The world of work is evolving faster than ever. It’s hard for any remote manager, HR professional, or business leader to stay up to date fully (trust us, we try…)
The good news is that there are many great thinkers on remote work, work from home, and the future of work. We’ve compiled the 55 people that should be in your newsfeed and sorted them by LinkedIn follower count (low to high, so that we start with the people who deserve much more attention!)
We love that these are, without exception, positive voices that focus on the opportunity that hybrid and remote work offer, not just complain about the status quo.
Understanding the topic and becoming a better remote leader starts by hitting ‘follow’ on the 55 thought leaders.
Top 55 Remote Work Thought Leaders
Some of the thinkers on this list focus on hybrid and remote work. Others have specialized in related areas like learning and development, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB), our relationship with AI, or simply the future of work.
What they all have in common, though, is that they are worth following and listening to.
In order of follower count ('emerging' to high), these are our picks for the 55 best people to follow about hybrid and remote work.
- Christie Hoffman (Pingboard)
- Liam Martin (Time Doctor)
- Fiona Mackie (Remote)
- Nellie Hayat (Density)
- Amina Moreau (Radious)
- Debbie Lovich (BCG)
- Darcy Marie Mayfield (Shift)
- Rob Sadow (Scoop)
- Jaime Teevan (Microsoft)
- Adam Nathan (Almanac)
- Caleb Parker (Bold)
- Sacha Connor (Virtual Work Insider)
- Annie Dean (Atlassian)
- Brian Elliott (Future Forum)
- Tracy Hawkins (Grammarly)
- Dethra U. Giles (ExecuPre)
- Sara Sutton (FlexJobs)
- Yen Tan (Kona)
- Antony Slumbers
- Peter Benei (Leadership Anywhere)
- Dave Cairns (CBRE)
- Mark Gilbreath (LiquidSpace)
- Phil Kirschner (McKinsey)
- Danielle Farage
- Ryan Anderson (MillerKnoll)
- Daan van Rossum (FlexOS)
- Dror Poleg
- Nadia Harris (remoteworkadvocate.com)
- Chris Dyer
- Anne Bibb (Remote Evolution)
- Chase Warrington (Doist)
- Tracy Brower (Steelcase)
- Darren Murph (Gitlab)
- Mandy Fransz (Remote Workers Worldwide)
- Nick Bloom (Stanford)
- Gustavo Razzetti (Fearless Culture)
- Gonçalo Hall (NomadX)
- Heather E. McGowan
- Iwo Szapar (Remote-First Institute)
- Rowena Hennigan (RoRemote)
- Andee Chua (Hubspot)
- Sahin Boydas (Gusto)
- Tsedal Neeley (HBS)
- Jared Spataro (Microsoft)
- Dominic Price (Atlassian)
- Kelly Monahan (Upwork)
- Christopher Rainey (HR Leaders)
- Job van der Voort (Remote)
- Ester Martinez (People Matters)
- Chris Herd (Firstbase)
- David Heinemeier Hansson (37Signals)
- Rodolphe Dutel (Remotive)
- Jason Fried (37Signals)
- Josh Bersin
- Adam Grant
With that said, let's dive in!
1. Christie Hoffman (Pingboard)
Discussing the remote future of work doesn’t have to be boring, and Christie Hoffman proves it!
Both in her role at Pingboard and as her online persona as “Corporate Christie,” she tackles some of the biggest issues. From onboarding to employee engagement and from listening to data, Christie does it all.
And did we say fun? Yes, Christie can make all of these topics understandable and brings her point of view in a relatable and fun manner.
If you want to understand all angles of running a people-first company better, her podcast Flipflops and People Ops (which recently hit 10,000 downloads 😮) is a great place to start.
See my Christie Hoffman about employee engagement best practices here:
Follow Christie Hoffman on LinkedIn, YouTube, and TikTok.
2. Liam Martin (Time Doctor)
Liam Martin co-founded Time Doctor, the leading time-tracking software for remote teams that stops people from wasting time and instead finishing what is important to them.
If that sounds like a huge job (which it is), it may surprise you that Liam is also the co-organizer of Running Remote, the largest conference on building and scaling remote teams, and the author of The Running Remote Book is focused on asynchronous, remote work methodology.
While we don’t know how Liam has time for all of this, we appreciate his book, conference, and social media content.
Follow Liam Martin on LinkedIn and Twitter.
3. Fiona Mackie (Remote)
The first of two entrants from Remote, Fiona is their Senior Solutions Consultant and one of the few non-founders / CEOs on the list.
Fiona shares very openly about the future of remote work, including its practicalities and challenges. For example, her recent first-handed report on learning how to work async.
You can also expect to hear about events she’s attended or moderated, interesting polls, and LinkedIn Lives. And it all comes in a positive, inspiring tone that makes her posts pop on your LinkedIn feed. Highly recommended.
Follow Fiona Mackie on LinkedIn.
4. Nellie Hayat (Density)
The term force of nature was likely invented for Nellie Hayat, now the Workplace Innovation Lead at Density, after holding senior roles at Stripe and VergeSense. Nellie is a frequent public speaker, podcast guest, and host of her podcast “Beyond Work.”
We came across Nellie two years ago when she wrote an article about the Post-Covid office for Envoy, after which she joined FlexOS CEO Daan van Rossum to discuss the article and more on a webinar about the same topic.
Nellie brings all of this with an energy that is both unique and infectious. If anyone thought workplace strategy must be all work and no play, Nellie proves them wrong. Subscribe to Nellie for her latest content, podcast updates, event announcements, and more.
Follow Nellie Hayat on LinkedIn.
