice
became possible: replace your activity by a
machine or continue to employ you as long
as you remain cheaper than machines? If
history is any guidance we know the answer.
That choice is becoming a reality because of
exponential advances in multiple domains;
exponential meaning that the progress made
in the next few years exceeds all progress
so far in that domain. The unthinkable
becoming a reality almost overnight. In the
last ten years Facebook connected a billion
people and the smartphone provided us
with a camera, a music player, a GPS-system
and much more in our pockets. Self-driving
cars, cheap genetic testing, and artificial
intelligence will be commonplace in the next
decade.
20

Your intelligence versus artificial
intelligence
While computers continuously became
faster, smaller, and cheaper the underlying
principles remained the same: executing
tasks according to pre-defined rules. Now we
are entering a new age, the age of cognitive
computing where computers can think,
understand and learn like humans, where
computers can connect the dots without
pre-defined rules. And they can do it way
faster and accurate than humans. They can
objectively propose insights based on vastly
larger information sources of structured and
non-structured data than is humanly possible
to treat. This is not science fiction. Hospitals
and doctors are already using tools like IBM
Watson to support diagnosis and treatment
options, law offices and scientists are using it
to accelerate their research, newspapers use
it to automatically write news stories.
Any activity that includes analyzing and using
complex and even unstructured information,
likely a good part of your job, can now be
done faster, cheaper, better with artificial
intelligence. Just like for the road construction
worker with the STOP sign the question will
arise if your pay level remains justified, and
if your job remains relevant. The unknown is
not if it is going to happen but rather when,
for you, in your company, in your industry.
How to remain relevant?
We have come to realize that the idea of
a career at a company is outdated. The
idea of a job, a role might go the same
way. As technology continues to get
better at activities until recently thought
to be exclusive to humans we need to ask
ourselves the question how to remain
relevant in the workplace? How to postpone
the day most of our job can be done by a
machine? And ask that question now so we
have some time left to prepare.
The answer is likely to be very personal and
require decisions and choices to be made.
Which other unused or underdeveloped
skills could I apply in my current job or use
to move to another job that is less at risk
for automation? How can I make myself a
more flexible employee, more multi-skilled?
What can I learn and master that is still too
difficult for technology? How can I integrate
these new tools in my job and augment my
performance, making myself complementary
with machine intelligence? Maybe it is time to
start this side activity I have been dreaming
about, and have this as my backup plan?
Or can I be the person leading the change,
implementing these new ways of working?
Because change is hard only a small fraction
of possible technological advance is used by
companies. What if I am part of this select
group of people able to direct automation, to
imagine the next frontier?
Your job will be replaced by
software and hardware. What’s
your plan for tomorrow? What’s
your personal competitive
advantage going to be?
21
Dany DeGrave
Twitter: @danydegrave
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/danydegrave

Five Ways HR is Changing the
Future of Work
By Mark Edgar – SVP HR, RSA Canada
A lot has been written about the future of work and while many of the opinions are consistent
there continues to be a lot of different views out there.
It is important that the modern HR professional is well versed in the different trends affecting
the future of work. But in my view that’s just the start, as there is a much bigger game to play
and HR has the most critical role in ensuring organizations are prepared for the future of
work.
Let me explain why by outlining the five ways HR is changing the future of work.
Source: Coolest Offices
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1.We’re the custodians
of the organizational
culture
‘How things get done around here’ is the
most pragmatic and common definition
of organizational culture that I have come
across. While the definition is simple, the
reality of organizational culture is very
complex. It’s multi-layered, ambiguous and
hard to change. The future of work demands
a different culture driven by different
expectations from a multi-generational
workforce, new and disruptive technologies
and increased competition.
As custodians of the organizational culture,
HR’s role is to shape it, nurture it and evolve
it as it will likely need to change again. At
RSA Canada, we talk a lot about building an
‘agile culture’. Our organization has more
than 300 years of experience of the working
world so we see ‘agility’ as a key enabler to
ensure we’re around for the next 300 years.
An agile culture will allow us to quickly adapt
to changing circumstances by ensuring
people have clarity around our vision and feel
empowered to get us there.
2.We own the talent
strategy
In 2014, 63% of CEOs were seriously
concerned about the availability of skills
(source: PWC’s 17th Annual Global CEO
Survey), a 5pt increase on 2013 suggesting
their concern is growing. Having the right
capabilities in your organization is a critical
part of preparing for the future of work so
you need a thoughtful and integrated talent
strategy.
When building your strategy you need to
take in to account the disruptions that are
occurring to the world of talent. This includes
a change to the make-up of an organization’s
talent pool with over half of the respondents
to a Deloitte survey predicting that their need
for contingent or on-demand workers will
grow over the next 3 to 5 years. Also the way
people are looking for jobs is changing with
nearly 50% of the workforce using Glassdoor
for job search. And then you have the much-
debated millennial generation who are
looking for something different from work –
purpose, progression and flexibility.
All of these factors make the creation
of a future-proof talent agenda a key
component when preparing for the
future of work.
23

3.We’re accountable
for the employee
experience
Recent research from Gallup showed that
less than one-third of workers in the US were
engaged in their jobs. While still a relatively
new subject in organizational theory terms,
we all know that engagement continues to
be the Holy Grail for many organizations and
therefore HR professionals. At RSA we see
a correlation between engagement and the
employee experience.
The hygiene factors around having the
right tools and the right facilities can’t be
ignored, but increasingly these are just table
stakes for the modern discerning employee.
The real value comes from being able to
customize the employee experience to meet
the different needs of different populations
at work. In many cases this requires HR
professionals to think outside of their
traditional ways of working and rip up the
proverbial rulebook that they often hide
behind.
At RSA we have challenged ourselves to
be more flexible about where people work
and we have also had success with our new
‘bring your own device’ policy, but we have
more to do. A good place for us to start was
mapping our current employee experience
and identifying the areas where we could
maximize the impact by making meaningful
changes.
4.We own the leadership
agenda
One of my favourite leadership quotes is
from John Maxwell.
‘A leader is the one who knows the
way, goes the way, and shows the
way’.
The HR function holds a unique position in
being able to influence the leadership agenda
across the organization. We need to use this
power strategically to shift the organizational
culture by identifying, developing and
embedding the leadership qualities that will
deliver the desired outcome.
At RSA we have had success in building our
leader’s awareness of the changing internal
and external environment and giving them
some practical tools so they are equipped to
support their teams. We have also seen the
value of recruiting some new, disruptive and
distributed leaders to help accelerate the
change we are looking for.
24

