1. Intelligence on Demand Is Scaling Fast

• Digital labor is scaling fast: 82% of leaders say they’re confident they’ll use AI agents to expand workforce capacity within 12‑18 months.
• Capacity gap is real: 53% of leaders insist productivity must rise, yet 80% of workers (leaders included) lack the time or energy to meet today’s demands.
• Humans are maxed out: During core hours, an employee is interrupted every 2 minutes—275 pings a day—and 60% of meetings are ad‑hoc.

2. Human + Agent Teams Reshape the Org Chart

• Automation is already organisational: 46% of leaders say their company uses agents to fully automate workflows or processes for entire teams or functions.
• Early adopters are surging: 71% of “Frontier Firm” workers report their company is thriving (vs 37% globally), and 55% say they can take on more work with AI help (vs 20%).
• Why people choose AI partners: the top reasons are 24/7 availability (42%), machine speed/quality (30%), and limitless ideas (28%).

3. From Employee to Agent Boss

• Mind‑set gap: 67% of leaders are familiar with AI agents, but only 40% of employees are.
• Role redesign is imminent: within five years, leaders expect their teams to (1) build multi‑agent systems (42%), (2) train agents (41%), (3) redesign processes around AI (38%), and (4) manage agents day‑to‑day (36%).
• Skilling is priority #1: 47% of leaders rank up‑skilling existing workers as their top workforce move for the next 12‑18 months; 45% rank adding digital labor second.

What should leaders do now?

1. Hire your first digital employees. Define a high‑volume or high‑friction process (e.g., support tickets) and deploy an agent with clear KPIs.
2. Set the human‑agent ratio. Decide which tasks need 1:many, many:1, or 1:1 human‑agent oversight, and publish ownership “work charts” that show who guides which agents.
3. Upskill at scale. Make AI literacy mandatory: 47% of leaders already say it’s their top people priority, and LinkedIn names it the most in‑demand skill of 2025.
4. Measure and reinvest. Track ROI, time saved, and quality gains; redirect the savings to wider roll‑outs instead of isolated pilots.

Bottom line

AI may soon feel like a utility you can flip on, but sustainable advantage will come only to organizations that re‑architect workflows for human‑agent collaboration, invest early in “agent‑boss” skills across every role, and preserve human judgment as the fail‑safe for scale. Those that master all three will set the performance curve for the next decade, leaving bolt‑on adopters scrambling to catch up.

FROM OUR EXPERTS 🎙️

I keep a close eye on what our Future Work Experts are thinking, saying, and questioning. I break down the key conversations and brainstorm practical steps we can take to move forward.

This week:

CHANGE MANAGEMENT

​What’s Blocking Your Team’s Change?​

• ​Phil Kirschner emphasizes that every change effort faces four competing forces: the Push of the Present (pain/frustration), Pull of the Future (benefits/aspirations), Anxieties of the New (fear of failure), and Habit of the Present (inertia). Using the Forces Diagram from the Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) methodology, leaders can break down both emotional and functional resistance.
• In one example, rolling out an HR chatbot sounds efficient, but staff may still cling to the old email habit or fear losing human connection. When resistance is named and framed, you can move smarter, not just louder. The framework works best when those affected by the change help map the forces, creating buy-in by design.

⚒️ Prompt: Grab a pen, draw a quick 2x2 grid, and ask your team what’s pushing them forward, pulling them ahead, freaking them out, or holding them back.​
​Bonus points if you use Phil’s Forces Diagram template.

GENERATIONAL INTELLIGENCE & SKILLS-FIRST

​Skills-First, People-Always​

• ​Sophie Wade emphasizes that leaders must “work it” by tuning into individual motivators, especially during a time when AI-driven, non-linear careers are becoming the norm.
• On International Workers’ Day, she urges leaders to boost Generational EQ, noting that Gen Z workers expect constant upskilling and leave when growth pathways are unclear.
• She highlights lessons from Hollywood producer Steven Puri, where daily review rituals on film sets inspired real-time, skills-focused productivity design in his new venture.
• Sophie advocates using AI-matched talent marketplaces and cross-functional projects to build adaptive, retention-friendly work environments. The modern workplace is “tech-driven and talent-focused,” and that balance begins with empathetic, human-first leadership.

⚒️ Prompt: Ask a Gen Z team member: What would make your role feel more like a growth engine than just a job? Then pilot a cross-functional project that lets them apply (or stretch) a key skill, using AI if helpful.