5. Amina Moreau (Radious)
Amina Moreau founded Radious, a platform for booking ad-hoc office space “right in your neighborhood,” and helps remind us that “remote isn’t just working from home.”
And Amina is also a true content pro with updates across all major platforms, including professionally shot video updates on LinkedIn on a wide range of (remote) topics.
Like her recent post about how hard and isolating remote work can be. Or when she calls out the media when they misreport remote work. And how flexibility can drive equality.
Follow Amina Moreau on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and her website.
6. Debbie Lovich (BCG)
Debbie is the Managing Director & Senior Partner at Boston Consulting Group and its Global Lead of People Strategy. With a long and impressive title like that, you can imagine the content will be impactful and credible.
Debbie shares about BCG research, her articles on Forbes, and her views on what’s happening in the world of (remote) work.
Recently, she also started a “Flex Fridays” content series in which she brings hard-hitting facts and stats (for example, shockingly, only 37% of people feel strongly supported by their organization to take advantage of their flexible work options.)
Follow Debbie Lovich on LinkedIn.
7. Darcy Marie Mayfield (Shift)
Darcy Marie Mayfield is a Future of Work Thought Leader, Culture Architect, and Remote-First Work Experience Designer.
She describes herself as a student of what drives people to truly live the life they *want* to live and is passionate about eudemonic well-being and building strong company cultures with a heart of shared values.
Having read that introduction, you won’t be surprised by the kind of content you can expect on Darcy’s socials. Inspiring thoughts, solid takes on news articles, and practical tips on how to do remote well.
Load up on your daily dose of optimism in the future of work by hitting the follow button on Darcy today.
Follow Darcy Marie Mayfied on LinkedIn.
8. Rob Sadow (Scoop)
Rob Sadow co-founded Scoop, a platform to arrange how and when to come to the office. This doesn’t just help companies understand their office utilization better, it also helps hybrid workers with one of the biggest questions: when to come to the office and why.
Besides leading Scoop, Rob also launched the Flex Index, the biggest database of flexible work policies in the US. He also published the Flex Report from this data, which has gifted us many helpful insights into how hybrid and remote models are being adopted (and enjoyed.)
Rob is also the host of the Flex Perspectives podcast, which has had a very impressive line-up of guests, including Nick Bloom (Stanford), the founders of TheSkimm, Phil Kirschner (McKinsey), and Brian Elliott (Future Forum).
Being one of the few people on this list creating new data and reports, we recommend giving Rob a follow.
Follow Rob Sadow on LinkedIn and Twitter.
9. Jaime Teevan (Microsoft)
Jaime Teevan may have one of the coolest job titles on this list as the “Chief Scientist at Microsoft.” Jaime, who got her Ph.D. in AI way before we fired up ChatGPT (or Bing) daily to ask all of our most pressing questions, posts frequently about the real topics that will move the future of work.
Her article, “Let’s Redefine “Productivity” for the Hybrid Era,” was published 1.5 years ago but is still one of our favorite reads. Jaime says that leading in the new era of work will require “a scientist's mindset,” and we couldn’t agree more.
Following Jaime means you’re getting inspiring thoughts on how work will evolve, especially around the role AI will play. Given her involvement in Microsoft’s Co-pilot, this means practical and science-backed insights that will help you grasp where things are heading.
Follow Jaime Teevan on LinkedIn and Twitter.
10. Adam Nathan (Almanac)
Adam Nathan is the co-founder and CEO of Almanac. Almanac is a remote work platform that aims to bring the benefits of open source and async workflows to everyone else, cutting meetings, messages, and emails by 80% and freeing up distributed teams to focus on the work that matters.
Adam wrote the “Modern Work Method,” a guide and philosophy of delivering business value fast, designed for the remote and distributed contexts in which many teams now work, derived from over 5,000 interviews with business professionals.
On his LinkedIn, Adam uniquely posts short videos (with subtitles for watching while you’re in an unnessary meeting!) with hot takes on the way we work. He also shares recent interviews with Chase Warrington, Not Boring’s Packy McCormick, and Mike Maples, commentary on media and data, and very practical tips in his posts.
Follow Adam Nathan on LinkedIn.
11. Caleb Parker (Bold)
Caleb Parker is an American entrepreneur living in London who believes in "challenging the status quo” but also thinks plus, not versus. While he’s an operator of office space as the Founder of Bold, he openly questions the need to be in offices all the time.
He does this on his highly-followed LinkedIn and Twitter pages and his award-winning #WorkBold podcast, where he’s interviewed people like Antony Slumbers, Dror Poleg, Susan Freeman, Annie Rinker, and Ryan Simonetti.
Understanding the future of work from someone hands-on in running office space and creating one of the leading platforms for others in the industry to share their expertise is a must-follow in our minds!
Find Caleb Parker on LinkedIn and Twitter.
12 . Sacha Connor (Virtual Work Insider)
Sacha Connor has been ‘on the inside’ of hybrid and remote work for 18 years.
She became a remote work pioneer for Clorox in 2010 and worked remotely for eight years leading large, hybrid teams responsible as the first fully remote member of the Leadership Team that ran a $1B division. She then co-founded the first-ever Virtual Workforce Employee Resource Group, which grew to over 750 global members.
She now counsels and trains clients like Toyota, Eventbrite, Vanguard, Under Armour, Sephora, L’Oréal, Highwire PR, Gilead, and Cisco with her company Virtual Work Insider. She is also a frequent speaker at conferences.
What we love about Sacha's social media is that it’s comprised of very practical ways about everyday challenges like hybrid collaboration, remote culture, video meetings, and maintaining work-life balance.
Follow Sacha Connor on LinkedIn and Twitter.