Mark Edgar
mark.edgar@rsagroup.ca
@MarkEdgarHR
ca.linkedin.com/pub/mark-edgar/1/460/89/en
Mark Edgar joined RSA in January 2011 in the role of Vice President,
Human Resources with overall responsibility for HR across all companies
within RSA Canada. Previously Mark was based in the UK as Head
of Human Resources within Centrica Plc; a major energy company
operating in the UK under the British Gas brand. Mark has also
worked for BSkyB, a TV, broadband and phone company, in an HR role
responsible for their operational business units and customer facing
teams. Mark holds a BSc (Hons) in Management Sciences from the
University of Warwick and is a member of The Chartered Institute of
Personnel and Development.
5.We can lead by example
My own research shows that in 75% of organizations, HR is responsible for the future of work
strategy and plans within their respective organizations. HR can only play this critical role if it
has credibility.
While credibility can be built a number of different ways, I think the most effective technique
is by modernizing your own HR function and fully embracing the future of work ethos. Not
only does this demonstrate your commitment to the future but it also allows you to pilot
some of your ideas before rolling them out to the wider business.
It’s clear the future of work is coming so burying your head in the sand isn’t an option. Instead
from one HR professional to the other, seize the opportunity embrace it, learn about it and
deliver it for your organization. This is our moment to shine!
25

Five Ways Employee Amenities Are Changing
The Future Of Work
By Simon Elliot, Director Business Development, Aramark And Lifeworks Restaurant Group
The way in which we work has changed and continues to evolve. As the Greek Philosopher
Heraclitus said:
“Nothing endures but change. There is nothing permanent except change. All is
flux, nothing stays still.”
The demographics of the workforce have changed as the wave of Millennials and generations
behind them arrive at work. Today’s workforce is truly global with different cultural
requirements and expectations. The nature of work has changed. There is far greater
emphasis on knowledge and a heightened battle in the War for Talent.
Areas of focus for employers of the future include understanding the key
drivers of change:
Tomorrow’s generations have different expectations of the employer relationship.
The workforce culture is different and more diverse than ever before.
Advances in technology mean access to information, 24/7, from anywhere.
Competition for people is fierce, especially in sectors such as technology.
For those organizations that do embrace this change, accommodating this evolution will
require the creation of a workplace experience where employees want to work rather than
have to work. The future of work is about the Workplace Experience. Those able to design
the space, create an ambiance and culture, and develop appropriate amenities will be best
placed to address one of the most critical business imperatives of the coming decade(s) -
Winning the War for Talent.
26

1.The workplace
experience
A desk, phone, cubicle, and a vending
machine won’t cut it. Employee amenities
are no longer a cafeteria, treadmill, and a
grubby old break room. The most progressive
workplaces drive a quality workplace
experience that is tailor-made to your
enterprise workforce profile. Yes, every
organization is different and the experience
will reflect the history, culture, geography,
and diversity.
Creating emotional connections is
fundamental. Delivering a physical
experience that reflects the history,
leadership, and values of the organization
builds and reinforces culture. How those
individuals who collectively make up the
workforce can relate to this in a way that
inspires them will build engagement, loyalty,
and advocacy.
2.Convenience,
community,
connectivity and
collaboration
As the workplace evolution continues,
the opportunities for quality, one-on-one
human interaction diminish with increased
reliance on technology and remote working.
The reduced face-to-face time window is
accentuated for its need to be a quality
experience.
Sharing a meal has been at the center
of community since the beginning of
humankind. This is a great starting point
when building the workplace community of
the future. What better place to create the
focal point of your community than a great
eating experience?
The food spaces of the future will vary in size
and nature—they include everything from
cool coffee shop hangouts, to themed pub
restaurants, cool re-energize zones, cafés,
pop-ups, and lounges. What is common
is that these environments are authentic,
innovative, interesting, and inclusive.
Ultimately, it’s a key investment in your
workplace experience.
These food, community, and collaboration
spaces are open throughout the day. Use
them creatively for meetings over a coffee,
team lunches, quiet afternoon one-to-ones,
employee appreciation, special events,
meetings after hours, even massage, yoga,
and Pilates.
These community hubs are where the
workforce of the future will come to meet,
nourish, thrive, and come up with the next
big idea.
As Elton Mayo concluded in his Hawthorne
Studies way back in the 1920s and 1930s,
productivity is affected by the quality and
frequency of human social interaction. This
in turn helps our health and well-being, our
feeling of belonging, our connectivity, and
our ability to collaborate.
27

3.Technology
The evolution of technology has been a
major driver behind change in the workplace,
delivering new ways to create, share, and
get things done. This will continue and likely
accelerate into the future as history has
shown us in the past.
Today’s population is connected in every part
of their lives. They can use a single device to
wake them up, check their day’s calendar,
emails, news, their health/fitness information,
and their favorite movies to stream on their
commute to work.
These smart devices are a part of daily life
and routine already and will be ever more so
into the future. How can this be leveraged to
drive a positive workplace experience?
It is likely that attendance at a place of work
will continue to decline. However, the need
will still be there, just less frequent with
the requirement for a higher quality, more
productive experience. However one may
get to the office of the future, whether a
driverless car, shuttle, or via a “Beam Me
Up, Scotty” device, integrating employee
amenities will be key.
4.Comfort, health and
well-being
A healthy workforce is also a happy and
productive workforce. Investment should
go beyond the on-site fitness center, break
rooms, and restaurants that will be a cost
of entry employee amenity as we move
forward. The workplace will be a place to be
healthy as a result of thoughtful design of
seating, desks, and spaces and workplaces to
encourage exercise.
Other elements of your strategic plan may
include access to on-site doctors, therapists,
and health and nutrition counselors. You
might provide on-site classes including
Pilates, yoga, and boot camps. Also, menus
must be not only delicious but also healthy.
Some companies are already eliminating
sodas, chips, fried foods, and candy from the
workplace.
But what about those remote workers?
Just like in a lot of cars today, workers of
tomorrow will be reminded to slow down,
take a rest, replenish their energy, and take
lunch. They will be encouraged to log off the
company network.
And the business benefits to having a
healthier workforce? A more engaged and
effective workforce with less absenteeism,
less presenteeism, and reduced healthcare
costs.
28

The first steps to understanding the employee amenities for the future of any organization
are to recognize and identify the value of investing in a program of change. This will vary by
enterprise and will be influenced by what you do, where you do it, and your workforce profile.
Selecting the right employee amenities that deliver the best Value on Investment (VOI) will
reflect amenities that drive convenience, work-life integration, employee satisfaction, and
engagement. The key value drivers include your ability to attract and retain the best talent,
heightened engagement levels, and ultimately increased organizational effectiveness and
productivity.
There’s a large range of options to consider:
5.The employee amenities of the future
Simon Elliot
@CATERForce
https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonelliot
Simon Elliot is a Fellow of The Institute of Directors, Member of The Chartered Institute
of Personnel & Management, CORENET and IFMA and is a Director of The British
American Business Council (Northern California). Simon has been in the Food & Facilities
Management business for 20+ years working with Clients in the UK, Western and Eastern
Europe, Australasia, Asia and North America. He is currently Director of Business
Development at Aramark & LifeWorks Restaurant Group advising Fortune 500 Clients on
campus food services and employee amenities.
Elliot-Simon@Aramark.com
(415) 806-5411
www.lifeworksrestaurants.com
29

