HBS Managing the Future of Work

Are existing institutions up to the task of preparing the labor force for emerging jobs while also addressing longstanding issues of participation and productivity? AI only raises the value of human skills in meeting the challenge. Drawing on her leadership experience across business, government, higher education, and philanthropy, Pritzker discusses what it will take to adapt the complex workforce development system to provide maximum access to the benefits of a radically shifting economy.

How an aging workforce and longer, more complex careers increase the benefits of a well-managed multigenerational workplace. The ROI of dispelling old tropes, promoting learning, and supporting caregivers.

The CEO of the former OneTen explains the skills-first hiring catalyst's new formula: workforce intelligence and advising plus talent supply. And why shifting the discussion from credentials to capabilities helps organizations navigate AI disruption.     

As careers last longer and AI accelerates workplace change, should extended career breaks become part of workforce strategy? Harvard Business School senior lecturer DJ DiDonna on burnout, reskilling, organizational resilience, and why sabbaticals may be a missing institution in modern work—for employees and employers alike.

We present Joe Fuller’s 2025 conversation with the Georgetown computer scientist, New Yorker contributor, and longtime student of knowledge work.

The Royal Bank of Canada CHRO explains how the bank's early AI investments are reshaping talent, leadership, and work. Also: RBC's strategic approach to integrating HSBC Bank Canada, redesigning entry-level roles, expanding college recruiting, balancing automation with relationship banking, and why human judgment remains a lasting competitive advantage.

The Conference Board's president and CEO sees AI as less a technological challenge than a managerial one, exacerbated by increasing global volatility. Drawing parallels to the introduction of the personal computer, he argues that governance, workflow redesign, and organizational trust matter more than the technology itself.

We present a recent episode of the HBS SkyDeck alumni podcast featuring Aarti Dhupelia (MBA 2005), CEO of One Million Degrees. The nonprofit supports community college students through career development, paid internships, and financial incentives tied to academic progress. Dhupelia discusses why community colleges are too often viewed as a fallback option despite offering an affordable, career-focused post-secondary path, and why employers should take a closer look at the talent and resilience community college graduates bring to the workforce.

Demand for skilled-trades workers remains high, yet many graduates of vocational programs struggle to land jobs. The founder and CEO of Thurgood Industries discusses how making skills visible through portfolios of real work can improve matching and expand access to opportunity. He also reflects on his own path—from incarceration to Yale Law School and founding a workforce platform—and how it informs his approach to building more inclusive career pathways.

The Khan Academy founder and HBS grad returns to discuss AI disruption—preparing for The Great Reskilling and challenging the status quo in instruction, assessment, and credentials.

BRT's president and COO on policy and planning for multiple AI scenarios, work-based learning, skills-based hiring, and the ROI of employer investments in workforce development. Also, addressing skills gaps and promoting economic mobility.

The multinational's head of HR and sustainability explains how the firm's investment in   continuous skills building positions it to handle AI disruptions, demographic shifts, job redesign, and workflow changes. Also, industrial AI, defining core skills, and co-determination.

The challenge is orchestrating projects that deliver business, educational, and employment value. The Canadian firm's co-founder and CEO breaks down the process.

Corner office churn is up as demands multiply. Heidrick & Struggles' CEO explains what CVs leave out and why flexibility and organizational fit matter more as AI and global volatility undercut the predictive power of past performance. Also, AI-enhanced recruiting and lifelong learning.

The bank's head of global talent, an HBS grad, explains the value of cultivating careers, keeping churn low, hiring from within, and focusing on local markets and communities. Also, AI adoption, skills-based hiring, the pivotal role of managers, and training leaders to navigate turbulence.

Managing the Future of Work co-chairs and podcast co-hosts, Joe Fuller and Bill Kerr, share highlights and insights from 2025 and look ahead to 2026. Top podcasts, research, trends, and a forthcoming book on managing the future of work.

Presenting an episode of the HBS Skydeck alumni podcast highlighting the work of Lissy Hu (MD/MBA). How AI tools and training can help address labor shortages and skills gaps.

The CRM vendor's Helen Russell and Jon Dick unpack the organizational and process changes, HR and skills strategy, and cultural shift. Mandates backed by tools, training, and engagement.

The talent platform's co-founder and CEO returns to the MFW podcast with an update on the market for contingent work as AI changes supply and demand and raises the stakes for skills development.

