Gretchen Rubin is an expert on happiness and the author of the New York Times bestselling book The Happiness Project. In this episode of WorkLab, Rubin shares what she’s learned from more than a decade of studying wellbeing—and how her findings can apply to our working lives. WorkLab The Four Tendencies Quiz...
New innovations in AI sound exciting, but how will they actually change the way we work? Marcus Wohlsen is here to share some insights. Wohlsen is a journalist, author, and the head of editorial at the storytelling firm Godfrey Dadich Partners, and he has a special expertise on the past and future of AI. He provides a unique perspective—and some much-needed context—to help us as we try to wrap our heads around how AI will transform the future of work. WorkLab...
John Maeda is the Vice President of Design and Artificial Intelligence at Microsoft. In his richly varied career, he’s also been an artist, a professor, an author, a college president, and a business executive. His digital artwork, books, lectures, research, and teaching have explored how digital technology can empower creativity. He joined WorkLab to discuss how everyone can best leverage the potential of AI to unleash creativity and reduce tedium and repetitive tasks. WorkLab Discover and foll...
Our attention spans are getting shorter—much shorter—and Gloria Mark has the data to back it up. When she began researching the topic in 2004, people spent an average of 2 ½ minutes on any given screen before switching to another. In today’s era of multitasking, we’re down to a mere 47 seconds. Mark, a professor at the University of California, Irvine, and a visiting researcher at Microsoft, offers practical tips for how to restore balance—and a glimpse at how AI might help us with work wellbein...
Erik Brynjolfsson is a researcher, author, senior fellow at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI, and director of the Stanford Digital Economy Lab. He joined WorkLab to offer business leaders an overview of how AI will transform productivity. Brynjolfsson is the first guest of season 4 of the WorkLab podcast, in which hosts Elise Hu and Tonya Mosley have conversations with economists, designers, psychologists, and technologists who explore the data and insights into why and how work is c...
Best-selling author Daniel Pink explains how regrets from the past can help leaders make smart resolutions in the year ahead. Pink is the final guest of Season 3 of the WorkLab podcast, in which hosts Elise Hu and Tonya Mosley have conversations with economists, technologists, and researchers who explore the data and insights into why and how work is changing. WorkLab...
How are workspaces changing, both in how they’re used and how they’re designed? What kinds of spaces, amenities, and activities encourage employees to work in person? To find out what’s next for the office, the WorkLab podcast checked in with CBRE’s Julie Whelan, who leads a global team of researchers tasked with identifying the trends that affect commercial real estate. WorkLab...
Linda Hill , a Harvard Business School professor who also chairs the school’s Leadership Initiative, joins the WorkLab podcast to offer advice on management. How do you lead when everything keeps changing? How do you rally people and build trust? How do you discover your own limitations—and overcome them? WorkLab...
Microsoft’s Head of People Analytics Dawn Klinghoffer leverages data to help leaders understand and improve employee experience. She isn’t just trying to track productivity—she wants to know if employees are genuinely thriving and embracing a growth mindset. She’s here to talk about the human energy crisis. What boosts employee energy? What drains it? What’s the connection between thriving employees and organizational success? And how did “generating energy” become a leadership principle at Micr...
Versha Sharma, editor in chief of Teen Vogue , provides her unique insights into what Gen Z wants from their employers, and Hannah McConnaughey, a communications manager at Microsoft, breaks down common work-related buzzwords her generation is using today. Sharma is the fourth guest of Season 3 of the WorkLab podcast, in which hosts Elise Hu and Tonya Mosley have conversations with economists, technologists, and researchers who explore the data and insights into why and how work is changing. Wor...
Microsoft corporate vice president of Xbox Sarah Bond explains what games can teach us about the future of work. Today, 3 billion people on the planet play video games—which have a unique and powerful ability to enable collaboration, break down language and geographic barriers, build rapport, spark imagination, and create empathy. As companies explore new ways to enable teamwork, including forays into the metaverse, they can learn a lot about how to best proceed from games. WorkLab...