Five Ways HR is Changing the Future of Work:
Managing Remote Workers and Freelancers
By Sara Sutton Fell, CEO and Founder, Flexjobs
When I founded Flexjobs in 2007 as a
completely remote company, remote working
was still a fairly new concept. Over the first
few years, when asked about my company-
-what we did, where we were based--it
took a while to explain that we were fully
virtual and all worked from home, and that
we were also helping job seekers find real
opportunities to do this themselves. Remote
and flexible work options were simply not the
norm. Today, however, I’ve noticed it takes
far less time to explain the concept--folks
generally understand what it means to be a
remote worker. It’s becoming a more normal,
accepted way of doing work from an HR
perspective.
On the whole, when, where, and how we
work has changed rapidly over the last few
years, and all signs point to the continuation
of this transformation. 34 million workers
telecommute at least occasionally in the U.S.,
and it’s expected to be 63 million by 2016,
“fueled by worldwide broadband adoption,
better collaboration tools, and growing
management experience.” The number of
freelancers is following the same trend. By
2020, it’s expected that more than 40 percent
of all workers, over 60 million people, will be
freelancers.
Here are five ways HR is changing
the future of work when it comes to
managing remote workers and the
freelance economy.
1.Normalizing Remote Work
The more companies adopt remote work as
an acceptable and mutually beneficial way of
doing business, rather than just an employee
“perk,” the more normal it becomes. HR
departments at companies like Aetna, Xerox,
and Dell are leading by example with remote
work because they realize a long-overlooked
truth: it actually benefits companies to let
people work from home. More on that to
come.
HR professionals used to be wary of the
idea of widespread at-home work for their
employees. As more people work from
home either partially or fully, fears about
slacking and decreased productivity are
proven false. Countless studies released
about telecommuting in the last few years
shows the opposite--that telecommuters are
actually more productive than their in-office
coworkers. With HR’s support, remote work
has become an inevitable part of the future
of work.
2.Modernizing
Management Techniques
So many of our traditional management
techniques stem from a 20th century way of
thinking, where workers reported to an office
building, sat at an assigned desk, and where
a large definition of a “good worker” was
30

that they were simply in the office “working.”
But that was at a time when we didn’t have
seemingly endless distractions like social
media, ecommerce, online games, etc., that
are now accessible from our desks, nor did
we have the technological mobility of smart
phones and tablets.
Face time still plays an all-too-heavy factor in
our determination of someone’s productivity
and value as an employee, but HR’s adoption
of remote work and freelance professionals is
positively impacting how we actually manage
people.
With remote and freelance workers, face
time is simply not an option, so managers,
with the help of HR training, must grow
their techniques to emphasize results. And
I’m not just talking about the final, finished
product, but the daily, weekly, and monthly
work someone does. Managers of remote
workers and freelancers must be proactive
communicators, regularly reaching out to
help professionals set and meet short- and
long-term goals that align with business
objectives. In managing freelancers, this has
long-been the case, and the approach to
managing remote workers is very similar.
3.Looking at Positions
AND Projects as
Opportunities for Hiring
companies in particular, this is a great way to
expand business opportunities and contacts
within a limited budget.
This is sometimes seen as more of a perk for
businesses than the freelancers themselves,
but 77 percent of freelancers say they make
the same or more money than they did
before they started freelancing. And project-
based work helps full-time employees create
side opportunities for themselves. 27 percent
of freelancers are so-called moonlighters-
-that’s 14.3 million people with traditional
full-time jobs who also do freelance work.
This is yet another example of how 20th
century work norms (staying in one job for
your entire career) are being flipped, with
most people now having multiple careers,
with many different companies, during their
professional lives. Both HR managers and
individual professionals see the opportunities
inherent in freelance and remote work.
As the freelance or gig economy grows,
HR professionals see opportunities to hire
people for projects, rather than full positions.
For freelancers, this means an increasing
number of projects and gigs. And for
companies, this means more flexibility to hire
the best person for each project. For small
4.Making Companies More
Productive
The radical shift in the availability of easy-to-
use technology has fueled the rise of remote
work and freelancing. A Pew Research report
found that 46 percent of workers who use
online and digital tools say they feel more
productive, and 39 percent say the Internet,
e-mail and phones give them added flexibility
in the hours they work. But I suspect that
these numbers will only go up over the next
five years as the tools used are chosen by the
employees and workers themselves. For the
future of work, HR needs to champion the
expanded use BYOD (bring your own device)
policies to assist workers in being productive
however it makes sense for them.
31

5.Rethinking Our Notion
of the “Office”
FlexJobs conducted a survey of 2,600 people
searching for remote, freelance, and flexible
work and found that 50 percent report that
their home, not the office, is their location of
choice to undertake important job-related
assignments. 14 percent said they would
choose the office, but only outside standard
hours. Less than a quarter say the office
during business hours is the best place
to do important work! And why? The two
biggest reasons people think they would
be more productive working from home
are the reduction of office politics and
fewer interruptions from office colleagues.
Companies need to find ways to make
working outside the office possible for every
worker.
Like freelancers have known for years,
remote workers have realized just how much
more they can accomplish without frequent,
attention-diminishing interruptions at the
office. And smart HR managers know that to
fuel a productivity boom at their company,
workers need more control over where and
how they work.
100 percent remotely. I firmly believe we are
at a tipping point, with a rapid expansion of
remote work and freelance opportunities
right in front of us. HR professionals stand
at the forefront of this tipping point, guiding
companies towards the future of work.
The Future of Work: Remote
Workers and Freelancers
When a big-name company like Aetna
proudly displays on its Careers website that
the first “Reason to Work at Aetna” is “easy
commutes,” with the key stat that 43 percent
of its employees already work from home,
other companies pay attention. But the other
thing they should pay attention to is the
growing number of companies that operate
Sara Sutton Fell
Twitter: @sarasuttonfell
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sarasuttonfell
Sara Sutton Fell has long been passionate about
helping people find jobs that make their lives
better. She is currently the CEO and Founder
of FlexJobs, the leading service for professional
flexible job opportunities. During her career, Sutton
Fell has been featured by CNN, BusinessWeek,
Forbes, Fast Company and hundreds of media
outlets. Sara believes that a modern workplace
should address the needs of today’s workforce,
and that utilizing workplace technology to support
telecommuting and flexible work will achieve
societal, environmental, and economic benefits
for both employees and employers. She is also a
member of the Great Workplace Cultures Think
Tank and the Future of Work Community. Sara is a
graduate of the University of California at Berkeley.
32

