Work Will Never Be The Same

Saul Kaplan
2 min readSep 6, 2021

It seems fitting on Labor Day to reflect on the future of work. Today’s concept of work, employment, and jobs are an outgrowth of an industrial era that is long gone. COVID-19 has changed work forever. The industrial era is not coming back and it’s time to rethink the basic concept of work. Despite what politicians and company leaders say about things going back to normal once the pandemic is behind us, work will never be the same. COVID-19 made clear that the future of work is here and we aren’t ready. Far too many people are being left behind.

Work takes on new meaning post-pandemic and it is time to change our conversation. The real wake-up call of this downturn is the enormous skill’s gap between the requirements of a 21st century economy and the skills and experience of the current workforce. Waving our hands and political rhetoric will not close the gap. Our education and workforce development systems must be transformed. Now. The nature of work and the way we think about jobs must change dramatically. Labor Day seems like a good day to start.

Here are 20 random thoughts on the future of work. Add yours.

1) Hybrid isn’t just combining remote and office work options, it’s blending both into an entire new way of working and delivering value.

2) 9 to 5 is so yesterday.

3) Empathy and genuine

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Saul Kaplan

Hopeful Innovation Junkie, Business Innovation Factory (BIF) Founder & Chief Catalyst, LunaYou Founder and CEO