Nela Richardson is the chief economist at ADP, a global provider of human capital management solutions. In this episode, she breaks down how the economy is affecting the labor market, the importance of skilling a new workforce, and why leaders should invest in their people above all else. Richardson is the second guest of Season 3 of the WorkLab podcast, in which hosts Elise Hu and Tonya Mosley have conversations with economists, technologists, and researchers who share insights on how work is c...
Microsoft leader Jared Spataro unpacks the key findings from the latest Work Trend Index report. In a nutshell: creating the culture and employee experience to meet the needs of today’s distributed workforce requires a new leadership approach. Spataro is the first guest of Season 3 of the WorkLab podcast, in which hosts Elise Hu and Tonya Mosley have conversations with economists, technologists, and researchers who explore the data and insights into why and how work is changing. WorkLab...
We’re living out the biggest shift in work in a hundred years. In Season 3 of the WorkLab podcast from Microsoft, we’ll explore what all this change means for leaders—and learn how energized, empowered employees can give organizations a competitive edge. Join hosts Elise Hu and Tonya Mosley for big conversations with leading thinkers on the future of work. Season 3 of the WorkLab podcast debuts on Sept. 22. You can follow the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts....
A few years back, Accenture worked with Microsoft to build a virtual campus called the “Nth Floor.” After the pandemic hit, the Nth Floor became a crucial digital tool in helping Accenture onboard new employees—and an early example of the potential of the enterprise metaverse. What works best in this new virtual universe? What kinks still need to be worked out? To answer these questions, the WorkLab podcast checked in with Paul Daugherty, who leads Accenture’s technology business. WorkLab Episod...
Two founders of mentorship platforms, Janice Omadeke and Sarah Haggard, discuss why prioritizing mutually beneficial relationships at work is integral to employee success, and share what business leaders can do to facilitate meaningful connections in the age of hybrid work. Omadeke is the sixth guest of Season 2 of the WorkLab podcast, in which host Elise Hu has conversations with economists, technologists, and researchers who explore the data and insights into why and how work is changing. Work...
What motivates people to do their best work? It helps to understand how their contributions fit into their organizations’ greater goals or purpose. Vetri Vellore , a Microsoft corporate vice president, explains how objectives and key results, or OKRs, can help forge that sense of connection—especially in hybrid work. WorkLab Episode link WorkLab Microsoft 365 blog post Microsoft Viva goals...
As a high-performance psychologist, Dr. Michael Gervais has worked with NFL players and Olympic athletes, along with musicians, artists, and Fortune 100 CEOs, to help them improve their mindsets. What insights can he share with business leaders on guiding teams through moments of uncertainty? The psychologist, who spent a decade with the Seattle Seahawks, spoke to the WorkLab podcast about the secret power of cultivating mindsets to drive real impact on any team....
Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President of Modern Work, Jared Spataro , unpacks the key findings from the company’s annual Work Trend Index, a survey of more than 30,000 people in 31 countries. In a nutshell: leaders need a new skill set to meet shifting employee expectations. Spataro is the fourth guest of Season 2 of the WorkLab podcast, in which host Elise Hu has conversations with economists, technologists, and researchers who explore the data and insights into why and how work is changing. Wor...
Frances Frei , professor of technology and operations management at Harvard Business School and an advisor to executives embarking on large-scale change initiatives, discusses how leaders can build trust, speak authentically, and empower workers to do their best. Frei is a guest on the WorkLab podcast, in which host Elise Hu has conversations with economists, technologists, and researchers who explore the data and insights into why and how work is changing....
Arianna Huffington , CEO and founder of Thrive , shares her insights with guest host Colette Stallbaumer of Microsoft on how anyone can combat stress at work with intentionality—from taking productive breaks to leveraging technology to creating good sleep hygiene. Huffington is the second guest of Season 2 of the WorkLab podcast, in which host Elise Hu has conversations with economists, technologists, and researchers who explore the data and insights into why and how work is changing. WorkLab Wo...
