The Future of Work Podcast
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the way we worked and the skills we needed to succeed in our respective fields was shifting. Increased reliance on data to inform business decisions. The automation of job duties that made some workers redundant. The value of incorporating sustainability into everyday processes on the bottom line.
And then COVID-19 shut down the world. Racism and inequalities came to dominate every conversation. And as companies grapple with DE&I initiates and engage with a remote workforce, the way we work today looks drastically different than from just a few years ago. What trends, skills, initiatives and equity will we face in the years to come?
We’ve partnered with Jill Finlayson, Director of EDGE in Tech Initiative at UC (Expanding Diversity and Gender Equity) co-sponsored by CITRIS and Berkeley Engineering, to speak with industry leaders in their fields to discuss the changing evolution of the workforce and the skills needed to stay competitive.
October 2022: The Humanizing of Flexible Work
Across the globe, people have created effective remote working environments for themselves. Statistics vary, but the majority of employees say that working remotely will be important to them in the future. Not all workers have the option, but more than half do, and when offered, almost everyone takes the opportunity to work flexibly. So with more staff solely interacting through digital means, does the loss of face-to-face interactions mean less networking, creative collaborations and impromptu hallway meetings? Does it also mean more realistic work/life balance, flexibility and increased productivity? Remembering that it’s still humans doing the work, even if you can’t physically see them, how do we need to design work and the workplace? What is the impact as more employees return to an office, but in a hybrid schedule? Who is getting left behind or forgotten?
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September 2022: The Democracy of Data
There’s no ignoring it: Data is driving business forward. Data informs good decision making. And as a result, companies are empowering their employees to explore, understand and communicate with data. As we look at the future of work, every role at every level of an organization will need data-literacy skills.
Check out Mia’s curated list of fiction and nonfiction books on AI and technology ethics! And be sure to follow Mia by subscribing to her newsletter.
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August 2022: The Hybrid Role-Fusing Technical and Soft Skills, Part 2
Specialized digital skills are becoming increasingly important and yet jobs are not becoming hypertechnical. Instead, they are becoming increasingly hybrid, mixing human and technical skills-and employers and workers alike are still struggling to keep up. For example, job postings are cropping up with qualifications in data analytics, project management and critical thinking. But those same postings are also requiring excellent communication skills, problem solving and time management. How do you balance the hard with the soft? In this second part, we talk about those people skills and how to use them to build your personal brand.
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July 2022: The Hybrid Role-Fusing Technical and Soft Skills, Part 1
Specialized digital skills are becoming increasingly important and yet jobs are not becoming hypertechnical. Instead, they are becoming increasingly hybrid, mixing human and technical skills-and employers and workers alike are still struggling to keep up. For example, job postings are cropping up with qualifications in data analytics, project management and critical thinking. But those same postings are also requiring excellent communication skills, problem solving and time management. How do you balance the hard with the soft?
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June 2022: Closing the Great Skills Gap With Post-Degree Learning
AI and automation are making some jobs obsolete or creating new jobs. We’re also witnessing the great resignation, brought on by myriad reasons. In a McKinsey Global Institute report, “In the United States, we project there are about 17 million people in jobs that may see less demand. Over the eight countries we study in our report, 100 million people may need skills to perform different occupations in growing fields.” So if you’re thinking about or perhaps in the midst of a career change, you need to get up to speed quickly. Or are you being redeployed into a new role at your organization? Here’s how and why to build your capabilities.
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May 2022: Learning-and Unlearning-With Intent
The World Economic Forum recently declared a reskilling emergency as the world faces more than one billion jobs transformed by technology. No longer an ideal but an expectation, executives and employees must continually refresh their skills to keep up. To do so, continuous professional education is the key. But are you learning with intent? Intentional learners are experiencing all the same daily moments anyone else might, but they get more out of those opportunities because everything-every experience, conversation, meeting and deliverable-carries with it an opportunity to develop and grow. Here’s how you can learn with intent.
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April 2022: The Future of Work in Biology-Post-Pandemic
If anything positive can come out of this COVID-19 pandemic, it’s that the importance of health care professionals is seen as paramount-especially those who were furiously working to develop a vaccine. From understanding how the virus worked, how to mitigate its transmission and how to protect our global population against it, the biologists in the labs became the unknown celebrities of 2021. Their behind-the-scenes work quickly became front-page headlines. And with that flux of attention came a surge of open positions in the biological sector. Jobs in specific occupations-such as epidemiologists, medical scientists, biochemists and biophysicists, and biological technicians-are expected to see strong growth. What is the future of work in this area and what does it take to fill the jobs gap?
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March 2022: Women in Leadership-Overcoming Barriers
According to recent McKinsey research, women-held positions in tech has largely declined in the U.S. during the past 25 years. And yet, companies are reporting a shortage in tech skills as businesses across the spectrum are ramping up their tech capabilities. So what can companies do to not only fill empty positions, but fill them with women and women of color. What can women already in the field do to advance not only their own careers, but that of other females wanting to enter the field? What leadership skills are needed to break those barriers?
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