A recent article on Safeguardglobal.com shared some quotes from leaders on their thoughts about the future of work. With our upcoming Future of Work panel discussion at the HR Conference on March 16th, I thought I would share some of the quotes shared in the article as well as some from our panelists.

The quotes in the article are pulled from panel discussions at a 2022 HR Leaders Workshop in partnership with Safeguard Global, Preparing for a new Future of Work: Work in Any Way – Now and Into 2023:

Global expansion

“I just want the best talent. Period. I don't mind where they're based. I'm going to recruit the globe.” – Bjorn Reynolds, CEO Safeguard Global

The future of work

“There was always some resistance to [remote work]. With the pandemic, particularly the lockdown, it pushed us into the future. And it made us realize, hello, yes, we can do it.” – Badia Rebolledo Abud, Chief People Officer at Krispy Kreme

“Let’s be honest, remote work is here to stay. I don't think we're ever going to go back to how it was two years ago full time.” – Grace Lee, Senior Vice President, Chief HR Officer at Lumentum

“It’s not just the where you work, but it's the, how you work. It's the why you work at this point. That's the future.” –  Joseph Sangregorio, Chief HR Officer at Curia

Asynchronous working environments

“What's the minimum viable environment that gives employees the chance to choose how, and when they work? Maybe you take a couple hours off to give your kids a bath and a bedtime story and put them to bed and you'll hop back on later, but that's not what somebody else is doing. We can work asynchronously as well as remote, and it really can work very well. This isn't a problem as much as it is an opportunity to rethink and offer an even improved employee value proposition.”  – Richard Taylor, Senior Vice President, People Experience & Diversity at Nasdaq

“[Workers] amongst themselves volunteered because some would rather work during the day and be home at night with the family. In other cases, they said, I'd rather be home with the kids because they have no choice during the day. So, I'll take that night shift because that works best for me. We were able to accomplish two things, give the employees what they want, but still have the service that we needed to our customers.”  – Joseph Sangregorio, Chief HR Officer at Curia

Technology

“Technology is allowing us to really organize way better than even in the office. In Office 1.0, there wasn't always a central place to look on the wall and see all your projects and all your calendars and all your due dates. So, in a way, being remote and even asynchronous has allowed us to get better organized.” – Richard Taylor, Senior Vice President, People Experience & Diversity at Nasdaq

ASE Future of Work panelists told us how they envision the future of work:

Total rewards

“This is an exciting time for Total Rewards. We will be crafting solutions to meet our constituents where they are and be able to adjust offerings as their needs change, which will help us meet our company’s strategic goals and attract and retain top talent.” – J. Brian Coleman, Vice President of Total Rewards, Dawn Food Products

The future of work

“The Future of Work will look vastly different from our current reality in the very near term.  A work from anywhere philosophy will have businesses investing in technology and culture at a rapid rate.  To support the new ways of working and culture change, HR departments will need to retool recruitment, retention, benefits, and many related policies.  DEI principles in the workplace will be the expectation, not the exception. New styles of management and communication will be a vital component for success. Businesses that approach work with a growth mindset will be well poised to excel in their industries.” –Rhonda DeLuca MA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, RCC™, Sr. Vice President Global Human Resources, Terumo Cardiovascular

The workplace and compliance

“Issues surrounding remote and hybrid work will continue. Questions about mandatory vaccines will increase for healthcare employers in particular.” – Tiffany Buckley-Norwood, Esq, Associate Counsel, Employment, Trinity Health Corporation

 Technology

“Don't risk losing customers and employees because your tech systems are lagging. You have to look at tech issues with a CIO perspective. As your company migrates to the cloud, the build of your laptops and the build of your workstations have to change in order to maintain productivity.” – Brent Yax, CEO, Awecomm Technologies

One thing we know for sure is that the future of work will be different and we must all evolve. I encourage you to join us for the Future of Work Panel Discussion at the upcoming HR Conference on March 16, 2023.  Learn more or register here.