Monthly newsletter about a human-centric future of work
4 Ways To Motivate Your Team in 2025
January 2025
As we enter 2025, executives will face numerous challenges, including agentic AI, hybrid work, constant upskilling, and the struggle to engage a workforce increasingly willing to leave or strike. And 2025 might see the rise of ‘revenge quitting.’ To face these challenges — to make informed decisions about integrating AI and to boost employee engagement — you’ll need a deeper understanding of what truly motivates humans at work and how technology can enhance these motivators.
Is AI Coming to Town?
December 2024
Despite massive investments in AI, its potential to revolutionize productivity remains hotly debated. So, are we poised to see a new AI productivity paradox?
The AI-Powered Leader
November 2024
AI is taking over and is predicted to do more and more tasks of managers — even outperforming human CEOs. So, how can human managers stay relevant and use AI to become supermanagers?
10-9-8-...-3-2-1-Liftoff of THE EMPLOYEE ADVANTAGE
October 2024
The day has come where my book, The Employee Advantage: How Putting Workers First Helps Business Thrive, is officially released. What a day! I am very grateful to have received a number of amazing pre-publication praise. I’m filled with a deep sense of happiness and accomplishment today. But I’m also a bit nervous about how the book will be received. I truly hope it reaches a wide enough audience to shift people’s mindsets about the value of employees and what genuinely motivates humans at work. I firmly believe that this shift is essential for both employee engagement and business success.
Is Wellness at Work Working?
September 2024
There is no doubt that wellbeing in the workplace matters. Studies show that companies that prioritize employee well-being have higher productivity and overall perform better financially. In light of this research, organizations worldwide have implemented ostensibly employee-focused wellness programs. While the growing trend of companies prioritizing their employees' well-being and health is welcoming, many of these programs miss their intended mark.
Hybrid Work Is Here to Stay — How to Make the Best of It
August 2024
After the COVID-19 pandemic shut down offices around the world and employees got a taste of what it’s like to work from home. A tug of war between workers and bosses erupted over return to office (RTO) policies: Employees want more flexibility/WFH days and leaders want less.
Before Quiet Quitting There Was Solitaire
July 2024
You have to give it to the “kids these days” who have come up with cute terms that go viral on social media, such as ‘quiet quitting’ or ‘laying flat’ (the latter a popular term in China). As a result, a lot of focus has been placed on younger generations exhibiting this kind of behavior. But phoning it in at work is nothing new.
Tech Bros vs. Theater Kids
June 2024
In a world of constant change, figuring out what skills will be most needed in the future can be confusing. “What should I study in college?” is a question being discussed at my dinner table — maybe yours too? — and it is making the kids pretty anxious. Is computer science or finance the path to success, as we once might have assumed, or will coding and investing be taken over by AI? Maybe it’s the theater majors who will come out on top. If the ability to pivot is what the future rewards, the skills learned in improv class may turn out to be very valuable indeed.
Announcing My New Book
May 2024
I'm pleased to announce the release of my new book, THE EMPLOYEE ADVANTAGE: How Putting Workers First Helps Business Thrive which is now available for pre-order. As a behavioral economist and professor at Columbia Business School, I have extensively researched the connection between human motivation and business outcomes. I wrote The Employee Advantage because I believe that in order for leaders and organizations to succeed, we need a collective mindset shift toward prioritizing workers, especially against the backdrop of a rapidly shifting technology landscape.