13. Annie Dean (Atlassian)
Annie Dean is the Global Head of Team Anywhere Atlassian’s approach to distributed work and reimagining how work gets done by answering ‘where we work,’ ‘how we work,’ and ‘when we connect.’
Before that, Annie was the first-ever Director of Remote Work at Facebook, designing and leading the global strategy for remote work and a portfolio of related future of work strategies.
You can spot Annie in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Cheddar TV, and more, but her socials aren’t a bad place to start either!
Here, Annie has been sharing practical tips about cutting meeting time and freeing yourself for what matters – one of our favorite topics, providing helpful commentary, bold statements, and predictions. Her LinkedIn is also the place to get an inside look into how Atlassian’s progressive Team Anywhere program works.
Follow Annie Dean on LinkedIn.
14. Brian Elliott (Future Forum)
Brian is an advisor, speaker, and advocate for building ways of working together that are better for people and organizations. Most recently, he ran Future Forum, a consortium backed by Slack dedicated to helping companies transform in a digital-first world.
In that role, he combined original research, case studies, and playbooks with executive forums where leading voices share insights and debate solutions. Before this, Brian was at BCG, Alibris, Google, and Slack.
Brian wrote the book “How the Future Works” and advises future of work companies like Scoop, Charter, and HeadRace.
On social media, he shares his take on new research, interviews he does, and interesting thoughts about product and work.
Follow Brian Elliott on LinkedIn and Twitter.
15. Tracy Hawkins (Grammarly)
Tracy Hawkins is the Global Head of Workplace Experience and Connection at Grammarly (one of our favorite apps.)
Before Grammarly, she was with Twitter in workplace roles for nearly ten years, after she managed the EMEA workplace at Yahoo (you can see her impressive work here.) Tracy also advises Flexy.ai, a platform that helps drive employee engagement in the new world of work.
Tracy is known for her extensive experience and expertise in corporate real estate, workplace operations, people services, and the future of work. Tracy shares new hybrid and remote work research on her social media, events she’s a part of, podcasts she’s featured on, and exciting Grammarly news.
Follow Tracy Hawkins on LinkedIn.
16. Dethra U. Giles (ExecuPre)
Dethra U. Giles is a DEI Strategist, frequent speaker, and remote work advocate.
She is the Chief Bridge Architect at ExecuPre, a “people architectural firm” that helps make businesses better from the top down and the bottom up and creates EmployeePreneurs – people who go to work every day and still be their own boss.
On social media, Dethra is an important voice and shares snippets from her presentations and interviews, the key lessons (and formulas) we can all learn from, and quotes that inspire us to do better.
Follow Dethra U. Giles on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and her website.
17. Sara Sutton (FlexJobs)
FlexJobs CEO Sara Sutton, known as the "Queen of Remote Work," has more than 20 years of experience in the online job market industry. She is also the founder of Remote.co, a one-stop resource for remote teams and companies.
Sara often speaks on remote work's impact, the workforce's hybridization, gender equity, and more for titles like BBC, TechCrunch, Time, the Wall Street Journal, and The NY Times.
Image: sara-sutton-flexjobs
Sara believes that integrating remote work can positively impact people’s lives and transform organizations to be more modern, productive, efficient, healthy, environmentally friendly, and overall resilient, given the various needs and demands around us.
She shares this message on her social media, along with new research, events she’s speaking at, and published articles.
Follow Sara Sutton on LinkedIn.
18. Yen Tan (Kona)
Yen Tan co-founded Kona, a platform to make every remote manager better by nudging them through timely Slack messages.
Together with their team, they recently released the Remote Burnout Report, showcasing why 70% of remote workers experience burnout. This alone makes them deserving to be on this list.
But wait, there’s more.
On LinkedIn, Yen shares key remote management topics in a highly engaging way. Not just in writing but also in bite-sized videos with key lessons. For example, about why bad managers are the way they are, the learnings from their book club, and psychological safety.
Sounds like a must-follow? We agree!
Follow Yen Tan on LinkedIn and Twitter.
19. Antony Slumbers
Antony Slumbers is a globally recognized speaker, advisor, writer, and serial entrepreneur who founded and exited several proptech software companies. He now thinks, writes, speaks, and consults on transformation, technology, innovation, AI, and workplace experience.
He writes an influential blog, is a prolific Tweeter, and teaches the online ‘#SpaceAsAService - The Trillion Dollar Hashtag’ course. On his social media, you’ll see him share his latest articles and day-to-day thoughts about how work and the workplace are transforming.
We love Antony because he has a truly unique voice and a very independent way of thinking. In his recent series, “Real Estate's Four Great Challenges,” he dedicated an entire section to the rise of hybrid, remote, and distributed working. If you’re new to Antony, this is a great starting point.
Find Antony Slumbers on LinkedIn, Twitter, and his website.
20. Peter Benei (Leadership Anywhere)
One of the most active content creators on this list, Peter Benei is an operations advisor for B2B Tech startups, the author of Leadership Anywhere, host of the Leadership Anywhere podcast, a mentor and fractional COO/CMO.
Peter is “on a mission to transform 10,000 remote managers into remote leaders through training and consulting.” On social media, you’ll get practical tips from him on leadership and operations, helpful takes on remote work news, and other lessons from the intersection of communications and work.
Follow Peter Benei on LinkedIn, Twitter, and his website.
21. Dave Cairns (CBRE)
We’ve been following Dave Cairns for a long time, and he’s a unique voice on this list as he’s not a remote company founder, remote consultant, or employee at a remote company. He’s a real estate broker, but unlike many colleagues, he does this fully remote.
The pandemic was the breaking point for Dave to go from an in-office job to freeing himself and becoming what he calls a #digitalhomad. In his ‘day job’ at brokerage CBRE, Dave works extensively with flexible office operators like Convene. He advises companies on embracing hybrid working models and the office solutions that facilitate this.
