>> REMOTE WORKING A FOUR-DAY WORKWEEK QUIETLY QUITTING RESURGENT LABOR MOVEMENT.

THESE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE CHANGES.

WORKERS AND EMPLOYERS HAVE BEEN GRAPPLING WITH OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS.

SO WHAT DOES THE FUTURE OF THE WORKFORCE LOOK LIKE?

AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR COMPANIES AND WORKERS?

HERE TO TALK MORE ABOUT THIS, OUR BOB BRUNO, A PROFESSOR OF LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS, URBANA CHAMPAIGN AND OF THE BOOK.

WHAT WORK IS AND TOM GIMBEL, CEO OF THE NETWORK.

WELCOME BACK.

THANKS TO BOTH OF YOU FOR JOINING US AGAIN.

BOB, LET'S START WITH YOU.

WE'VE GOT YOUR BOOK RIGHT HERE.

YOU ASK YOUR STUDENTS TO COMPLETE THE FREEZE.

WORK IS DOT, DOT, AND YOU RECEIVED A VARIETY OF ANSWERS.

WHAT WERE SOME OF THOSE ANSWERS?

SOMEWHERE?

VERY SOME ARE PROFANE.

>> SOME TELL US ABOUT THE KEY THEMES IN THE WAY THAT WORKING SUSPECT HE'S EXPERIENCED TIME IS A POWERFUL DIMENSION THAT SHAPES HOW THEY THINK ABOUT WORK.

THEY SEEM TO BE WORKING ALL THE TIME.

WE'RE THINKING ABOUT GETTING TO WORK OR THINKING ABOUT GETTING OUT OF WORK, THE SPACES THAT THEY WORK ARE VERY AS TO HOW FIND SATISFACTION OR NOT.

SO SPACE BECOMES AN IMPORTANT DYNAMIC.

THE WORKPLACE ALSO WHO THEY'RE WORKING FOR.

WHY ARE YOU WORKING THE PURPOSE OF WORK?

THE THAT WORK IS HAVING ON LIFE.

EAT THIS SUNDAY WITH SOME POWERFUL THEMES THAT RESONATED IN A LOT OF IN IN THE WAY WORKERS ARE RESPONDING FROM DIFFERENT OCCUPATIONS, DIFFERENT SECTORS WORK IS ALMOST EVERYTHING IN THEIR LIFE.

WORK IS ALMOST YOU WORK WITH STUDENTS WHO ARE THE FUTURE WORKFORCE.

OF COURSE.

WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT WHAT THEY WANT IN A FUTURE JOB OR PROFESSION?

>> YOU KNOW, MANY WAYS THEY WANT THINGS THAT MY GENERATION PREVIOUS GENERATIONS WANT THEY WANT TO BE WELL COMPENSATED.

THEY WANT A JOB THAT'S GOING MEET THEIR MATERIAL BUT BUT ALSO THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE MEETING THERE NEEDS TO BE HIGH LEVELS OF SATISFACTION HIGH LEVELS OF ENGAGEMENT, AN OPPORTUNITY TO USE BOTH YOUR PHYSICAL SKILLS, INTELLECTUAL THEY BRING THEIR WHOLE SELF INTO THE JOB.

AND I THINK BALANCE MUCH MORE BALANCED THAN PREVIOUS GENERATIONS.

MORE TIME FAMILY.

MORE TIME THAT WORKS IN WITH THE WORKING LIFE.

>> TOM GIMBEL, WOULD YOU SAY COMPANIES ARE AWARE OF OF THESE WANTS THAT THE YOUNGER FUTURE WORKERS ARE LOOKING FOR?

>> WELL, I THINK MOST DEFINITELY THEY ARE AWARE OF THAT, I THINK IS UNEMPLOYMENT BELOW 4%.

THEY HAVE TO BE AWARE AWARE OF IT.

BUT I DO BELIEVE THAT THE PENDULUM HAS SHIFTED AND NOW IT'S A SITUATION THAT WE'RE KIND OF MOVING FROM MORE SENSITIVE SOCIETY AND EMPLOYMENT MARKET THAT WE HAD DURING COVID BOOST COVID.

