Rethink SPECIAL: Why different generations want different things from work

‘The Future of Trust and Work’ series (Part 1)

This week’s newsletter is the start of the Rethink Special series on The Future of Trust and Work. It’s a MASSIVE topic, and one I’ll be digging into over the coming weeks and months. This series is available to paying subscribers only – you can upgrade to a paid subscription below. I’m excited to share new insights, research, and thinking with you.

Dear Rethinkers,

A couple of weeks ago, I asked you to share your biggest concerns about the future of work. It prompted fascinating comments and questions about staff retention, hybrid working, incentives, inequality, and AI – there were a lot of concerns!

One theme stood out: how can we keep the new and next generations of workers engaged and motivated?

For me, another important question needs to follow from this: as the generational makeup of our workplaces shifts quickly and the nature of work changes, do we need to TRUST MORE, or do we need to TRUST DIFFERENTLY?

On the one hand, the work revolution currently underway is a massive trust challenge for leaders, especially those trying to guide HR and culture. On the other hand, it’s a huge opportunity to fundamentally change the way we work and what we value.

In part one of this series of Rethink Specials on ‘The Future of Trust and Work’ we’ll start to dig into the drivers behind the generational shifts that are already changing our workplaces at great speed including:

• The real reasons Gen Z want and need things to be done differently at work (spoiler alert: it’s not because of entitlement).

• The critical shift in the whole meaning of ‘work’ and ‘value’.

• The importance of understanding the roles of CHALLENGERS and INFLUENCERS in your workplace.

Please feel free to use the research and ideas to help frame your conversations, decisions, and actions about this complex but solvable trust challenge.

After the jump - the first Rethink Special report into The Future of Trust and Work. Reminder: this series is only accessible to paying subscribers.