The 50-Year Old Butterfly: 5 Critical Skills
for the Workplace of the Future
By Antoinette Forth, Co-Founder, Walkabout Collaborative LLC
The word of the year is transformation,
but don’t take my word for it. The proof is
all around you. Amazon has over 10,000
books available on business transformation
and over 40,000 more on personal
transformation. Vocabulary in the workplace
about transformation is changing daily. New
buzzwords are being bandied about such as
digital transformation, disruption, success
thinking, purpose-driven, connected,
collaboration, agile, social, and engagement, to name a few. Transformation is key in the
workplace.
People are no longer talking about the “Future Workplace” because the future is here and
the time is now. I’ve spent the past seven years getting ready for the “future of work,” and
have witnessed many of my peers struggle to find their place in it. I’ve come to realize the
top five skills and actions that are needed to succeed in this new workplace. My advice is
for everyone, but especially for people over the age of 50 (yes, those who have received their
inaugural mailing from AARP). Are you prepared for this transformative environment?
1.Be Brave
It’s not easy to walk into a room full of strangers, but it’s even harder when you are pitching
a business start-up idea in 60 seconds while trying to win the support of a team of people.
Therefore, it will take courage if you want to find success and build the life you want. If you
are experiencing fear, anxiety, and doubt, what can you do to be brave? Don’t get wrapped
up in all the things that can go wrong. Make a decision despite the fear. Shift your mindset
and keep moving forward. There is no secret to courage. It’s simply a matter of just doing it.
Courage will empower you and give you resilience.
What to Do Today:
To practice this skill, find your local Start-Up Grind community, get involved and pitch a business
idea.
33

2.Be Focused
Before the digital revolution, generalists were
in demand. In the future of work, success
comes from concisely defining how your
contribution will achieve business goals.
Narrow your focus by thinking about how
your skills and experience can come together
to enhance the customer journey, transform
tired business practices, or grow revenue.
Be sure to work on what you are good at
and enjoy doing. Think about it this way. If
you come to a barn filled with a large array
of horses of all descriptions and colors, it
might take you hours to pick the right horse.
However, you’ll need to pick one horse to ride
or you’ll never get anywhere. The same holds
true for your place in the world of work.
What to Do Today:
Google “customer centricity.” Review the
first two pages of content and pick one that
matches your experience and passion. For
example: customer targeting and segmentation,
defining value, or delivering an outstanding
customer experience. You can do the same with
“transforming business practices” and “growing
revenue.” Look until you find what fits. Don’t
worry, you can always change your mind.
3.Be Relevant
Are you ready to excel at the work you’ve
decided to do? Do you know how to use
Twitter to connect with customers? Are you
seen as a thought leader on LinkedIn? Do
you know how to target an audience on
Facebook? Becoming the go-to expert in
your field and being social media savvy are
essential. You do this by becoming a true
lifelong learner. Set aside time to take classes
and read books and articles to stay relevant
in this fast changing world. With the Internet,
access to knowledge is universal. There are
no excuses for not keeping your skills “up-to-
the-minute.”
What to Do Today:
Go to Lynda.com and take a course on writing
for the Web. Udemy.com has Facebook
marketing courses. Go to Coursera.org to learn
Algorithms from Princeton University.
4.Be Productive
You are the CEO of You! Just like when you
moved from high school to college, in the
“future of work,” you are responsible for
your own individual performance. My top
tip is to always get to meetings on time
and keep meetings on track so they end
on time. Demand the same from everyone
with whom you work. A recent article in the
Wall Street Journal* gave the results from
two 2014 surveys showing 37% of meetings
start and end late, by an average of nearly 15
minutes. That’s 30 minutes of wasted time
for everyone who showed up on time.
What to Do Today:
Use the 30 minutes you save to set S.M.A.R.T.
Goals, plan your day, review your progress, and
learn techniques to increase your productivity.
To quote Peter Bregman, “Never before has
it been so important to be intentional about
our time and say no to distraction.” Peter
offers a great formula at his website http://
peterbregman.com/18-minutes/ with free
downloadable checklists and templates.
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5.Be Connected
Your transformation to an in-demand expert
in your field will be complete when you are
masterfully connected both in person and
via electronic networking. Make sure that
you are of service, give as well as you take,
and protect and nurture your network.
Networking is about making connections.
You can do this by coordinating the
uncoordinated and connecting two otherwise
unconnected ideas and people together.
Learn to make small talk, establish rapport,
and then ask the best questions. Be a good
listener and see how you might be able to
help each person you meet.
What to Do Today:
Consult the networking experts. In her book
“How to be a Power Connector: the 5-50-100
Rule for Turning Your Business Network into
Profits,” author Judy Robinett offers a great
formula on how many people you can effectively
manage in your ‘active’ network. You might
have guessed the number is 155, but Judy will
teach you where those people can be found.
You may be over 50, but you don’t have to be
over-the-hill and set out to pasture. These 5
transformative skills will help you be ready to BE
IN-DEMAND in the future workplace. Get started
today for a better tomorrow.
*WSJ, July 7, 2015, “Don’t Be the Office Sched-
ule-Wrecker” by Sue Shellenbarger
http://www.wsj.com/articles/dont-be-the-office-
schedule-wrecker-1436290208
Antoinette Forth
Co-founder of Walkabout Collaborative LLC
Twitter: @Anton4th and @WalkaboutCo
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/antonforth
Antoinette Forth, entrepreneur, mentor
and strategic advisor, is the co-founder of
Walkabout Collaborative LLC a private talent
cloud for executive independent workers
and management consulting firm preparing
mid-size companies to scale. Determined
to remain on the cutting-edge and refusing
to accept the status quo, Antoinette thrives
on challenges that focus on process
improvement, problem-solving and finding
solutions for underserved market segments.
As the President and COO, Antoinette helps
independent executive contingent workers
and management consultants navigate the
complexities of the future of work. Learn
more about her company at walkaboutco.
com.
35