The bank's head of HR lays out the talent strategy underpinning its post-regulatory growth push and AI adoption.

The Managing the Future of Work co-chair and podcast co-host examines AI's implications for HR, spells out the competitive stakes in early adoption, and unpacks the technology's disruptive potential for jobs, organizations, and markets. Also, the rise of the CHRO, skills-based hiring, and more.

As data center investments, stock prices, and vanishing entry-level jobs grab headlines, businesses are grappling with AI use cases and workforce strategy. The veteran serial entrepreneur and Harvard Business School executive fellow assesses the organizational and talent implications.

Bright Data's Or Lenchner on the evolving ground rules for harnessing the web's data. Charting the boundaries of fair use in training AI systems and robots. Also, the data gathering and analytics workforce.

How to get past AI fatigue and anxiety to a more expansive view of the technology's potential—bolstering knowledge work vs commoditizing expertise. As it guides organizations through the experimentation phase and into redesigning business processes, the professional services giant is undergoing an internal transformation.

What will it take to increase opportunity amid mounting economic uncertainty? The prominent nonprofit's multipronged approach to boosting job quality and promoting equity.

The Lone Star State’s experiment in outcomes–based funding rewards schools that produce “credentials of value.” Can focusing the curriculum on workforce development give Texas an economic advantage and distribute resources equitably?

Admin and logistics can be weak links in HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and mechanical firms. This can limit growth and squander skilled technical labor, to the detriment of employers and workers alike. The BuildOps co-founder and CEO unpacks the benefits of integrated operations apps and the potential of AI-boosted platforms to improve prospects for skilled workers.

The benefits of cross-function collaboration, with Francine Katsoudas, executive vice president and chief people, policy, and purpose officer, and Jeetu Patel, president and chief product officer. How better integration within the corporate stack improves flexibility.

The Harvard Kennedy School's Iris Bohnet and Siri Chilazi on the logic behind a systems-level approach to workplace fairness. How A-B testing and targeted interventions—incorporated in day-to-day workflow—can help organizations tap more of the talent pool.

The flagship firm is pushing the boundaries of testing, from K-12 through career. What are the implications for the workforce and society? And how does AI change the future of benchmarking?

Can the shareholder-owned discount brokerage giant parlay its investments in enterprise and cloud infrastructure into an AI-enabled expansion into new markets while improving productivity and service delivery? CIO Nitin Tandon explains the global workforce strategy underpinning the effort.

Shake Shack Chief Growth Officer Steph So and HBS professor Chris Stanton join Bill Kerr to discuss the fast-casual chain’s digital strategy and how technology is changing the dining experience and restaurant work, from frontline to back office.

"Freelance by choice" can sound like a rationalization—or putting on a brave face—but has the contract labor market improved for white-collar workers, as more, particularly younger professionals, opt in? A look at the benefits for both sides of the bargain and how AI changes the calculus.

The staffing giant’s chairman and CEO lays out the opportunities and risks in the fast-changing and fragmented labor market. Riding the genAI wave, addressing workers’ career development needs, RTO and flex-work, international talent flows, and the up-skilling imperative in the face growing polarization.

After decades preparing workers from underserved communities for well-paid tech jobs, the workforce nonprofit is expanding its training, footprint, and funding strategy for its tuition-free programs. As AI redefines positions across the org chart, can bootcamps plus training top-ups, and a mix of hard and soft skills future-proof the Per Scholas formula?

The Stanford economist unpacks AI’s impact on work and productivity, its limitations, and wider implications. He also lays out what organizations can do to get more out of the technology as they invest in the transformation. And he updates his longstanding research into augmenting traditional GDP metrics to capture the value of digital goods and services.

Joe Fuller welcomes back the Georgetown computer scientist and leading observer of knowledge work, who reprises his argument against busyness as the default mode. Also, cracking the productivity code, parsing AI's potential, and better work-life balance.

AI's early impact on the labor market: Are claims of revolutionary change overblown? The Harvard economist presents the long view on technological disruption and updates the post-secondary picture.

The Harvard urban economist assesses the post-Covid health of cities, rural development, zoning and the stagnation of the U.S. housing industry, the impact of AI, and more.

Will the technology democratize access to world-class education or increase inequality? Khan's journey from highly informed skeptic to champion of ethical AI. The HBS graduate and Khan Academy founder explains his nonprofit's pioneering strategy. Also, workforce development, competency-based learning, and skills-based hiring.

