Guest Interview Series 2: Edie Weiner on Where the“Future of Work” is Really Heading?

This is the second in a four-part interview series on productivity, meaning, and the workplace today. Twice monthly, we are bringing in guests to share with us. I could not be more excited to introduce you to the brilliant and bold Edie Weiner, whose forecasts and opinions have driven executives to change their thinking for decades. Our conversation has been edited for length and clarity. Let’s dive in.

We are hearing so much about the future of work. What’s your big-picture vision of what the physical office will look like in 10 years?

We are moving from workplace to workspace. We are moving from mankind to mind-kind. And we are moving from measuring inputs to valuing outputs. The COVID situation was not the cause, but it was a definite accelerator.

What’s the most common mistake leaders are making in the design of their hybrid teams? Can you give us some examples of the coming changes in day-to-day knowledge work post-pandemic?

The modern office is a holdover from the Industrial Revolution and has diminished in value as we head further into the 21st century. Dedicating one space to one individual in a commercial building has been in decline for almost two decades. Allowing people to work from home, and certainly (with advanced technology) from anywhere, is half the shift underway. The other is the fungibility of time. There is little remaining of the standard workweek because people are expected to be reachable 24/7, global functions run through multiple time zones, and flexible hours are becoming mainstream. Add to that the availability of crowdsourcing, independent contracting, virtual conferencing, and project management, and we see that work happens anytime, anywhere.

The concept of owning people, having them in allocated seats at allocated times, and expecting them to conform to dress codes and bureaucratic protocol is a waning proposition. Demanding that people spend a set number of hours on a task is giving way to caring about the timing and the quality of the output of their work. Some people work much faster than others and should be compensated for the task, not the time. Some produce far better intellectual output, regardless of time or place, and should be compensated on that basis. Some are required to be present for their work to be done and should be compensated for their commuting time, childcare or other caregiving expenses, and whatever dress code they may need for the work. Others may be satisfied with less dollar compensation but more distant and flexible arrangements.

What’s the most important technology investment companies should be making now and why? What one action would you advise a midsize company to take right now to secure its future?

As AI and robotics further automate many repetitive functions, the need for talent morphs into what we need from people’s minds more than what we need from their bodies.?

The biggest challenge for midsize companies will be, on the one hand, competing with larger companies that can provide more opportunity for interesting jobs and, on the other hand, smaller companies that are more familial and provide a sense of community. The most important technology companies should be investing in now is what can connect people in a more meaningful sense, challenge them to work solo or in teams (perhaps through the gamification of tasks), assure two-way trust, and value diversity of thought.

How do you see the flexibility of the hybrid design either threatening or supporting the separation of work and home life?

More builders will design homes with dedicated offices, more people will search for ways to section off the busy thoroughfares of their homes to accommodate workspaces, and more commercial developers will explore ways to make offices more reflective of nature (living walls, natural light, garden spaces) and collaboration (the only reason why, except for retail and manufacturing floors, you would need people to physically show up).?

Many more people will be data-smiths, not necessarily involved in coding or technology per se but in the applications of the vast amounts of data being collected. From smart homes to smart cars, from wearables to ubiquitous sensors, the amounts and kinds of data being collected will open up wholly new opportunities for designers, sociologists, health-care professionals, city planners, academic institutions, and beyond. There is no limit to the careers, jobs, assignments, and projects that will be created. These roles will require minds that are capable of critical thinking, not bodies that show up for a particular time at a particular place. The greatest overall challenge to companies will be finding people with good critical thinking skills—something studies show declines after high school and further declines after college. And if companies do find them, the companies would be wise to give them the latitude and compensation they require to get their work done.

Edie Weiner is president and CEO of the Future Hunters, one of the world’s leading futurist consulting firms. An author, speaker, and advisor, she has keynoted more than 300 conferences, including the World Economic Forum in Davos, and has consulted with a wide range of organizations from national governments to the Fortune 500. thefuturehunters.com