It’s Time To Rethink The Employee
Employer Relationship
By Andy Jankowski, Founder and Managing Director, Enterprise Strategies
Enabling technologies and fundamental
changes in social constructs are rapidly
impacting the relationships between
employees and employers. Employers are
realizing the necessity of having employees
as customers and brand advocates, as well as
the reality that no one really has to work for
them. Employees are experiencing the game
changing impacts of a world gone social.
Today’s employees have a voice, a brand,
and a multitude of choices of where and how
they work — both inside and outside of their
companies.
Employers and employees alike must rethink
their relationship with each other and the
traditional mindsets, tools, processes and
policies they’ve used to facilitate work.
What do employers stand to gain by
rethinking their relationship with employees?
An exponential increase in marketing reach,
authenticity and effectiveness, for one. While
only 15% of people trust recommendations
from brands, 84% trust recommendations
from people they know.1
Employee advocacy
programs at IBM2
and elsewhere are bringing
material results and the focus on leveraging
employees’ identities is transcending more
than just sales and marketing. By engaging
and leveraging the personalities, knowledge
and relationships of employees, companies
are also improving talent acquisition and
retention costs, timing and efficiencies. In a
survey by The Undercover Recruiter, 67% of
employers and recruiters said the recruiting
process was shorter, and 51% said it was
less to expensive to recruit via referrals.3
Finally, the impact of this new relationship
with employees is bolstering company
performance and customer satisfaction.
Gallup researchers studied the differences
in performance between engaged and
actively disengaged work units. The findings?
Work units in the top quartile in employee
engagement outperformed bottom-quartile
units by 10% on customer ratings, 22%
in profitability, and 21% in productivity.4
Moreover, Gallup’s research also showed that
companies with engaged workforces have
higher earnings per share (EPS), and that they
have recovered from the 2008 recession at
a faster rate. In one study, Gallup examined
49 publicly traded companies with EPS data
available from 2008-2012. Companies with an
average of 9.3 engaged employees for every
actively disengaged employee in 2010-2011
experienced 147% higher EPS compared with
their competition in 2011-2012. In contrast,
36

companies with an average of 2.6 engaged
employees for every actively disengaged
employee experienced 2% lower EPS
compared with their competition during
that same time period. How is employee
engagement contributing to these
financial results? Some suggest there is
both correlation and causation between
engaged employees and customer service.
Research compiled by, Kevin Kruse, author of
Employee Engagement 2.0, cites companies
with high employee engagement scores had
twice the customer loyalty (repeat purchases,
recommendations to friends) than companies
with average employee engagement levels.5
Taken in whole, these data points paint a
pretty clear picture for employers. There
is a significant return on investing in your
company’s relationship with its employees.
So do employees themselves stand to gain?
To fully understand the benefit to employees,
we have to look at how the social construct
of “work” has evolved in recent years. Social
constructs are simply our jointly constructed
understandings of the world. Society’s view
of work has changed and continues to do
so. A new millennium quest for work life
balance has morphed into a desire to blend
work and life in a way that enables us to
direct our time and energy to things that
are fulfilling. After years of perceived, and in
some cases actual, corporate suppression,
social media has enabled us to experiment
with self-expression in a business setting.
Many employees now believe that work
should allow us to be our authentic self, and
in so being provides maximum value to our
companies. Companies are realizing this too,
but unfortunately, many are ill-equipped to
make these changes. Employers must adapt.
The following are just a
few of the items holding
back companies from
embracing and realizing the
full potential of this new
type of employee employer
relationship
1.
2.
Company Culture
Corporate Policy
Pick a problem inside of a corporation, and
it can generally be tied back to corporate
culture. If our personality is how we act
when no one is looking, then corporate
culture is how we make decisions when no
one is directing. For employees to realize
their full potential inside of an organization
they must feel safe and supported in doing
so. Company culture needs to be one of
acceptance and support.
Culture is a precursor to a better employee
employer relationship, but policy is what
makes this new relationship possible. Why do
some companies limit an employee’s use of
social media? Why in some companies is the
Marketing team the only group of employees
trusted with communicating the arrival of
new products and services? These are just
a few examples, but the concept is much
more broad and far reaching. For employees
to provide employers the benefits of their
identity, artificially limiting policies should be
done away with and new more progressive
policies need to be put in place.
37

3.
4.
Legacy Technology
Employment Contracts
Technology is not the solution, but it is
the enabler that will make it possible for
employees and companies alike to benefit
from a new working relationship. We
are already starting to see examples of
enabling technology in platforms that allow
for structured and monitored employee-
driven internal and external social media
communication. Legacy technology is a
sticking point for many companies, and is a
very expensive one to address. Companies
need to view this investment as simply a cost
of doing business. If they don’t, they may find
themselves out of business.
Companies must view employees as living
beings that deserve, require and thrive in
an environment of mutuality. That cannot
happen unless we agree on new “rules of
engagement”. The days of one-sided non-
competes are limited. So too is the concept of
an organization owning all of an employee’s
thoughts during their time of employment.
Both of these issues cannot be addressed
unless we change the way we think about
employment contracts. Mutuality requires
mutual respect. Employment agreements
of the future will need to make allowances
for alternative commercial relationships,
intellectual property rights and the legal
freedoms needed for employees and
employers to build their brands and
businesses together.
So where do these shifts leave us? There is no
one right answer. The good news is that
some forward thinking companies and
employees have already begun this journey.
These concepts, and the stories of employees
and employers that are starting to embrace
them, are the basis for my forthcoming book:
BYO(I)dentity: The Future of the Employee
and Employer Relationship. To learn more, or
have your story told, come join the discussion
at www.byoidentity.com.
1
5 Stats That Prove Employee Advocacy is
Crucial http://wersm.com/5-stats-that-prove-
employee-advocacy-is-crucial/#ixzz3i8m6fl00
2
How IBM Moved From Chasing References to
Attracting Advocates
http://centerforcustomerengagement.com/
how-ibm-moved-from-chasing-references-to-
attracting-advocates/
3
http://theundercoverrecruiter.com/
infographic-employee-referrals-hire/
4
http://www.gallup.com/
businessjournal/163130/employee-engagement-
drives-growth.aspx
5
http://www.kevinkruse.com/employee-
engagement-research-master-list-of-29-studies/
References
Andy Jankowski is the Founder and Managing
Director of Enterprise Strategies, a consultancy
committed to Delivering the Future of WorkSM
through practical digital strategies and adoption
programs. Recent Enterprise Strategies’ clients
include AIG, Aon, Marsh Inc., Allianz Global
Assistance, XL Group, The Laclede Group,
Indianapolis Power & Light and The Student
Success Network among others. He has written
for, and been written about in, Forbes and The
Huffington Post. He is a PIVOT Advisory Board
Member and a member of the Future of Work
Community
Andy Jankowski
Twitter: @AndyJankowski | @WorkingEvolved
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/andyjankowski
38