Dave shares video essays, written posts, and commentary on other content about living and working with more freedom on his social media. Follow Dave today for a daily dose of optimism about how work is evolving from someone practicing it more than many in similar situations.
Follow Dave Cairns on LinkedIn.
22. Mark Gilbreath (LiquidSpace)
Mark Gilbreath is the founder and skipper at LiquidSpace, a marketplace for flexible office space that allows companies to ditch or complement their own offices, setting their teams free to “work from where it works.” We couldn’t love their mission more: “more happy people, working in better spaces, the planet smiles.”
Mark frequently posts about hybrid work, industry news, and interviews he’s done, including frequent appearances on podcasts like Everything Coworking.
He also publishes the weekly LinkedIn newsletter “Another Week, another ‘Wave,’ which packs five news items from the world of work and workplace that you can digest in 5 minutes.
Because of his work with LiquidSpace, Mark has a unique perspective on the future of work, and the role of offices will play in it. This is partly because of the tremendous amount of data the LiquidSpace platform generates, which the company publishes in frequent reports.
Follow Mark Gilbreath on LinkedIn.
23. Phil Kirschner (McKinsey)
Phil Kirschner is the Future of Work and Workplace Leader at McKinsey, who previously worked at WeWork, JLL, and Credit Suisse.
He is very well-versed in how quickly the world of work is changing, having spent time in IT, workplace strategy, and building WeWork's first change management methodology to get enterprises rethinking the way they work and the space it happens in.
On his social media, Phil shares the latest research from McKinsey and adds interesting perspectives on media discussions about remote work, hybrid work, and other workplace topics. For example, this deep-dive called “Is your workplace ready for flexible work? A survey offers clues” and his take on how engagement trumps working location.
We love Phil's focus on inspiring people to change with data and his passion for measuring the link between workplace design and strategy on business objectives and employee experience.
Follow Phil Kirschner on LinkedIn and Twitter.
24. Danielle Farage
Danielle Farage is hybrid and remote’s “Voice of Gen Z” and the Founder & Work Futurist at Danielle Farage LLC, her advisory.
Danielle says she “dreams of a world where everyone feels valued, supported and fulfilled in the workplace and beyond,” and that she “brings people together to talk about how we get there” because she “believes everyone should have the knowledge & tools in order to reach fulfillment.”
As a Work Futurist, Danielle fosters an elevated consciousness around the intersection of identity, culture, and workplace. She was previously the Director of Growth & Marketing at Café, the hybrid workplace management platform, and has grown her following significantly since. She speaks on topics including Developing a Hybrid Strategy, Gen Z in the Workplace, and the Future of Work & Leadership.
On LinkedIn, she writes highly engaging posts that perfectly capture her unique perspectives on the world of work and highlight her focus on new generations, inclusivity, and diversity. Amongst all other voices, one that should be part of your content mix.
Follow Danielle Farage on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and her website.
25. Ryan Anderson (MillerKnoll)
Ryan Anderson is the Vice President of Global Research and Insights at furniture brand MillerKnoll. His team leads research efforts about “how the places we inhabit can be better designed to support healthy, inclusive, and productive communities.”
Ryan also hosts MillerKnoll’s Looking Forward podcast on the future of work and his personal Provoking Thought podcast. He is a frequent speaker and was featured in major media like The Wall Street Journal, NPR, the BBC, Fortune, Bloomberg, and beyond.
With great resources at his disposal and being at the place where understanding the future of work isn’t a nice-to-have but a must, you can expect high-quality content from Ryan, including original research, helpful commentary, events he’s speaking at, and new podcast episodes. An upbeat voice is a must-follow, in our opinion!
Follow Ryan Anderson on LInkedIn.
26. Daan van Rossum (FlexOS)
We humbly include our founder and CEO, Daan van Rossum, in this list, as he’s built up a following of over 15,000 People and Workplace Innovators.
Daan shares daily insights into how work and how the most innovative leaders approach the topic of hybrid and remote work, AI, and the future of work.
He also hosts the “Future Work” podcast and newsletter with over 12,000 subscribers and frequently appears on other podcasts and conferences, including The Economist’s Innovation @ Work Summit.
Follow Daan van Rossum on LinkedIn, YouTube, and Twitter.
27. Dror Poleg
Few have been rethinking the world of work like Dror Poleg.
Dror Poleg is an Economic Historian researching technology's impact on how people work and live. He regularly advises major companies and writes for media like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.
Dror is the author of Rethinking Real Estate, an award-winning book that predicted the current reshuffle of offices, homes, and cities and was one of our most insightful reads on the topic. He is now writing his second book, After Office, which explores what happens to cities, companies, and careers when office jobs become scalable and distributed.
On social media, Dror shares his latest thoughts through thought-provoking long-form articles, commentary on what’s happening, articles he’s written for major publications, and conversations with impressive speakers like Nick Bloom.
Follow Dror Poleg on LinkedIn, Twitter, his podcast, and his website.
28. Nadia Harris (remoteworkadvocate.com)
Nadia Harris is the founder of remoteworkadvocate.com, author of "How To Tackle Hybrid Working?", host of The Leadership Outlook Podcast, and Conference Speaker about, you guessed it, hybrid and remote work.
Nadia passionately believes in a flexible future of work so “everyone can get a fair chance to work for a great company, no matter where they come from or live.”
Nadia helps companies eliminate unconscious bias around remote work, hybrid work, its implementation, and efficient performance through implementing remote work infrastructures, designing talent attraction strategies, and more.
Nadia shares helpful guidelines, practical tips, fun facts, and more on her social media. She gives an open view of her life, creating a personal and positive relationship with her followers.