In taking aim at degree inflation, the corporate-led good jobs coalition looks to boost economic opportunity, address skills gaps, and create a more equitable and inclusive workforce. OneTen helps employers navigate the uncertain new normal of hiring and advancement while expanding their talent pipelines.

The Stanford economist explains the momentum behind the work-from-home trend, how to manage a hybrid staff, and the new workforce geography. Also, the tech-driven evolution of remote work and the rise of the CHRO.

How do you foster inclusion, economic mobility, and a sense of purpose across a global organization with both franchise and direct employees? Laura Fuentes, Hilton CHRO, on supporting frontline workers and promoting from within in a traditionally high-turnover business; meeting the needs of a diverse clientele with a diverse workforce; skills development; automation; and leveraging employee feedback.

Thinking of employees as 'hiring' their jobs opens the way to a detailed analysis of worker motivations, frustrations, and long-term goals, which can reduce costly turnover and make career development a collaborative process. Harvard Business School professor Ethan Bernstein and Michael Horn, cofounder of the Clayton Christensen Institute, explain how.

Managing the Future of Work co-chair Joseph Fuller delves into what’s driving and limiting the practice of skills-based hiring. The discussion ranges from degree inflation and HR automation to workforce demographics, skills-based promotion and employee retention. Also, how technology can accelerate the adoption.

Employers can benefit by remapping their talent strategies to match the realities of workers with caregiving responsibilities. Bill Kerr is joined by his Managing the Future of Work co-chair and podcast co-host, Joe Fuller, lead author of the project’s latest report, Hidden Workers: The Case for Caregivers.

Good Business Lab cofounder Anant Nyshadham on demonstrating the ROI of better worker conditions and getting from academic exercise to large-scale implementation.

Vinson and Elkins' Keith Fullenweider on recruiting team players, boosting collaboration and soft skills through targeted training and mentorship, prioritizing mental health and work-life balance, automating judiciously, and making return-to-office work.

With legislative changes looming, federally funded boards must juggle the demands of workforce training, economic development, and long-term systemic goals while ensuring accountability to both local communities and federal oversight. Brad Turner-Little, President and CEO of the National Association of Workforce Boards, explains.

The noted executive coach on the value of letting go of the past, taking candid and anonymous 360-degree feedback, and playing it forward. Also, spreading the word via a generative AI avatar.

Joe Fuller talks to his Harvard Business School faculty colleague Rick Ruback about Rick and HBS professor Royce Yudkoff’s podcast Think Big, Buy Small. The show is based on Rick and Royce’s popular HBS course “Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition”. The show combines personal stories from entrepreneurs and other key players with expert perspective and advice.

The consulting giant’s global talent lead explains how the firm is bringing mass customization and accountability to skills building and integrating human and ‘synthetic’ skills. Also, the bottom-line benefit of promoting employee health and wellness.

The future-of-work trendwatcher parses leadership strategies, the tradeoffs of hybrid work, AI adoption, skills-based hiring, and the foundations of a good job.

Melissa Werneck, EVP and global chief people officer for the multinational food and beverage firm, on reskilling for web marketing and personalization, AI, hybrid work, and collaboration across time zones and cultures. Also, why diversity is good business for consumer packaged goods firms.

The ed-tech executive on shifting the discussion to emphasize the economic benefits of education, harnessing AI, skills-based hiring, employer-educator collaboration, and the public policy landscape.

The president & CEO of Strada Education Foundation on aligning post-secondary education, economic mobility, and labor market demand. How does inclusive workforce development drive economic growth and opportunity? Highlights include research on the effectiveness of state systems, policy options, and the structural challenge of underemployment among graduates.

Propel America CEO Chad Rountree on rethinking the high school-to-career transition to meet the needs of low-income students, colleges, and employers.

What are the consequences of treating employees as an expense rather than an asset? Cappelli argues that this “penny wise and pound foolish” practice hurts the bottom line by discouraging investments in a skilled workforce and prioritizing downsizing, irrespective of efficiency. How changes in management and reporting can realign incentives. Also, C-suite demographics and the impact of AI.

WGU President Scott Pulsipher returns to the podcast for an update on the online institution’s mission to extend the reach of skill-oriented instruction. The HBS grad argues that the focus on competency rather than credit hours democratizes college access and economic opportunity.