BACK TO MORE TRADITIONAL EMPLOYERS SETTING THE STANDARDS FOR WHAT THEY EXPECT FROM EMPLOYEE BEHAVIOR AND AND THERE'S WHAT HAS TO BE DONE IN ORDER FOR BUSINESSES, TOO.

NOT JUST SURVIVE LIKE THEY DID THE PAST FEW YEARS, BUT TO THRIVE TO KEEP THIS ECONOMY GOING.

>> AND RECOGNIZING TOM, YOU KNOW WHAT SOME WORKERS ARE LOOKING FOR.

BUT LIKE YOU SAID, SORT OF PIVOTING BACK TO WHAT THE BUSINESSES AND THE COMPANIES, EMPLOYERS BELIEVE THEY NEED.

YOU KNOW, HOW DO THEY HOW THEY SORT OF STRIKE THAT BALANCE AND YOU KNOW, MAINTAIN THE WORKFORCE THAT THEY NEED.

>> WELL, I THINK THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THIS GENERATION IN PREVIOUS GENERATIONS WE ALL HAD WISH LISTS AND WANTS CLOSE TO HOME COMMUTING TIME.

IT MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN UNLIMITED VACATION OR WORK FROM HOME AND IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN 3 WEEKS VACATION OR 4 WEEKS WITH OTHER WAS ALWAYS THAT AND I THINK WE'RE ACTING LIKE THE WANTS OF THIS GENERATION ARE SO DIFFERENT.

THEY'RE NOT.

WE'VE ALL HAD ONCE THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE IS THAT WHAT'S GOING ON TODAY?

DUE TO REMOTE WORKING COVID IN THE TIMES WE'RE IN IS THAT SO MANY PEOPLE THINK THEY CAN GET EVERYTHING ON THEIR WISH LIST AND THAT'S CALLED ENTITLEMENT.

AND THAT'S NOT THE WAY IT IS.

AND WHAT WE'VE SEEN NOW VERSUS 2019 IS THAT COMPANIES ARE FINDING EMPLOYEES.

AND AND RIGHT NOW DUE TO THE GLOBAL SITUATION AND THE UNCERTAINTY OF THE ECONOMY IS THAT COMPANIES ARE HIRING AND BALL.

WELL, THEY ARE HIRING AND UNEMPLOYMENT STAYING LOW.

THEY'RE NOT HIRING IN BULK.

SO EMPLOYERS ARE SETTING THE STANDARD AND SAYS THAT SAYING THIS IS OUR EXPECTATION.

WE WANT YOU TO BE IN THE OFFICE.

WE NEED TO BE HERE ON THESE DAYS.

ARE THESE TIMES AND EMPLOYEES ARE REALIZING THAT THEY HAVE TO THEY HAVE PLAY BY THE OTHER PERSON'S RULE.

SOMETIMES IT'S NOT ALWAYS TAKE THE BALL AND GO HOME.

>> THOUGHTS.

SAME QUESTION TO YOU.

WHAT ARE WITH YOUR REACTION TO THAT OR COMPANY STRIKING THE BALANCE?

LOOK, I THINK COMPANY ARE DOING WELL ARE RESPECTFUL OF THEIR EMPLOYEES.

A COUP ATTEMPT TO INSPIRE THEIR EMPLOYEES WHO LOOK TO DEVELOP THEIR EMPLOYEES TALENTS.

I THINK THEY THEY FIGURE IT OUT.

I THINK MOST EMPLOYERS DON'T DO THAT VERY WELL.

AND AS A YOU'RE GOING TO FIND JOBS SHIFTING MAKE IS CONTINUING EVEN WITH UNEMPLOYMENT, MORE AND MORE WORKERS HAVE REALLY A BODY INTO THE IDEA OF A HYBRID WORKPLACE.

THOSE THAT CAN DO THAT.

SO I THINK IT'S A MORE CONTESTED TERRAIN.

THEN THEN THEN AND TOM SUGGEST I THINK EMPLOYEES ARE WORKERS ARE ALSO LOOKING FOR INSTITUTIONS THAT ARE GOING TO REPRESENT THEM IN THAT YOU SEE THIS SURGE YOU MENTIONED IN THE OPENING THIS SURGE IN UNIONISM IN IN THE LABOR MOVEMENT.