AI & HUMAN

​Synergy Isn’t Automatic​

• ​Anthony Onesto breaks down a meta-analysis of 100+ studies on human-AI teams, revealing a sobering truth: most human-AI teams underperform the best solo performer, whether human or machine.
• However, when compared to humans alone, AI consistently boosts performance, proving its value in augmentation, not guaranteed synergy.
• Two key factors matter: task type (generative tasks saw slight gains) and baseline skill (when humans started stronger, synergy was possible). Surprisingly, AI explainability and confidence scores had little effect on outcomes, challenging common assumptions.
• Anthony urges HR to lead this future by redesigning workflows, delegating tasks based on strengths, and prioritizing process over promise.

⚒️ Prompt: Choose one key workflow this week and assign AI the “math” and your team the “meaning.” Then debrief: did that split make the task faster, better—or just weirder?

RTO vs HYBRID

​Beyond RTO: Fixing What’s Broken​

• Brian Elliott and Hebba Youssef argue in the People Managing People's event that RTO mandates miss the real issues: trust, manager burnout, and misaligned incentives.
• Most companies enforcing RTO (e.g., “three days a week”) only see ~2 days in practice, because performance matters more than presence, and enforcement is inconsistent or unenforceable.
• Data from Nick Bloom and Placer.ai confirm that badge swipes and “coffee badging” reflect compliance theater, not culture building.
• Meanwhile, Gallup’s 2024 report shows that only 21% of workers feel engaged, with managers driving 70% of that variance, yet only 44% of managers have received formal training.
• Instead of using RTO as a veiled layoff mechanism, leaders must focus on flexible rituals, co-created team norms, and rebuilding psychological safety across distributed teams.

⚒️ Prompt: Try this: audit your in-person rhythms to protect connection time, reset team agreements on when and how you collaborate, and check whether your environment actually supports open disagreement and honest feedback.

🔥 QUICK HITS:

• (STRATEGIC HR) Productivity Pressure Is Redefining HR // By Josh Bersin​
  • Josh Bersin emphasizes that HR is entering a reinvention phase as AI rapidly transforms how work gets done. Many HR teams are overwhelmed with legacy processes while CEOs demand productivity, often signaling coming headcount reductions. He highlights examples like Chipotle and a pharmaceutical company that manages 6,000 employees with only 10 L&D staff, showing that 50 to 75 percent of HR work can now be automated by AI agents. Instead of waiting for vendors to build the perfect tools, HR leaders must re-engineer workflows, modernize systems, and design for scalable impact. The future HR team will shift toward consulting, managing intelligent systems, and delivering real-time value to the business.
  • ⚒️ Prompt: Audit your HR function like an engineer. Where are workflows clunky, roles redundant, or tools underused? Rebuild now with AI in mind, before the pressure comes from above.
• (AI LEADERSHIP) Stop AI-ing the Past // By Antony Slumbers​
  • Antony Slumbers warns that most companies are “AI-ing the past”—bolting AI onto outdated processes instead of reimagining what’s possible. Citing Cisco’s global survey and BCG’s finding that 70% of AI pilots fail, he argues that incrementalism is a dead end. Instead, he urges leaders to adopt a 10X mindset: unbundle the current org, imagine an AI-native “super company”, then rebundle around real-time data, modular workflows, and scalable synergy between humans and machines. MIT’s 106-study meta-analysis confirms that true AI Synergy—where “2+2 = 5”—emerges when human judgment meets generative scale and structure. In this post-AI era, leaders must stop optimizing and start redesigning.
  • ✅ Checklist: Are You 'AI-ing' the Past?​
    1. Are you simply automating current processes without questioning them?
    2. Are your AI initiatives tied to old KPIs and success metrics?
    3. Have you mapped what a 10X better product or service might look like?
    4. Are you structured to adopt new AI capabilities rapidly as they emerge?
    5. Is someone in your company thinking 2 years ahead, not 2 quarters?
• (FUTURE WORKSPACES) Agency Is the New Workplace Amenity // By Janet Pogue McLaurin & Jill Goebel​
  • Today’s best workplaces are designed for purposeful abundance—providing enough of the right spaces so employees can choose where and how to work based on their needs, not just availability. Gensler’s 2025 Global Workplace Survey reveals a shift: while 76% of employees now report choice in work settings, 44% still default to what’s open, not what’s optimal. Comfort, acoustic privacy, and ergonomics only influence decisions when availability isn’t a constraint. The solution? Employers must monitor space usage, build in design flexibility, and evolve environments based on workforce behavior. Done right, this can boost productivity and team performance by over 2.4x.
  • ⚒️ Prompt: Run a weekly “space friction” check-in. Ask your team: What space did you need today but couldn’t find? Use the answers to evolve faster.

