This Week's Top 3 Must Reads on the Future of Work

These are my top three article picks for the week of June 6th on the future of work, artificial intelligence, the metaverse, and humanizing work. This week's selection includes insights on why ROWE as a management strategy is essential for leading in the future of work, the need for human oversight when managing employee productivity with AI-powered platforms, and extending DEI strategies into the metaverse. I hope the articles inspire and ignite your imagination about the future of work and provide insights and strategies that you can leverage to help your organization thrive and make work more human.

The Importance of The Results Only Work Environment

This article made the top of this week’s list because it speaks to one of the most significant leadership paradigm shifts that will shape how we will work as the future of work continues to unfold. Let me start by defining ROWE. ROWE is an acronym for Results Only Work Environment. ROWE is not a new management strategy. It was created in 2001 by two Best Buy human resource leaders. The basis for the strategy is that employees can “work wherever and whenever they’d like, as long as their work gets finished according to agreed-upon deadlines and set standards.” Can you see the relevance of this strategy today as leaders struggle with return to work, remote and hybrid work strategies? Do you understand how vital ROWE as a strategy will be as work transitions into the virtual world of the Metaverse? ?The article highlights five specific benefits of ROWE as a strategy. The first benefit is that it instills trust. According to the article, “Hiring managers and C-Suite managers exist as the architects of a team that they trust to propel the company forward.” The second benefit, according to the article, is that it improves productivity. According to the article, “In many cases, this can allow an employee to balance their work/life concept better. The third benefit is that it leads to happier employees. The fourth benefit is that a ROWE strategy can lead to increased innovation. The fifth benefit is that it can reduce turnover. According to the article, turnover declined by 45% when Best Buy implemented it. Implementing ROWE as a strategy requires the development of a remote-first culture, the proper workflows, processes, infrastructure, collaboration tools, and the right leaders in place. What we know for sure is that ROWE as a strategy aligns well with what we’ve learned from the pandemic and the Great Resignation in the context of how employees expect to work and the relationships they want with employers.

?Why algorithmic management needs human oversight

As organizations continue to ramp up the implementation of?AI-based systems to manage employee productivity, leaders must work to mitigate automation bias and resist the propensity for algorithms to replace the real work of managing people. According to the article, “While not every employer is looking to squeeze every ounce of productivity out of their workers, decisions that impact workers’ lives should always involve human managers.” Increased productivity and better decision-making are the natural byproducts of algorithmic management systems. However, “AI-powered management becomes harmful when used as a replacement for human decision-making. Algorithms should be used to advise and work alongside human line managers but not replace them.” The article references several examples from Uber to Amazon of how AI-powered management tools that aim to squeeze out as much productivity per employee as possible can compromise employee experience, engagement, and retention. The article concluded with a solid best practice recommendation for using AI-powered productivity tools to add value to human resource practices. “Whoever is leading a group of people working together needs to have an understanding of the data. You need a team of data, tech, business, and HR people working in a multifunctional team.”

L'Oreal’s NYX Joins DEI Metaverse Experience on the Sandbox

This article made the list because it demonstrates how brands can extend DEI strategy from the physical world to the virtual world of the Metaverse. According to the article, NYX is the “first brand to sign on to a new diversity, equity and inclusion-focused activation that will live in The Sandbox, a metaverse platform where brands can inhabit virtual land and create experiences for users.” What is really exciting is that the brand will drop an NFT collection of diverse traits for avatars. The beauty of this project is that the collection will feature makeup looks that incorporate a wide variety of skin shades, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and gender identifications that, highlights the fact that makeup is for everyone and all identities. Moreover, the project, which is a collaboration between NYX, The Sandbox, and People of the Crypto Lab (POC), launches on June 24th and has been dubbed the “Valley of Belonging” and will serve as a hub of inclusivity for other brands to build out projects that support cultural awareness and education. Building inclusivity in Web3 spaces is critically important as we move through the unfolding of the future of work in the new frontier called the Metaverse. How will your organization extend DEI efforts into the Metaverse? The time is now for human resource leaders to begin the conversation.??

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