LinkedIn’s chief economist, Karin Kimbrough , has the big-picture view on emerging trends, including what people want from work—and what skills employers will need in the coming years. Kimbrough is the first guest of Season 2 of the WorkLab podcast, in which host Elise Hu has conversations with economists, technologists, and researchers who explore the data and insights into why and how work is changing....
The world has never before had the chance to collectively reinvent the ways we work. Leaders are taking stock of how we’ve always done things, then imagining a new future. In Season 2 of the WorkLab podcast from Microsoft, we’re exploring that opportunity. What can we learn from leaders, thinkers, and researchers that will allow us and our teams to work smarter…and happier? We’re in a learning mindset—because hybrid work is truly a work in progress. WorkLab...
How did work change in 2021, and how will it continue to evolve next year? We know that the Great Reshuffle isn’t over: In a Microsoft survey, 41 percent of respondents said that they may leave their employer, and resignations did in fact reach record highs. WorkLab host Elise Hu is joined by correspondents Mary Melton and Desmond Dickerson present highlights from the interviews they conducted with experts and executives this season, and discuss the year’s biggest work trends. WorkLab WorkLab 20...
As companies move into hybrid work and embrace more flexibility, they’ll need to experiment. They’ll have to make space for employee feedback—and truly listen, says Anne Helen Petersen , co-author of the new book Out of Office: The Big Problem and Bigger Promise of Working from Home. In this episode of the WorkLab podcast, Petersen talks to host Elise Hu about the opportunity to reinvent work in the shift to hybrid mode. How can we make work more meaningful—and promote wellbeing? WorkLab Out of ...
Why should business leaders pay attention to the creator economy? The latest episode of the WorkLab podcast features Daniel Roth , editor in chief at LinkedIn, who’s been tracking the power of creators’ content on the platform. Roth explains what the creator economy is and why it’s growing; CB Insights found that creator-focused companies reaped 188 percent more funding in the first half of 2021 than in all of 2020. Eyes are on creators, and Roth says that employers should embrace and encourage ...
There is no one-size-fits-all solution for the hybrid era. A recent report by Microsoft found that 61% of workers identified “social interaction” as a primary benefit of coming to the office. But the same percentage said that ditching daily commutes was a top reason to work from home. In this episode of the WorkLab podcast, leadership expert Dr. David Rock explains how managers must offer flexibility and a sense of autonomy to help employees feel motivated … no matter where they prefer to work. ...
The shift to hybrid work is already transforming the business world. What should forward-thinking leaders watch for? The latest episode of the WorkLab podcast features Nicholas Bloom, an economics professor at Stanford University who studies remote and hybrid work. Bloom addresses emerging trends like flexibility; according to a LinkedIn survey, 81 percent of leaders are changing their workplace policies to offer more of it. And Bloom offers up data-based advice for managers facing times of chan...
How can organizations be sure that everyone feels included in hybrid work? In the latest episode of WorkLab’s new podcast, consultant, and coach Ritu Bhasin talks to host Elise Hu about how leaders can foster a sense of belonging by allowing everyone to show up as their full, authentic selves. We’ll look at the business imperatives of diversity and inclusion—McKinsey research shows that big companies that are very diverse outperform those that are not by 36 percent—and share tips for inclusive l...
Our ability to connect anytime, anywhere, has enabled a remarkable transformation to hybrid work. It’s also driving us to distraction. As Microsoft’s 2021 Work Trend Index showed, about 39 percent of people worldwide describe themselves as exhausted. In this episode of WorkLab’s new podcast, Dr. Clare Purvis , senior director of behavioral neuroscience at Headspace, talks to host Elise Hu about meditation as a mechanism against stress—and why employees and companies alike must address mental hea...