How do we prepare ourselves for the road
that lies before us? As we look ahead and
prepare for the journey to 2020, it’s difficult
to assess where businesses will be in the next
five years. As a GenerationXer raised by dot.
com boomers in Silicon Valley and myself,
working in the technology industry for the
last 20 years, I cannot even fathom where our
technological advancements will lead us.
Each analyst has their own prediction of how
such emerging Internet trends are shaping
how individuals communicate, share ideas,
are connected and are able to collaborate
with one another across the world. We are
already seeing a world that speaks in 140
characters or less; a world that cannot wait
two days for a package to be delivered; an
economy that can be shared; and a business
that can be destroyed at the click of an app
delete.
Though we cannot predict the future of
technology, we can prepare ourselves for
the future of work by understanding how
to communicate and collaborate in unison
with the next generation of workers, the
Millennials.
By 2020, 70% of the U.S. workforce will be
comprised of Millennials. Understand that
being prepared for the future of work is being
prepared to speak ‘millennial’. Your success
depends on understanding this highly
connected and digitally native generation. I
currently lead a team of Millennials and
have quickly learned that it is not I who teach
them, but rather, they are the ones that teach
me to be a better me.
Members of the Boomers and Millennial
generations will soon be equals in a world
with no barriers or seniority divides.
Boomers and Millennials will all be working
symbiotically in a virtual workspace. The
future of work (yours, mine, everyone’s) is
taking shape before our eyes: work is being
commoditized; work is being done from a
computer; interactions are taking place within
a virtual space; relationships and business
deals are occurring via social connectivity or
in an app.
Instead of trying to control how Millennial
interact, it is time to let go of what your
current understanding of Millennials are
and how they communicate, and instead,
take the time to listen and learn from them.
You are responsible for where the world of
work is headed because your contribution in
mentoring Millennials, the future CEOs of this
world, will impact and shape the future. Their
minds cannot be underestimated, their ideas
cannot be stifled and understanding what
drives them is how we can take control of
where the future of work is headed.
Mentoring for Success: 5 Ways to Help
Millennials Prepare Your Business for The
Future of Work
By Tina Lai, Business Development Manager, Upwork
39

Mentoring Millennials
I currently lead an A-Team of Millennials
at a company that has already brought the
workforce online. My team, let’s call them
Upworkaholics, has found a perfect symbiotic
balance of mutual respect and understanding
where egos cannot hinder progress and
complete transparency catapults the
company on the upward track towards
success. I have learned to be quite fluent
in speaking ‘Millennial’ to translate their
language into business success.
In my quest to become a revered woman in
technology, bridge the Boomer-Millennial
divide, speak on the Future of Work, be the
hippest futurist on Earth, and climb the
socio-corporate ladder, I have found that
understanding how to empower Millennials
will actually be the omnipotent force behind
the future success of companies looking
to stay relevant, agile and drive significant
business impact for the future of work.
I come in to work every day grateful that I
have this team of twenty-something-year
olds to teach me how to be a better me.
Millennials are the best teachers in the world.
You just have to listen. Here is what I’ve
learned so far.
How To Become Their
Role Model, Mentor,
Advisor and Friend
1.
2.
Listen. Really listen with
intent.
Give instant feedback
Millennials have so much respect for those
that have come before them. I never had a
mentor in my twenties but if I had, I would
have gone a lot further in my career by now.
I had to learn everything on my own. I am
privileged with the opportunity to transfer my
knowledge and experience to my team who
is eager to learn and hungry for success. Give
them a chance to shine.
My team utilizes SCRUM methodology, but
with a sales-twist. We have our agile board
at the office that shows where each team
member stands in terms of achieving their
quarterly goals. Our “Need to Schedule,”
“Scheduling” and “Scheduled” meetings bring
the competitive nature out of them as well.
We hold Daily 10 Minute Stand-ups where we
recap the day to say what our “Highlights”
40

3.
4.
5.
Practice transparency
Keep it simple
Have fun!
Collaboratively creating clear plans for
upward mobility and career growth is key.
Millennials over-analyze, over-think,
over-achieve, and aspire for it all. Just
remember how you were when you were 21
years old.
Always celebrate the small wins. We celebrate
each other’s little wins like, “we didn’t get
hung up on today, hooray!” It’s just important
to have fun and bring out the best in each
other. If your team member is failing to hit
his or her quotas or not working together
towards team goals and reaching for the
stars there is no one else to look to but
yourself as a manager. Millennials are also
socially conscious. They volunteer their time
often and remember to be grateful. They
respect Earth. They are incubators of new
ideas and thoughts. Remember to listen.
Millennials work hard and set expectations
to never show their weakness. They do not
fathom the possibility of failure. It’s these
qualities that make them so valuable.
The Millennial generation has a beautiful,
confident aura that makes them magnetic,
powerful, teachable, and the most valuable
asset you have at your company. As the
Millennial generation grows, we all grow.
We will be forced to learn more about them.
Those that understand and communicate
well with Millennials will grow to new
positions, and experience the career success
you are looking for!
Understanding Millennials is just the first
step to bridging the generational gap. It’s
important to ask yourself how you have
mentored Millennials for success; what
makes them so dynamic and amazingly
disruptive in the workplace, and how you
can harness their energy to build a better
workplace for the future of work.
were and what our “Lowlights” were; and
how to fix each others “Lowlights” so that
they turn into “Highlights.” We fix issues
immediately as they arise so they do not
fester.
Tina Lai is a leader in the next generation of work
helping drive the shift from traditional work models
to the on-demand workforce. Tina’s inspiration
comes from the opportunity to help empower
the world’s global workforce through technology,
especially those in 3rd world countries with less
opportunity. Tina has over 20 years of experience
in sales and business development with Silicon
Valley based start-ups.
Tina Lai
Twitter: @upworkaholic
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/upworkaholic
41

At ATB we believe that people have a right to great leadership and leaders have a
responsibility to be GREAT... not perfect. What does it mean to be a great leader at ATB?
There is a mountain range of literature and research on this topic. To sort through it all and
personalize it for our company, we’ve defined great leadership with intention through what
we call our All In Leadership Pledge. This framework is intended to guide our leadership
development system, including but not limited to leadership succession. The punch line: The
more you live and practice through the lens of our leadership pledge, the more successful
you will be.
Getting Extraordinary Results
If you’re going to be a leader at ATB, you must demonstrate that you are capable of three
non-negotiable outcomes. You must show that you can consistently deliver great results,
develop others and collaborate through building strong relationships. Essentially, people are
lined up to work for you because they know where you’re going, you’re intentionally clear,
consistent and authentic in applying core values, you consistently get things done, and
ideally, you’re fun to work with!
Are you an All In Leader?
By Lorne Rubis, Chief People Officer, ATB Financial
42