Follow Nadia Harris on LinkedIn and her website.
29. Chris Dyer
Chris Dyer lives and breathes remote work, but he is also known for his focus on company culture. His two books, “Remote Work: Redesign Processes, Practices and Strategies to Engage a Remote Workforce,” and the #1 Amazon bestseller “The Power of Company Culture,” illustrate this perfectly.
On his social media, Chris shares practical tips on how to be a better remote leader. He speaks about the power of mistakes, the role of AI, building trust, a leading in uncertain times. These useful and applicable insights are why Chris earns a spot on the list. Chris also teaches a Remote Management course, which we highly recommend.
To see more of Chris, check out his recent conversation with Daan about leading by outcomes, the need for cockroach meetings, information flow, and engagement.
Follow Chris Dyer on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, and his website.
30. Anne Bibb (Remote Evolution)
Anne Bibb is the founder & CEO of Remote Evolution, a consultancy in human-centered growth. She’s a passionate strategist and a thought leader in remote/hybrid work, CX, EX, and merger, and acquisition strategies, inspiring change across various industries. She shares her insights as a keynote speaker, host of the Unexpected Journey Podcast, and her writing.
Centered around the human experience, Anne and her team have facilitated the creation of thousands of jobs and expanded businesses across more than 30 countries. We love Anne’s focus on creating remote work opportunities for marginalized groups like LGBTQIA+, women, and refugees.
Under the slogan “LEADERSHIP starts with LISTENING but thrives with LEARNING,” you can expect people-focused expertise with a touch of with on her social media, covering customer experience, hybrid and remote working models, and the lessons from her and her interviewees.
Follow Anne Bibb on LinkedIn and Twitter.
31. Chase Warrington (Doist)
For many, Chase Warrington is synonymous with Remote Work. Chase has over 15 years of remote work experience leading distributed teams from locations across the US, Europe, Asia, and South America.
He’s currently the Head of Remote at Doist (a leading remote-first organization with 100+ employees spread throughout 35+ countries), was named a LinkedIn Top Voice: Remote Work, and is the host of About Abroad, a podcast “dedicated to exploring all elements of life beyond your borders.”
On social media, Chase shows his passion for the distributed teams movement and its impact on income equality, the environment, work-life balance, and emerging markets. Here and in major publications, he shares about management, teamwork, team retreats, asynchronous work, and more.
Chase is the way to go if you want a near-daily boost in your excitement for remote work.
Follow Chase Warrington on LinkedIn and Twitter.
32. Tracy Brower (Steelcase)
Tracy Brower is a Ph.D. sociologist and the author of two books: “The Secrets to Happiness at Work” and “Bring Work to Life by Bringing Life to Work,” in which she explores happiness, fulfillment, and work-life. She is the Vice President of Workplace Insight for Steelcase and writes for publications like Forbes and Fast Company.
In all her writing, Tracy takes a people-first perspective and answers the biggest question: no matter how work changes, how can we become and remain happy? And the place where we work (or don’t) plays a big role in her thinking.
A good example is her latest piece, Distraction, Diversion And Discontent: The Truth About Remote Work Today, in which she shares some of the difficulties of working remotely and offers practical advice on overcoming these challenges.
In a recent interview with our CEO, Daan van Rossum, Tracy discusses how we should rethink work and stay connected to our colleagues, even when we see them less often or rarely.
Follow Tracy Brower on LinkedIn, Twitter, and her website.
33. Darren Murph (GitLab)
Darren Murph is an organizational design expert who leads workplace strategy & operations as Andela's VP of Workplace Design and Remote Experience. He previously was the Head of Remote at GitLab, the world’s largest all-remote company, and established the company as a remote work pioneer in the mainstream press
Named an “oracle of remote work” by CNBC, included in The Forbes Future of Work 50, and a judge for Remote’s “Top Remote Influencers of 2023,” Darren is synonymous with remote work.
We love the mission behind all of this. Darren said, “I hope to leave a legacy of change, empowering more people and companies to work remotely in locales that fulfill their soul. As an adoptive dad, I advocate for others to be able to work from anywhere and savor moments with family.”
Following Darren means you’ll get the latest news on remote, unique takes based on his rich background and conversations with others in the industry, like this one with Chase Warrington.
Follow Darren Murph on LinkedIn, Twitter, and his website.
34. Mandy Fransz (Remote Workers Worldwide)
Mandy Fransz is the Co-creator & Chief Community Officer of the Remote Workers Worldwide. As a “small-town teenage girl,” she always wanted to work online while traveling the world, and after an office job with LinkedIn (already a dream company), she made the ‘leap’ and went remote.
Over the past five years, she’s been working with clients to create their personal brands, grown the #1 remote work community with 90,000+ members, and was a keynote speaker. She was named one of 10 LinkedIn™ Top Voices 2022: Remote Work, who lauded Mandy for her “actionable advice and insights on the future of work.”
Now Mandy is enjoying the freedom and flexibility of the remote work lifestyle that allows her “to plan my work schedule around my ideal life, not the other way around.” Follow Mandy for remote job openings, personal branding tips, an upbeat take on the benefits of remote work, and photos from around the world.
Follow Mandy Fransz on LinkedIn.
35. Nick Bloom (Stanford)
Nick Bloom is the William Eberle Professor in the Department of Economics at Stanford University, but we know him as the world’s leading work-from-home researcher. He researched and published on the benefits of remote work over ten years ago. His first TED talk on the topic was in 2017, and he published his latest research paper, “Why Working from Home Will Stick,” in 2021.