Managing the Future of Work co-chair Joe Fuller joins Colorado State University's Jocelyn Hittle to discuss his work on the Managing the Future of Work project and the Harvard Project on Workforce and to consider broader workforce trends.

As the digital economy pushes companies to prioritize continuous learning, HR strategies need to emphasize customization, flexibility, and support for diverse work-life needs.

AI's potential is tempered by the need for reliability and consistency in financial intelligence. How is Morningstar adopting the technology, upskilling its 10,000-strong global workforce, and competing for talent? Also, factoring sustainability and workforce strategy in ratings and risk analysis.

Chief Caregiver Officer, Kelly Hancock, on filling key roles when talent is scarce; fostering careers in increasingly stressful occupations; how to make skills-based hiring work; the benefits of diversity; and how AI is altering jobs and HR.

AI’s revolutionary potential is best realized incrementally, according to Jared Spataro, Corporate Vice President of Modern Work and Business Applications. How the tech giant is experimenting its way from AI assistants to autonomous agents while engaging with stakeholders. Also: the OpenAI connection, responsible AI, and upskilling.

Employers are wrestling with how to provide the resources and foster the motivation workers need for continuous learning in an AI-altered economy. Workers of all stripes are looking to acquire the skills to compete. How is the company coordinating with its employees and its training partners?

How do you re-engineer the people function to support a post-Covid virtual organization? Shopify’s CHRO explains.

If schools aren't turning out job-ready grads, can employer-led partnerships reengineer the talent pipeline to meet the demand and provide opportunities for a diverse workforce? J.D. Hickey, president and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee, on his firm's collaboration with East Tennessee State University, the BlueSky Tennessee Institute, a work-based accelerated computer science bachelor's program based at the insurer's corporate campus.

In its second iteration, the corporate scorecard draws on a wider range of worker outcomes to rank Fortune 500 employers on how well they boost career prospects. The index is a collaboration of the HBS Managing the Future of Work Project, the Burning Glass Institute, and the Schultz Family Foundation. Matt Sigelman, president of the Burning Glass Institute, and Rajiv Chandrasekaran, managing director of the Schultz Family Foundation, join host Bill Kerr.

Do we need new terms and frameworks to capture important data about fast-changing labor markets? As the volume of workforce data increases, so does the strategic value of market- and firm-level analysis.

Sander van’t Noordende, CEO of HR services giant Randstad, on navigating the new normal of talent scarcity, an aging workforce, and AI.

Episode 200: The founder and CEO of UK-based unicorn Multiverse makes the case for the earn-and-learn model. Arguing that the college advantage is oversold and overpriced, Blair touts targeted training as a more practical alternative for workers and employers. Can Multiverse expand the practicum in the US?

How do a culture of open debate and prioritizing work-life balance help the firm navigate change while advising others on how to do the same?

Can short knowledge-work gigs improve the college-to-career transition? Jeffrey Moss, Founder and CEO of intermediary Parker Dewey explains.

If there’s no going back to pre-Covid, 9-to-5 workplace routines, what’s the new management playbook? Gallup’s Jim Harter on work-life balance, managing a hybrid organization, and the social and psychological markers of a healthy and productive organization.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has a broad mandate, policing discrimination in all aspects of employment. How does artificial intelligence (AI) change the equation? Commissioner Keith Sonderling discusses the role AI is already playing in employment and what’s next, in terms of policy, technology, and market adoption.

How can government boost competitiveness and spur the creation of good jobs while protecting worker rights and promoting equity? The former Chief Innovation Officer in the U.S. Department of Labor discusses the talent implications of U.S. industrial policy, cross-sector collaboration, rethinking the delivery of benefits and services, and more.

Achieve Partners' Ryan Craig on expanding the earn-as-you-learn ecosystem to boost workforce skills while increasing upward mobility and equity. He argues that college’s high cost and limited job preparation call for a greater commitment of resources to apprenticeship programs.

Can the U.S. reshore its way to stability and security? How will AI reshape the workforce and higher education? Yossi Sheffi, Director of the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics, on supply chains, AI, and manufacturing.

How durable are tech sector diversity commitments in a down cycle? Solid skills, supportive networks, and employer engagement can make the difference for workers from traditionally excluded groups. Resilient Coders Executive Director Ayanna Lott-Pollard on how it takes a multifaceted coding boot camp to build a solid career foundation.

Connecting non-college graduates from underserved communities to job and career opportunities is an inexact science. SkillUp Coalition CEO Steve Lee on identifying effective training programs and presenting them direct-to-worker.