How To Get There
At ATB, our Story or purpose provides an umbrella for why we jump out of bed in the
morning. We know that meaningful purpose in providing material value to people is essential
for sustainable profitable growth. We have also been very specific in describing our expected
leadership behaviour attributes and absolute core values... what we call our ATBs.
Attributes:
Translator – Understand and make meaning
Connector – Connect with care to others
Hungry – Passionately strive for excellence
Collaborator – Engage with others to achieve a common goal
Agile – Adapt to change and take action
Catalyst – Make things happen
Creator – Create value
Explorer – Find a new way forward
Synthesizer – Find simplicity and grounding within complexity
The ATBs (values):
#1 Deliver WOW to customers and each other every chance you get
#2 Continuously seek ways to make banking work FOR people
#3 Think yes first
#4 Be personally and fiercely accountable
#5 Find a way to get things done
#6 Be confident and humble
#7 Trust and expect the same from others
#8 Do the right thing
#9 Think big and make it happen
#10 Have fun every day
Additionally, we have been very specific in describing the practices we expect leaders to
follow. At minimum, we want leaders to practice and apply the practice of leadership by
ensuring the following with their collective group AND each individual:
Practices
1. I set a vivid and compelling vision on where we are going
2. I set clear and inspiring expectations for performance
3. I connect, care and coach in-the-moment and in one-on-ones
4. I give feedback generously, asking for and receiving it in return
5. I drive continuous learning to accelerate growth and agility
6. I actively notice and recognize others and celebrate results
43

All In Leadership!
The entire All In Leadership Pledge is outlined as a system as outlined in the ATB Leaders
ALL IN. If you want to accelerate and continue as a leader at ATB, you are expected to
continuously develop and evaluate yourself according to this framework. If you can’t or won’t,
it’s best to develop your career elsewhere. Why? People deserve great leaders and leaders
are responsible to be GREAT (not perfect).
Lorne Rubis
@LorneRubis
https://www.linkedin.com/pub/lorne-rubis/0/b28/74a
As Chief People Officer, Lorne Rubis is responsible for leading change
within ATB as the organization sets out to be number one in local
markets, become THE place to work.
He has extended his experiences, ideas and energy within ATB by
elevating and transforming Human Resources into what is now People &
Culture.
Lorne has held senior leadership roles in a number of tech companies
in the United States a stint with the Los Angeles Kings. Prior to joining
ATB, Lorne was the president and chief executive officer of Ryzex, a
privately-held, international technology company. He writes frequently
about getting the most out of work and life situations through a focus
on Respect, Abundance and Accountability – the three tenants of The
Character Triangle.
44

You Aren’t Very Good at Interviewing
By John Sigmon, CHRO, AARP
I have a very simple hiring philosophy-
How many times in your career have you suffered through an interview and been presented
with exhausting questions such as “where do you see yourself in five years?” or “what is
your greatest strength/weakness?” I recall an interview I had with a prestigious investment-
banking firm and was asked “how many pencils do you think will fit into this office?” I’ve never
been quite certain the purpose of that inquiry, perhaps it was to make the interviewer feel
powerful or clever.
There is a significant body of data to suggest that the basic job interview is an ineffective
method to select the best candidate. Some of this is due to what is known widely as
confirmation bias. Based on primitive instincts we assess our fellow humans quickly. When
we all lived on the plains this rapid assessment might make the difference between life and
death. In modern society the impact is subtler. If we don’t like someone’s handshake, how
he or she dresses, his or her appearance, the interview is basically over. The interviewer
proceeds to continually look for reasons to reject you in order to confirm the basic
impression. Conversely, if the handshake is firm (but not too firm), the individual is tall and
attractive, and demonstrates a degree of confidence, the interviewer is likely to fall victim to
the Halo effect. Again, the interview is basically over. This time the interviewer is continually
looking for reasons to accept you as a top
This dangerous path is particularly true with unstructured interviews, which surprisingly
remain commonplace. It unfolds like this- a candidate who appears reserved or maybe
introverted might be asked if they are “comfortable in a large group setting”. A candidate for
the same role who presents as outgoing, extroverted and confident might be asked is they
have experience “leading large teams.” This is the confirmation bias at work.
Other factors that influence the hiring decision include height, attractiveness, and the sound
of someone’s voice. There is also evidence to suggest that the order in which a candidate is
interviewed has an influence on hiring. Interviewers assess candidates not simply on the
merits of their particular interview performance, but they also take into account the rating of
candidates they have already interviewed. So if an interviewer has already awarded several
high ratings they are less likely to award high ratings later in the interview cycle.
All of this evidence paints a dismal picture of the interviewing process. Luckily, science points
to several variations on the classic interview that can increase the odds of selecting the ideal
Find your own candidates- relationship recruiting
Rigorously assess candidates- structured interviewing, work samples, testing
Hire at the 95th percentile- never settle for less than the best
Effectively On-Board- reduce time to productivity
45

candidate. A meta-analysis covering nearly a century of research uncovered some interesting
findings on how effective various assessments are in predicting employee performance.*
There are common practices when candidates are screened/
interviewed for positions. See if any of these sound familiar:
Work sample tests
Structured interviews
These two assessment methods combined account for 55% of an employee’s performance.
Why don’t more employers use structured interviews or work samples/testing? Hiring
managers often claim structured interviewing is time consuming and the questions are
hard to develop. HR staff are afraid to use work samples/testing because they have limited
experience and they are risk averse.
Let’s do some math. Let’s say you and your team of 2 staff spend a collective 40 hours
developing structured interview questions based on the competencies you are seeking in a
new employee. At a total compensation rate of $200,000 per year, those 40 hours have cost
$3,846. Let’s further assume you need to train 3 interview panel members, taking another
collective 40 hours (your staff time and the time of the panel members) for an additional
$3,846. Let’s further assume you have in place a work sample or testing instrument that
has been vetted and is job relevant. The cost to administer that test by a third party is
approximately $2500. This represents an incremental cost to your hiring process.
The alternative is sticking to a more traditional method and taking your chances. If you
misjudge, the cost of sending your new hire to training will be significantly more expensive
and if you count in the opportunity cost of having an employee in training, the possibility of
HR time intervening and working with the manager (developing performance improvement
plans) or hiring a coach for the employee you can quickly conclude it is more cost effective to
hire at the 95th percentile through a structured interview process. It is virtually impossible to
take an average performer and through training turn, them into a corporate star.
The future of work is dependent upon excellence in hiring practices. Let’s be honest, this is
hard. It is hard work to turn around an organizational construct around talent, to get hiring
managers on board, to work with legal to make sure assessments are sound, to deal with the
“just give me someone who can answer the phones” mentality.
Do you want to hire an average performer you think may perform and do well, give them
some training and counseling if they don’t; all the while hoping they add value soon? Or,
would you rather adopt a practice of hiring that is evidence based, and provides candidates at
the 95th percentile, who can add value right away?
I thought so.
46