In May 2020, Nick Started WFH Research, a site and research initiative dedicated to learning about the impact and growth of remote work. Nick doesn’t just research and teach. He actively builds the remote future of work by advising startups in the space like Roam, Scoop, Radious, and Kadence.
Following Nick means that you get the latest research and numbers on remote work and it directly from the source. Nick often takes specific charts and provides helpful context and commentary.
Nick’s socials are also where you’ll find about the great live events he participates in and podcasts he’s recorded, like the terrific “Facts and Fiction” discussion with Dror Poleg and his recent great conversation with Rob Sadow from Scoop.
For the science of WFH, this is the place to be.
Follow Nick Bloom on LinkedIn and Twitter.
36. Gustavo Razzetti (Fearless Culture)
Gustavo Razzetti is the CEO at Fearless Culture, a workplace culture consulting firm that helps develop purpose-driven organizations through culture design workshops, consultancy, and masterclasses.
Besides his work at Fearless Culture, Gustavo is a frequent speaker, the author of four books, including the recent Remote, Not Distant, and the creator of the Culture Design Canvas, which over 500,000 professionals have used in over 50 countries, the Culture Design Canvas is a powerful framework to codify, design, and build a strong team and company culture.
On social media, expect practical tips about building culture, innovation, creativity, organizational design, teamwork, and leadership, all critical to successfully working in and managing remote teams.
Follow Gustavo Razzetti on LinkedIn and Twitter.
37. Gonçalo Hall (NomadX)
Gonçalo Hall is the CEO of NomadX, one of the biggest digital nomad communities with physical communities in Madeira, Cabi Verde, and Lisbon. Gonçalo also launched projects like the Remote Work Movement, Future of Work Conferences, Remote Portugal, and Remote Europe to promote remote work around the globe.
On LinkedIn and Twitter, Gonçalo shares recent articles he wrote, takes on the remote work and return-to-office debate, and updates on his various projects, providing us with a practical look into the world of building offline communities.
Follow Gonçalo Hall on LinkedIn and Twitter.
38. Heather E. McGowan
Heather E McGowan is a future-of-work strategist, frequent keynote speaker (at more than 75 events per year!), thought leader, advisor, researcher, author, and one of the leading voices on the Future of Work. Her message to companies is that the next phase of work will focus on continuous learning and how leadership must shift to guide these expeditions.
Her two most recent books on the Future of Work are The Adaptation Advantage: Let Go and Learn Fast to Thrive in the Future of Work and The Empathy Advantage: Leading the Empowered Workforce. On social media, the theme of empathy comes up frequently, alongside recent interviews she’s done and articles she’s written.
Follow Heather E. McGowan on LinkedIn, Twitter, and her website.
39. Iwo Szapar (Remote-First Institute)
Iwo Szapar has been the CEO of Remote-how, an advisory that helps companies make remote & hybrid work, since 2017.
Remote-how features a Marketplace that connects companies with over 200 remote & hybrid work experts and a Campus where leaders of hybrid teams come to connect, learn and grow with access to live leadership development programs, mentoring services, and more.
Iwo is also the co-founder of the Remote-First Institute, a not-for-profit organization “on a mission to create a space with open-source and expertise knowledge about the remote-first work approach provided by the world’s leading future of work experts.”
Finally, Iwo wrote the book "Remote Work Is The Way,” which was featured in Forbes, BBC, and Business Insider and puts words into practice by working remotely while living in 15 different countries over the past few years. In short, on remote work and how to actually get it done within your company and team, Iwo is more than legit.
On his social media, Iwo shares opinions, stories, updates about where he’s working from, and practical advice, including the role of AI in the future of (remote) work.
Follow Iwo Szapar on LinkedIn and Twitter.
40. Rowena Hennigan (RoRemote)
Rowena Hennigan is the founder of RoRemote and an expert in remote work and digital nomadism. She has been remote working since 2007 and lives in Spain with her location-independent family.
With almost 25 years of professional industry experience, she started RoRemote in 2017 to provide remote skills training and consultancy. Rowena is passionate about remote work's socioeconomic influence, global mobility, and flexibility, emphasizing the importance of worker well-being and work-life integration.
Rowena was named one of the Top 10 Global Voices in Remote Work by Linkedin News in 2022 and one of the Top 25 Remote Innovators in 2021 and 2022 by Remote.com. Rowena has also spoken at prestigious conferences, including a keynote for the European Parliament.
On her social media, Rowena shares openly about her remote work life, the how and why of remote work, the importance of equality, and the diverse needs remote work serves, including for working parents.
Follow Rowena Hennigan on LinkedIn.
41. Andee Chua (Hubspot)
Andee Chua is a Community & Culture Builder and one of LinkedIn’s Top Voices 2022. At Hubspot, his ‘day job,’ he is the Culture and DI&B Specialist for JAPAC, which combines overseeing Culture & Employee Experience for Singapore & Japan and building the company’s DI&B Employee Resource Group (ERG) communities across JAPACA.
He is also an LGBTQ+ Alliance ERG Leadership Council Member, where he helps empower lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer HubSpotters by creating a safe, respectful community.
We featured Andee in our Remote Team Management guide where he shared: “Building relationships in a hybrid world takes intentional effort. At Hubspot, we host monthly community lunches centered around a theme to get conversations going and spark new ideas as a group. It’s such a nice way for the community to come together, and share their thoughts with much vulnerability.”
Expect more wisdom like this on Andee’s socials, along with fun ‘inside looks’ at life in Hubspot, how they build engagement and community within the company, and updates on his personal life.
Follow Andee Chua on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram
42. Sahin Boydas (Gusto)
Sahin Boydas is a product leader at Gusto, working on distributed team products.