>> I THINK YOU HAVE A A WORKFORCE THAT IS GOING TO I THINK THEY'VE GOT A DIFFERENT CONSCIOUSNESS ABOUT WHAT THE BALANCE IS.

BUT I DO THINK SMART EMPLOYERS WHO REALLY UNDERSTAND HOW TO MANAGE A WORKFORCE THAT MEAN IN THEIR WORK LIFE.

I THINK GOING TO BE WINNERS.

THEY'RE GOING TO DO WELL.

>> ON THE OTHER TRACK IS THAT THERE ARE STILL 4 GENERATIONS IN THE WORKFORCE FROM GEN Z THAT ARE STILL COMING IN.

AND THEN THE BABY BOOMERS THAT WE ALL KNOW ARE STILL AT WORK.

HOW CAN COMPANIES BALANCE THE VARYING NEEDS AND WANTS OF OF OF THESE 4 DIFFERENT GENERATIONS.

>> WELL, THAT'S EXACTLY IT IS I I AGREE WITH BOB, FROM THE STANDPOINT OF YOU WANT TO CHALLENGE OR EMPLOYEES.

BUT THERE'S SO MANY OTHER THINGS GOING ON WITH COMPANIES BESIDES ROLLING OUT THE RED CARPET FOR EMPLOYEES WHO WANT TO HAVE THEIR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO.

AND I THINK THAT A LOT OF COMPANIES ARE GOOD AT ACTUALLY.

I THINK WE LIVE IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO.

CONTRARY TO WHAT'S GOING ON POLITICALLY, THAT WE ARE HOME TO SOME OF THE BEST COMPANIES THAT HAVE GROWN EMPLOYEES THAT HAVE CREATED LEADERS.

AND I THINK WHAT WE'VE GOT GEN XERS, WE'VE GOT A GEN Z MILLENNIALS AND THE THE END OF THE BABY BOOMER GENERATION IN THE WORKFORCE.

THAT'S A LOT OF IN THE AIR FOR LEADERSHIP AND MANAGERS TO JUGGLE ON HOW TO COLLABORATE AND COMMUNICATE WITH THAT BIG OF A OF A DISCREPANCY, NOT JUST AN EDGE, BUT IN BELIEVES IN VALUES, IN ABILITIES, BOTH TECHNOLOGICALLY AND FINANCIALLY AND SOCIALLY, THAT THERE IS SO MUCH AT STAKE THAT IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT HOW YOU GIVE AN EMPLOYEE A BETTER WORK-LIFE BALANCE.

IT'S ABOUT HOW DO YOU GROW ENTERPRISE THAT GIVES CAREERED GROWTH AS WELL AS THE ULTIMATE THING SERVICING THE CUSTOMERS THAT PAY THE BILLS FOR EVERYTHING.

>> BOB, WE'VE GOT ABOUT 20 SECONDS LEFT.

A LOT OF LABOR STRIKES THAT HAPPENED IN THE LAST, YOU KNOW, YEAR OR SO.

WHAT DOES THAT SAY ABOUT THE STATUS OF THE WORKER TODAY?

>> I THINK USE THE TERM HIGH, RACE CONSCIOUSNESS.

THEY'RE LOOKING AT WHAT EXPERIENCE IN THE NO LONGER REALLY COMFORTABLE WITH THAT.

THEY DO BELIEVE THAT THEY HAVE SOME LEVERAGE STILL IN THE SEEN SOME STRIKES IN ORGANIZING, SUCCESSFUL IN WILL INCENTIVIZE AND INSPIRE THEM TO TO RESIST PROBABLY IN WAYS THAT ARE MUCH STRONGER THAN THEY HAVE IN THE PAST.

IF THEY FEEL THAT THEY'RE NOT GETTING THOSE BREAD AND ROSES IN THE WORKPLACE.

RED ROSES.

SO BRUNO, TOM GIMBEL, THANK YOU BOTH FOR JOINING US.