The shift to electric vehicle production means revamping jobs throughout the organization. Chief People Officer Hanna Fager explains the process, from lining up skills to maintaining an inclusive corporate culture.

Professor David Deming of the Harvard Kennedy School, co-director of the Harvard Project on Workforce, breaks down the project's College-to-Jobs playbook and interactive map.

Many public- and private sector employers are becoming more selective about which positions require college degrees, opening more good jobs to non-degree holders. What will it take to broaden the adoption of skills-based hiring? And will the trend survive economic uncertainty and developments like generative AI? Opportunity@Work CEO and Co-Founder, Byron Auguste joins Bill Kerr.

Background checks are getting easier and faster to carry out, even as a continuous process. Is that a good thing? Checkr CEO & co-founder Daniel Yanisse on constructive, responsible screening and the case for second-chance employment.

Professional work has hit multiple inflection points—from generative AI to remote work and shifting skills requirements. There are few better vantage points for observing the labor market than LinkedIn. SVP and Chief People Officer Teuila Hanson joins Bill Kerr to discuss workplace trends, skills, credentials, diversity, internal mobility, social capital, and change management.

The insurance industry is playing catch-up on the digitalization front while at the same time looking to maintain and replenish the expertise of its aging workforce. Can an internal talent marketplace help Zurich Insurance secure the necessary skills? Sally Henderson, Head of Talent and Learning, joins Bill Kerr.

“It’s who you know as much as what you know” has an unpromising ring amid rising inequality and social fragmentation. Nonprofit Climb Hire aims to help low-income workers advance through a combination of “hard” and social skills training and a crash course in building social and professional networks. Founder and CEO Nitzan Pelman decodes the process.

Mastercard kick-started its internal talent marketplace in response to the pandemic, ramping up from a manual system to a digital platform from start-up Gloat. Lessons learned, ROI, and best-practices from the perspectives of customer and supplier.

Has Covid prompted working fathers to reassess? In the continuation of their conversation on issues confronting boys and men, Joe Fuller and Richard Reeves consider work-life balance, distance learning and remote work. Also: defining productivity; and how higher education needs to adapt to the changing nature of work.

Brookings scholar Richard V. Reeves makes the case for tailoring school and employment opportunities to the realities of boys and men.

It’s a simple formula but hard to get right. By tuning in to what’s happening throughout the organization, asking the right questions, and listening carefully, leaders can foster innovation, build consensus and increase engagement.

What will it take to get two-year institutions and employers on the same page? Joe Fuller joins his Managing the Future of Work co-chair and podcast co-host Bill Kerr to discuss the project’s research on this critical workforce partnership.

How is the convergence of banking and technology redefining roles and business models? Marco Argenti went from directing cloud services at Amazon Web Services to the C-Suite of a Wall Street giant. He explains how Goldman taps business-savvy technologists to support strategic decision-making and develop new digital products and services.

Managing the Future of Work co-chair and podcast co-host Joseph Fuller on AI's impact on work and hiring, the emerging gig marketplace for high-skills professionals, remote and flexible work, the importance of social skills, and more.

Beyond a paycheck, how much do employers owe their workers? A business alliance focused on employee assistance has had success in helping employees manage their lives and improve their prospects. Mark Peters, CEO of his family business, Butterball Farms, and co-founder of employee assistance nonprofit The Source, talks about the bottom line benefits of an expansive social contract.

The crisis in higher education argues for a more expansive approach to academics, workforce, and business development, according to the head of Virginia’s largest public university. The school’s first African American president talks about leading through Covid, promoting opportunity, and wrestling with the legacy of the institution’s namesake.

What’s the strategy behind the tech giant’s expanding portfolio of certificate programs and partnerships? Lisa Gevelber, founder of Grow with Google, on boosting prospects for workers with and without college degrees, coordinating with employers to address the skills gap, and enhancing post-secondary institutions’ career-launching capabilities.

Rachel Korberg, Executive Director of the Families and Workers Fund, on the collaborative philanthropy model, public-private partnerships, defining good jobs, and the business case for creating more of them

In combining upskilling through on-the-job training with tailored online courses, Reach helps school districts develop faculty internally. Founder and chancellor Mallory Dwinal-Palisch breaks down the approach, which offers flexible degree programs to existing employees. Could this be a template for other in-demand professions?