He was previously the CEO of RemoteTeam, which Gusto acquired. Sahin worked with international employees and independent contractor teams and quickly embraced remote work over the past decade. He is a frequent speaker, delivering over 400 talks, podcasts, and conferences.
A tech brain in a Taoist body with Rumi’s heart, Sahin shares Gusto news, data and insights, practical leadership teams for remote leaders, and new articles he’s written.
Follow Sahin Boydas on LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram.
43. Tsedal Neeley (HBS)
Tsedal Neeley is a Harvard Business School professor and author of three highly relevant books: The Digital Mindset, Remote Work Revolution, and Language of Global Success.
Her work focuses on how leaders can scale their organizations by developing and implementing global and digital strategies. She advises top leaders on change that involves virtual work, global expansion, digital transformation, and becoming more agile.
You’ll find this in her posts and the interviews she does and shares. For example, in the great HBR Ideacast episode on successful hybrid teams, her famous HBR piece on Why Offices are Tools, and one of her latest: “8 Questions About Using AI Responsibly, Answered.”
Follow Tsedal Neeley on LinkedIn, Twitter, and her website.
44. Jared Spataro (Microsoft)
Perhaps with one of the most desirable jobs on this list, Jared Spataro leads the “Modern Work Team” at Microsoft. This means he researches, predicts, and shapes the future of work across industries through new Microsoft products.
We love that Jared’s work is based on millions of data points that Microsoft collects through its collaboration tools and platforms. His foundational piece, “Great expectations: A road map for making hybrid work work,” for example, taps into data from the 2022 Work Trend Index to paint a picture of an Employee Experience that has changed forever.
On social, Jared frequently shares new research based on this kind of data and his perspective on it. For us, that makes him a must-follow as few companies have the kind of insights that Microsoft has, and few people within Microsoft can use that data to tell such great stories about the future of work.
Follow Jared Spataro on LinkedIn and Twitter.
45. Dominic Price (Atlassian)
Dominic (Dom) Price is the Work Futurist at Atlassian, a title he earned after leading their R&D efforts for over fours years.
Dom believes that “the future of work is all about unleashing the power of teams, that are solving more complex problems, whilst being increasingly diverse in their make-up, and often globally distributed.” He also is a big believer in doing meaningful work that positively impacts people and our planet, which he shared in a TED talk, and his “Personal Moral Inventory.”
At Atlassian, he researched how the best teams perform and created a playbook that includes key rituals and ways of working to keep teams nimble, autonomous and focused. He now shares his learnings so that teams in organizations worldwide can take ownership of their future of work.
He does this in frequent speaking engagements (fun fact: he donates 100% of his speakers’ fees to three vital charities), on his website, and through social posts about hybrid work, hiring great talent, recognition, performance, and flexibility.
Ensure you follow Dominic to learn the art and science of managing high-performing hybrid and remote teams.
Follow Dominic Price on LinkedIn and his website.
46. Kelly Monahan (Upwork)
Kelly Monahan, who previously led Future of Work initiatives at Deloitte, Accenture, and Meta, is the recently crowned Managing Director of the new Upwork Research Institute.
In this role, Kelly creates research-driven insights on the future of work to help leaders redesign how people work. Besides this already super-impressive work, Kelly is a Lecturer, a TEDx speaker, and an author.
In her TED Talk, Kelly predicted the future of AI in which it works alongside people and advocated for the need to create a healthy and fulfilling work environment based on four essential elements: stability, intellectual stimulation, dignity, and meaningful connection.
Fast-forward three years later, Kelly co-wrote the fantastic HBR article “What Will Working with AI Really Require?,” where she reassured us that humans will still have a role to play in the future of work. “Humans and machines will simultaneously collaborate and compete with one another, like a track team competing in various events,” she shared.
On LinkedIn, Kelly actively shares new insights from her lab, including about Gen Z and AI. You can also be the first to know about live events she’s hosting and new articles she’s written.
Follow Kelly Monahan on LinkedIn.
47. Christopher Rainey (HR Leaders)
Christopher (Chris) Rainey is the host of HR Leaders, the number one HR Podcast, which has amassed 5 million 😲 downloads. He’s the founder of the HR Leaders Summit, Global PA Summit, and the FutureWork Summit, and a Member of 100Coaches.
He is the CEO of HR Leaders, the largest online learning platform preparing HR Professionals for the ever-evolving future of work by learning from world-class HR Executives and experts through live-streamed events, original content, and an extensive video library.
In Chris’ own words, “now is the moment to reinvent the future of work. Let’s do it together.” As likely the most active content creator on this list, he shares workshops, interviews with tons of experts in the field, and other perspectives on his LinkedIn.
Follow Christopher Rainey on LinkedIn, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
48. Job van der Voort (Remote)
Job van der Voort is the CEO at Remote, a platform to onboard, pay, and delight remote employees and contractors anywhere in the world.
Job said, "I'd like to imagine a world where everyone can work from anywhere, without the constraints of time and location. A world where we can pursue our
dreams and ambitions while also enjoying fulfilling personal lives.”
His focus is on building the infrastructure for that with Remote. At the same time, Job also propagates the move to remote as a whole, one of the reasons the company supports the movement actively and publishes the “Remote Influencer Report.”
On his socials, you can stay up to date on recent interviews he’s done (like this one with Chris Herd), insights he has uncovered, commentary on recent media, and more. From the numbers, it’s clear that people love what Job has to add, and we are dedicated followers for this reason.
Follow Job van der Voort on LinkedIn and Twitter.
49. Ester Martinez (People Matters)
Ester Martinez is the CEO & Editor-in-Chief of People Matters. This niche media brand engages with the top business & HR leaders to challenge, transform and enrich how HR technology & talent management practices contribute to business growth and success.