*Frank L. Schmidt and John E. Hunter, “The Validity and Utility of Selection Methods in Personnel
Psychology: Practical and Theoretical Implications of 85 Years of Research Findings,” Psychological Bulletin
124, no. 2 (1998)
John Sigmon
@YourHRideas
www.linkedin.com/in/johnwsigmon
John Sigmon has nearly 20 years of human resources leadership
with a focus on strategic innovation and business improvement
within for-profit, not-for-profit, and public sector organizations. He
has proven successes in effectively integrating human resources
into the organizational fabric. He currently leads enterprise HR with
expertise that extends beyond human resources and demonstrates an
understanding of the entire enterprise. He cultivates relationships by
providing a nimble HR platform capable of meeting AARP’s dynamic
needs.
47
Reference

Today’s Consumer-WorkersTM
by Wendy Smith, NCR, Head of New Employee Experiences
New workers have emerged in today’s work-
force that are having a significant impact on
HR professionals and how we develop HR
programs. These new Consumer-WorkersTM,
a term I’ve coined with my colleague Kevin
Finke, founder of Experience Willow, are the
product of the changing world around us.
They’re guided by new generational mindsets
and evolving behaviors that have emerged
over time as a result of influences like social
media, mobile capabilities, and other techno-
logical advances.
Consumer-Workers no longer approach work
the way past generations have. There are
millions of them across the globe, and if you
want to be successful employers, you need
to pay attention to why and how they want to
work. Yesterday’s workers did not consider
themselves to be customers of the business-
es that employed them. They were satisfied
working for decent paychecks, while being
treated with acceptable levels of fairness and
respect. The “contract” was very basic – “We
do the work you need us to do, and you pay
us fairly for it.” In contrast, Consumer-Work-
ers actually see themselves as customers of
your employer brands, and they have ongo-
ing expectations that start at recruitment and
continue through their entire employment
journey. When they’re not happy at work,
they start shopping elsewhere for new com-
panies.
Since consumer behaviors are also rapidly
evolving due to similar influences like tech-
nology and social media, Consumer-Workers
don’t approach employer brand consumption
with traditional consumer mindsets, but rath-
er as consumers of today. The chart below
demonstrates the shift in how they approach
the consumption of products and services
and how that relates to their consumption of
employer brands:
48

As you can see, Consumer-Workers are
looking for very personalized workplace
experiences that are relevant to the things
they care most about. They want to make
a difference and feel like they’re part of
organizations they identify with – that share
their goals and values. It’s not just about
pay any more; it’s about the total employee
value proposition. And, as with products
and services today, there is little to no
brand loyalty. They will continue to shop
your employer brands only as long as you
continue to meet their needs by creating
relevant, engaging work experiences that
connect with them personally.
Given this dramatic shift in the relationship
of employees and employers, we must take
new approaches in HR to be able to appeal
to Consumer-Workers. Looking through
the lens of employees as customers of your
employer brands, HR professionals must
begin to evolve into expert marketers and
experience makers (or at the very least
partner with those people who are) to
enable the development of cohesive and
genuinely meaningful end-to-end workplace
experiences that address the entire employee
lifecycle. Until HR builds these skill sets within
the HR organization, it is essential to partner
closely with other teams like Marketing and
Customer Experience (CX) organizations.
They have been creating quality brand
experiences for external customers for
decades. It’s time to tap into their knowledge
and skills to create these same exceptional
experiences for your internal customers
– your employees.In addition to creating
close partnerships with marketers and
experience builders, HR must also utilize all
the technologies and tools available to create
work environments that will attract top-notch
talent and encourage sustainable
engagement with their organizations. One
critical strategy for success is to leverage
SMAC (Social, Mobile, Analytics, and
Cloud) solutions. As previously seen, many
Consumer-Worker attitudes and preferences
have actually been influenced by SMAC,
and the experiences they have received as
consumers of products and services resulting
from SMAC.
Consumer-Workers want to connect socially
with their peers – to share experiences, learn
from others, and engage in communities that
are relevant to them. They expect social tools
to be readily available inside and outside of
work. Many are even using social sites during
job hunting – so, it’s imperative to ensure
your companies have robust social recruiting
strategies in place.
Mobile also plays a huge role in Consumer-
Worker expectations. In their non-work
worlds, they’re accustomed to free or cheap
apps that help them get things done easier.
Now they’re beginning to ask, “If it’s so easy
to create an app that can help us get our
banking done quickly and order products
online, why can’t our companies create apps
that will help make work easier for us? Why
can’t they give us easy-to-use apps to submit
expenses and log our time? And if investment
firms can provide apps that can guide
amateur investors through the complicated
process of investing effectively, then why
can’t our workplaces offer apps that will help
me learn and grow in my particular role to
improve my skills?”
Workers have accepted that most work is
no longer 9-to-5 and understand the need
to be “on call” virtually. But as part of the
compromise to sacrifice what used to be a
distinct separation between work and leisure
49

time, Consumer-Workers expect flexibility
and mobile tools to enable a more seamless,
blended integration between work and life.
They want to be able to send off the emails
their bosses are waiting on while watching
their child’s soccer game on Saturday. Or
finish up the last touches on the reports
that are due while in the car on the way
to a movie. The ability to work wherever
and however one chooses is fundamental
to the needs of Consumer-Workers. HR
practitioners must figure out how to offer not
only flexible work policies, but also mobile
and cloud-based tools that enable effective
work in these environments.
In conclusion, new Consumer-Workers have
arrived and are changing how we all feel
about work and employee experiences. HR
professionals must evolve their approach
to treat employees as customers of their
employer brands. And in such, they must
utilize the skills and tools traditionally used
by marketing and CX experts to create
meaningful, tailored experiences that will
delight their customers, their employees,
as well as their potential customers,
their candidates. This new approach will
help attract great talent and build strong
engagement with today’s Consumer-Workers.
Wendy Smith is a self-proclaimed lifelong learner,
and there’s nothing she’s more passionate about
than challenging old paradigms, especially when it
means helping others to learn, grow and achieve
their personal goals and dreams.
At NCR, she focuses on creating the most
exceptional employee experiences that win over the
hearts and minds of her fellow NCR employees—
or people she calls iNCRedibles, a name created
during the design and development of NCR FIRST
STEPS, the newly launched global onboarding
program she has directed from scratch.
Wendy has been at NCR for 15 years, and today
touts experience in HRIS, CI/CX, HR shared Services,
and Global Learning. Most recently, she was
named Director of New Employee Experiences. Her
team oversees both the candidate and new hire
experiences for more than 5,000 global employees
annually. Wendy was named a 2015 Workforce
Gamechanger which recognizes the next generation
of innovative, dynamic leaders to watch in human
resources and workplace management.
Wendy Smith
Twitter: @WendyMorph
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/pub/wendy-smith/4/b22/b5a
50

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