The Future of Work | Reading resources & material

Blog, FUTURE OF WORK, COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE, COLLABORATION,

ABUZZ WITH THE ASYNCO-NAUTS - WHAT'S ON THEIR MINDS THIS MONTH?

Patrick Lodge

2025-06-11 10:18

asynco is our international community of practice. Here's a summary of what's been on members' minds this month.

Reading Room, FUTURE OF WORK, CONNECTION &amp; BELONGING, 21st CENTURY LEADERSHIP, PERMACRISIS, ADAPTABILITY,

Embracing Uncertainty: How Writers, Musicians and Artists Thrive in an Unpredictable World – Margaret Heffernan, 2025

Embracing Uncertainty: How Writers, Musicians and Artists Thrive in an Unpredictable World – Margaret Heffer

Cathryn Barnard

2025-06-09 11:48

Margaret Heffernan makes the compelling case that the arts that have the most to offer us about problem-solving, innovation, experimentation and adaptation.

Head Kandi, FUTURE OF WORK, 21st CENTURY LEADERSHIP, BUSINESS RESILIENCE, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION, WELLBEING, POSITIVE WORKPLACE CULTURE, WORKPLACE MINDFULNESS, WORK LIFE BLEND,

High-stress job? An e-tattoo could soon be tracking your mental workload.

Admin

2025-06-04 13:06

This breakthrough could revolutionise workplace wellbeing monitoring.

Head Kandi, FUTURE OF WORK, 21st CENTURY LEADERSHIP, BUSINESS RESILIENCE, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION, MULTIGENERATIONAL DYNAMICS, POSITIVE WORKPLACE CULTURE,

Gen Z has reversed the gender pay gap - young women now out-earn young men

Admin

2025-06-04 12:53

As boys and young men lag behind in education and employment, is this symptomatic of a wider crisis in masculinity?

Head Kandi, FUTURE OF WORK, 21st CENTURY LEADERSHIP, BUSINESS RESILIENCE, DEI, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION, BUSINESS SUSTAINABILITY,

DEI initiatives are being rebranded as ‘wellbeing’, ‘belonging’ and ‘culture’

Admin

2025-06-04 12:18

These initiatives are essentially doing the same important work, but with new labels so as not to offend the easily-triggered...

Blog, EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT, TALENT RISK, FUTURE OF WORK, RECRUITMENT REDESIGN, AI, BUSINESS SUSTAINABILITY, BUSINESS RESILIENCE,

NINE WAYS TO UPGRADE YOUR RECRUITMENT PROCESS FOR THE FUTURE OF WORK

Cathryn Barnard

2025-06-04 10:20

Recruitment urgently needs an upgrade - if it is to meet the needs of modern workers and address 21st Century labour market dynamics.

Head Kandi, FUTURE OF WORK, 21st CENTURY LEADERSHIP, CLIMATE CRISIS, CLIMATE EMERGENCY,

Is the climate emergency set to destroy capitalism itself?

Admin

2025-04-29 12:04

Approaching temperature increases of 1.5-3°C will make numerous climate risks uninsurable, with required premiums becoming unaffordable.

Head Kandi, FUTURE OF WORK, 21st CENTURY LEADERSHIP, DIVERSITY &amp;amp;amp; INCLUSION, GEN Z, POLYWORKING,

Polyworking - the future of work?

Admin

2025-04-29 11:53

Polyworking - managing multiple concurrent jobs rather than relying on a single income source - is gaining popularity.

Head Kandi, FUTURE OF WORK, 21st CENTURY LEADERSHIP, FUTURE OF WORK STRATEGY, DEI, DIVERSITY &amp;amp;amp; INCLUSION, GEN Z, SURVEILLANCE,

Corporate surveillance on the up - and Gen Z isn't having it

Admin

2025-04-29 11:29

Generation Z increasingly rejects this paradigm, seeking employers offering security and genuine benefits rather than gruelling conditions.

Reading Room, FUTURE OF WORK, CONNECTION & BELONGING, TECHNOLOGY TRENDS, 21st CENTURY LEADERSHIP, EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT,

Careless People: A story of where I used to work – Sarah Winn-Williams, 2025

Cathryn Barnard

2025-04-29 11:00

Careless People exposes the lack of moral compass at one of the biggest brands on the planet - and extreme broligarchy greed and toxic leadership at its worst.