Her HR & Work Tech Conference, People Matters TechHR (which we attended last year), is Asia's largest HR Technology conference. Before this, Ester led HR for several blue-chip companies like HP in Spain and Tata Consultancy Services in India & UK.
She is a LinkedIn Top Voice, Remote Work Influencer 2023, and made the Power List of the Top 200 Biggest Voices in Leadership and Top 30 Influential Women Leaders in HR Tech 2023. Ester also hosts the People Matters Unplugged podcast and writes the Working Out Loud with Ester newsletter.
As the leader of a media brand, you can expect quality content from Ester on LinkedIn and Twitter, including updates on her conferences, online events, recent podcast episodes, and newsletter editions.
Follow Ester Martinez on LinkedIn and Twitter.
50. Chris Herd (Firstbase)
Follow the herd? Well, we usually don’t, but in this case…
Chris Herd is the founder and CEO of Firstbase, an “all-in-one provisioning platform that lets companies provide all the practical equipment remote workers need at the touch of a button.” And according to Chris, the platform will soon enable a BILLION people to access a higher quality of life through a better future of work.
Chris publishes frequent content about this future of work on LinkedIn, Twitter, and through his podcast, “Against the Herd.” Follow Chris for solid takes on industry news, interviews with experts in the field, and early announcements of new podcast episodes.
Follow Chris on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram (where you can see cute baby photos!)
51. David Heinemeier Hansson (37Signals)
David is the founder of Ruby on Rails, co-owner & CTO of 37signals, the company that produced Basecamp and HEY. He is the New York Times bestselling author of books: Getting Real, REWORK, It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work, and REMOTE. He’s the host of the REWORK Podcast and the author of his HEY blog.
Since we all know that technology will play a massive role in the future of work, following David means you’ll get well-formed thoughts from someone who understands both spaces. His blogs get massive engagement on LinkedIn, with thousands of likes and comments on posts like “You can't trust Google” and “Start them in the deep end” (on onboarding.)
Beyond these blogs, you’ll also get his latest podcast episodes, Basecamp and Hey news, and events a part of.
Follow David Heinemeier Hansson on LinkedIn.
52. Rodolphe Dutel (Remotive)
Let me guess. You didn’t expect to reach the end of the list and find a CEO with over 80,000 followers that mostly posts MEMES, did you? Well, that’s exactly what Remotive’s CEO Rodolphe Dutel has to offer, and the world is a better place for it.
To get the serious stuff out of the way first: Remotive.com is the world's largest community of remote workers. Before founding Remotive, Rodolphe was the Director of Operations at fully-remote Buffer, and in a more distant history, an Accenture consultant and Google sales leader. (Proof there’s hope for consultants and salespeople after all.)
Okay, back to the memes. Rodolphe envisions a world where everyone works remotely, and uses humor as his secret weapon to convert the naysayers. His feed is full of fun takes on recruiting, onboarding, engagement, and performance. (Note: he also mixes in breaking news on remote and hybrid work.) In our eyes, a must-follow.
Follow Rodolphe Dutel on LinkedIn, Twitter, and his Remotive blog.
53. Jason Fried (37Signals)
Only two spots (but 40,000 followers) above his co-founder David Heinemeier Hansson, 37Signals CEO Jason Fried is the first entrant on this list with over 100k followers. (We quoted Jason in our articles “12 Keys to Success in Hybrid and Remote Team Management” and “Meeting Overload? Cut your week in half with this framework,” but we can’t claim any causation.)
Besides being a “non-serial entrepreneur” at 37Signals, Jason is a serial author, penning the books Getting Real, REWORK, REMOTE, It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work. Jason shares critically important thoughts on his social media on productivity, collaboration, and (remote) management alongside podcast episodes and blog posts.
Follow Jason Fried on LinkedIn.
54. Josh Bersin
Does he even need an introduction? Josh Bersin has pushed the boundaries of 'work' for almost 20 years since he switched careers from sales and marketing to learning and development.
Josh now runs the Josh Bersin Academy, a professional development academy for HR, and The Josh Bersin Company, which reaches over 1 million passionate HR with comprehensive research, tools, HR technology analysis, and industry advisory support.
Josh also recently wrote and released the book Irresistible: The Seven Secrets of the World's Most Enduring, Employee-Focused Organizations, one of the best books on redesigning organizations and teams for the remote future of work.
Josh thinks, writes, and records a podcast about remote work, AI, data, digital transformation, and the future of organizations. A must-follow indeed.
Find Josh Bersin on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, and his website.
54. Adam Grant
On to the one you probably know already.
Adam Grant is an organizational psychologist and professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. His expertise lies in organizational psychology, motivation, and fostering a productive and innovative work culture.
Adam is known for his best-selling books, including "Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success" and "Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World” in which he explores concepts such as reciprocity, creativity, and unconventional thinking in the workplace.
Adam also hosts the TED podcast WorkLife, which averages over a million people per episode and features many other thinkers on this list. We highly recommend his episodes with Nick Bloom (“The Do’s and Don’ts of Returning to the Office”) and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella (“Satya Nadella is building the future.”)
Follow Adam Grant on LinkedIn, Twitter, his website, and his podcasts WorkLife and Rethinking.
About this list
We created this list of people who are shaping the future of work based on a few things: they're really active, they have unique and valuable things to say, and their posts get a lot of engagement.
We wanted to make sure we had a good mix of people from different areas of work, not just people who work remotely. Our goal was to give you a well-rounded group of people to follow, so you can get a better picture of the future of work.
Everyone on our list has their perspective and brings something new to the discussion. They all get a lot of engagement on their posts, so you know they're saying something people care about.
If we missed someone, do reach out!
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