Shelia was unable to be here for this episode of the podcast, but we were very fortunate to have Thad Price, CEO of Talroo, join the conversation. Our topic was flexibility at work and a report by McKinsey & Company entitled Americans are embracing flexible work—and they want more of it. The report was based on a survey of 25,000 Americans, so the findings are limited to their view of this workforce trend. Nevertheless and as is apparent from the report’s title, McKinsey concludes that flexible work is no longer a temporary pandemic response, but rather is now an enduring feature of the modern world of work.
We take a look at that claim – especially as it’s manifested in the current push to work from home (WFH) among both employees and job seekers – and how employers can respond to the fact that over 40% of all workers labor in jobs where WFH is simply not feasible, yet still want the individual autonomy it provides. We also examine McKinsey’s findings that flexible work programs may inadvertently undercut companies’ DE&I goals particularly for women and “older” workers and discuss the implications of the larger trend of what Peter calls “sovereign work” – the accelerating desire among workers to be the masters of how their job is integrated into their lives. As always, it’s a thought-provoking 30 minutes so give it a listen.
Links mentioned:
'Americans are embracing flexible work—and they want more of it’ – McKinsey