Blog, FUTURE OF WORK, 21st CENTURY LEADERSHIP, PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT &amp; GROWTH, CONTINUOUS LEARNING, STRATEGIC FORESIGHT, EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE, VITAL SKILLS, CRITICAL THINKING, IMAGINATION, CURIOSITY, CREATIVITY,

FOUR MORE VITAL SKILLS FOR THE FUTURE OF WORK – PART 4 OF 4

Cathryn Barnard

2025-04-28 10:13

Our fourth blog on vital skills for the future of work, exploring the final set of essential skills that require prioritisation, focus and consistent practice.

Reading Room, FUTURE OF WORK, CONNECTION & BELONGING, TECHNOLOGY TRENDS, VITAL SKILLS, COMMUNICATION, 21st CENTURY LEADERSHIP, EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT,

Relevant: Future-focused leadership – Louise Mowbray, 2023

Cathryn Barnard

2025-03-27 09:12

It’s rare to find something that succinctly encapsulates all that is changing, and more importantly, what business leaders can do about it...

Head Kandi, FUTURE OF WORK, 21st CENTURY LEADERSHIP, FUTURE OF WORK STRATEGY, MULTIGENERATIONAL WORKFORCE, DEI, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION,

DEI and the return of the 'buy-cott'

Admin

2025-03-26 19:01

Certain cohorts are deliberately supporting businesses committed to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies, via their consumption habits....

Head Kandi, FUTURE OF WORK, 21st CENTURY LEADERSHIP, FUTURE OF WORK STRATEGY, GEN Z, MULTIGENERATIONAL DYNAMICS, MULTIGENERATIONAL WORKFORCE, SIDE HUSTLE,

🎵Working five-to-nine, what a way to make a living...🎵

Admin

2025-03-26 18:02

Why some Gen Z-ers are ring-fencing their time to regain a sense of control in their time-poor lives.

Head Kandi, FUTURE OF WORK, 21st CENTURY LEADERSHIP, FUTURE OF WORK STRATEGY, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, GENAI, GENERATIVE AI, TECHNOLOGY TRENDS,

Workers who are too trusting of GenAI less likely to scrutinise its outputs critically

Admin

2025-03-26 17:42

A recent study has found that workers who trust AI too readily are less likely to scrutinise its outputs critically...

Blog, FUTURE OF WORK, PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT &amp; GROWTH, CONTINUOUS LEARNING, STRATEGIC FORESIGHT, EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE, VITAL SKILLS, LEARNING AGILITY, GROWTH MINDSET, COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE,

WHAT I’M LEARNING ABOUT HOSTING A COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE

Cathryn Barnard

2025-03-13 09:36

In late 2023, my colleagues Luis Suarez, Patrick Lodge and I embarked on an experiment. We set up an international online community of practice...

Head Kandi, FUTURE OF WORK, 21st CENTURY LEADERSHIP, INTERGENERATIONAL DYNAMICS, MULTIGENERATIONAL WORKFORCE, FUTURE OF WORK STRATEGY, REMOTE WORK, GEN Z,

The rise of 'career catfishing' and 'revenge quitting' - and what you can do about them.

Admin

2025-02-22 10:15

Two challenging trends that are set to rise over the course of this year...

Head Kandi, HYBRID WORK, FUTURE OF THE OFFICE, FUTURE OF WORK, 21st CENTURY LEADERSHIP, FUTURE OF WORK STRATEGY, REMOTE WORK,

Many remote workers say they’d likely leave jobs if no longer able to work from home

Admin

2025-02-22 10:04

Are the companies implementing ROI mandates shooting themselves in the foot when it comes to churn?

Head Kandi, HYBRID WORK, FUTURE OF THE OFFICE, FUTURE OF WORK, 21st CENTURY LEADERSHIP, AI, FUTURE OF WORK STRATEGY,

WEF's Future of Jobs report 2025

Admin

2025-02-22 09:50

Do yourself a favour and download a copy of the WEF 2025 Future of Jobs report.

Blog, FUTURE OF WORK, 21st CENTURY LEADERSHIP, PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT & GROWTH, CONTINUOUS LEARNING, STRATEGIC FORESIGHT, EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE, VITAL SKILLS, LEARNING AGILITY, GROWTH MINDSET, RESILIENCE, ADAPTABILITY, GRIT,

FOUR MORE VITAL SKILLS FOR THE FUTURE OF WORK – PART 3 OF 4

Cathryn Barnard

2025-02-22 09:28

In this third part of our four-part series on vital skills for the future of work, we dive into four more skills that underpin continuous learning.

Working the Future reading resources & material

Welcome to Working the Future's reading room. Here are our recommendations for some great reads related to the future of work...