FUTURE WORK ROUNDUP 📰

I track what’s worth your attention—bringing you the news and updates that matter most to how we work, lead, and grow.

This week:

I track what’s worth your attention—bringing you the news and updates that matter most to how we work, lead, and grow.

This week:

EMPLOYEE APPRECIATION

​Love Languages, Work Edition​

Translating the idea of love languages into the workplace isn’t about romance, it’s about recognizing that people feel valued in different ways. Reframed as "languages of appreciation" or "recognition styles," this framework helps leaders personalize feedback and increase trust, morale, and retention.

The five key workplace styles are: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Acts of Service, Tangible Gifts, and Appropriate Physical Touch (used thoughtfully).

Leaders are encouraged to ask, not assume, how team members prefer to be appreciated, and train managers to tailor their approach while maintaining professional boundaries.

When used with care, this method becomes a tool to humanize management and build emotionally safe, high-performing teams.

⚒️ Prompt: Ask your next 1:1 this simple question — “What’s one way you like to be recognized at work?” Then, try it.

VIBE HIRING

​Vibe Check ≠ Skill Check​

Textio’s new research reveals that most hiring teams default to “vibe hiring”—making decisions based on gut feel or personality—when structured processes are absent.

Candidates who get offers are 12x more likely to be described as “friendly” than by their actual skills, and those rejected receive 39% more written feedback, often as retroactive justification.

This practice not only weakens performance outcomes, but also reinforces gender biases (e.g., women described as “bubbly” 25x more). Studies show that skills-based hiring leads to better performance, faster promotions, and longer retention.

⚒️ Prompt: In your next candidate debrief, swap out “they had a great vibe” with one specific skill or example tied to the role. Do it once, then do it every time. It’s a small shift that leads to better hires and fewer “what were we thinking?” moments later.

EMPATHIC LEADING

​Empathy Isn’t Optional for Leaders​

Despite 55% of CEOs believing they lead with empathy, only 28% of employees agree.

Empathy is not therapy—it’s perspective-taking, intellectual generosity, and the foundation of trust, collaboration, and retention.

Leaders who bypass it risk toxic cultures, low morale, and talent loss. Building an empathy protocol—shared definitions, behaviors, and accountability—helps balance compassion with performance.

From burnout to empathic distress, the biggest risk is pretending empathy is optional. Research shows organizations led with empathy see higher engagement and significantly lower turnover.

⚒️ Prompt: Skip the “at least…” and try: “Tell me more, how are you managing that?”

Start your next one-on-one with a question that invites truth, not a fix. It’s cheaper than turnover, and way more human.

AI-FIRST COMPANY

​Duolingo Bets Big on AI​

Duolingo has officially gone AI-first, replacing many contractors with generative AI to rapidly scale content across its learning platforms.

CEO Luis von Ahn likens the shift to the company’s mobile-first transition in 2012, emphasizing that teams must now justify hires that cannot be done by AI, and that AI use will be factored into performance reviews.

While aiming to boost productivity and lower costs, the company risks eroding employee trust and alienating customers, some of whom have threatened to cancel subscriptions due to the rise of auto-generated content.

The strategy reflects a broader trend of businesses embracing AI aggressively, but it also raises questions about quality trade-offs, workforce pressure, and long-term brand loyalty.

⚒️ Prompt: Before going full AI-first, run one “AI assist week” with your team. Pick a task, lesson drafts, meeting recaps, or daily standups, and have AI take the first stab. Then rate it: 🤖 helpful, 😬 meh, or 🛑 never again.

🔥 QUICK READ:

​Trump’s First 100 Days: Policy Shifts and Workplace Impacts​

• President Trump signed 142 executive orders in his first 100 days of term two, reshaping compliance across DEI, disparate-impact liability, and AI governance, while reversing mandates on pay transparency and federal contractor wages.
• New policies stress merit-based hiring, apprenticeship expansion, and binary gender definitions, creating legal ambiguity around Title VII and Bostock v. Clayton County.
• The administration’s “flood the zone” strategy—including 145% China tariffs, later softened—reflects rapid action often followed by reversals. Gallup reports 44% economic confidence, Trump’s approval has dropped to 39%, and stock optimism fell from 61% to 29% since January.
• Alignment with Project 2025, coupled with high staff turnover, leaves leaders navigating regulatory shifts amid operational unpredictability.