Join getAbstract to access the summary!

Anna Tavis and Stela Lupushor

Humans at Work

The Art and Practice of Creating the Hybrid Workplace

Kogan Page, 2022

15 min read

10 take-aways

Audio & text

What's inside?

Work, workers and workplaces are all changing in new ways, so companies must change, too.

1×

Editorial Rating

Qualities

Innovative
Eye Opening
Concrete Examples

Recommendation

A technological revolution precipitated radical change in how people work, and the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated it. The very concept of work has changed significantly, and companies must adapt if they hope to compete and succeed. Assumptions about and approaches to work that began in the 19th century and carried through the 20th are no longer tenable. Professor Anna Tavis and business founder Stela Lupushor explain how to redesign work and the workplace to meet contemporary demands. Everyone in the workplace, especially corporate leaders and human resource officials, will find their research, insights and proposals illuminating.

Summary

The model of work has evolved and changed.

“Work” used to be the same as “jobs,” but this is no longer true. Work related standards must change regarding how and what companies measure. The workforce and workplace must become more human centered. Increasingly, achieving worker satisfaction requires something beyond financial remuneration. Companies must acknowledge their employees’ worth through personalized benefits and opportunities.

The “4+3 W’s Framework” emphasizes historical context, present needs and future options related to four concepts: “Work,” the “Workforce,” the “Workplace” and “Worth” – all modern extensions of considerations that first began to matter in ancient times.

The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle taught that leisure is “intrinsically good,” but that work is only “extrinsically good.” But for work to be good, leisure is indispensable. Pandemic lockdowns destroyed the separation of leisure and work and, for people who work long hours, destroyed leisure altogether. This absence of any demarcation between work and leisure left people overwhelmed.

As management put a ...

About the Authors

Anna Tavis is a clinical professor and academic director of the Human Capital Management department at the NYU School of Professional Studies. Stela Lupushor founded Reframe.Work Inc. She and Solange Charas cowrote Humanizing Human Capital: Invest in Your People for Optimal Business Returns.

Comment on this summary

More on this topic

By the same authors

Book

Humanizing Human Capital

In our Journal

10 months ago

Journal Article

Hybrid Teams: How to Avoid Two-Class Systems

Create a fair, connected and motivating working environment.

10 months ago

Journal Article

Employee Financial Well-Being: Also a Leader’s Business

Spending time and resources on employee financial well-being is well worth the investment. Let’s face it: Earning a living is still the number one reason why most of your team members show up to work every day. Yes, people seek purpose and meaning in their jobs – but being part of a noble mission doesn’t […]

1 year ago

Journal Article

How to Analyze and Address Skills Gaps

Organizations aware of their employees’ capabilities lay the foundation for targeted development and a robust in-house talent marketplace. When it comes to dealing with skills in companies, many HR offices continue to remain deafeningly silent. The management of the current turnover is “too dramatic,” the demands for more workforce support “too demanding,” and setting up […]

3 years ago

Journal Article

How to Transition to a Hybrid Work Model

Making location-flexible work arrangements a success requires thoughtful planning and organization. It may sound like the perfect “Goldilocks” solution to post-pandemic office work: Have people come to the office on some days and let them work from home on others. Enable workers to have quiet focus time at home but not too much so they […]