WorkLab
66 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 month ago - ★★★★★ - 36 ratingsAI is changing the way we work at an unprecedented speed. How can business leaders stay ahead of the curve and champion emerging technologies to benefit themselves and their teams? On WorkLab, we talk to experts about the work trends you need to know today—from how to use AI effectively to what it takes to thrive in a digital age. Join host Molly Wood as she explores the science of work and ingenuity.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Microsoft’s Vetri Vellore on how to help employees see their impact
May 18, 2022 01:00 - 14 minutes - 28.2 MBWhat motivates people to do their best work? It helps to understand how their contributions fit into their organizations’ greater goals or purpose. Vetri Vellore, a Microsoft corporate vice president, explains how objectives and key results, or OKRs, can help forge that sense of connection—especially in hybrid work. WorkLab Episode link WorkLab Microsoft 365 blog post Microsoft Viva goals
Dr. Michael Gervais on What Business Can Learn from Sports
May 04, 2022 18:12 - 24 minutes - 45.7 MBAs a high-performance psychologist, Dr. Michael Gervais has worked with NFL players and Olympic athletes, along with musicians, artists, and Fortune 100 CEOs, to help them improve their mindsets. What insights can he share with business leaders on guiding teams through moments of uncertainty? The psychologist, who spent a decade with the Seattle Seahawks, spoke to the WorkLab podcast about the secret power of cultivating mindsets to drive real impact on any team.
Microsoft's Jared Spataro on the Employee Trends Leaders Need to Know
April 20, 2022 02:00 - 26 minutes - 47.9 MBMicrosoft’s Corporate Vice President of Modern Work, Jared Spataro, unpacks the key findings from the company’s annual Work Trend Index, a survey of more than 30,000 people in 31 countries. In a nutshell: leaders need a new skill set to meet shifting employee expectations. Spataro is the fourth guest of Season 2 of the WorkLab podcast, in which host Elise Hu has conversations with economists, technologists, and researchers who explore the data and insights into why and how work is changing. ...
Harvard Business School’s Frances Frei on Building Trust
April 06, 2022 01:00 - 24 minutes - 55.8 MBFrances Frei, professor of technology and operations management at Harvard Business School and an advisor to executives embarking on large-scale change initiatives, discusses how leaders can build trust, speak authentically, and empower workers to do their best. Frei is a guest on the WorkLab podcast, in which host Elise Hu has conversations with economists, technologists, and researchers who explore the data and insights into why and how work is changing.
Arianna Huffington talks intentionality on and off the clock
March 23, 2022 02:00 - 26 minutes - 61.6 MBArianna Huffington, CEO and founder of Thrive, shares her insights with guest host Colette Stallbaumer of Microsoft on how anyone can combat stress at work with intentionality—from taking productive breaks to leveraging technology to creating good sleep hygiene. Huffington is the second guest of Season 2 of the WorkLab podcast, in which host Elise Hu has conversations with economists, technologists, and researchers who explore the data and insights into why and how work is changing. Work...
LinkedIn’s chief economist on the work trends to watch—and the need for lifelong learning
March 09, 2022 03:00 - 26 minutes - 24.6 MBLinkedIn’s chief economist, Karin Kimbrough, has the big-picture view on emerging trends, including what people want from work—and what skills employers will need in the coming years. Kimbrough is the first guest of Season 2 of the WorkLab podcast, in which host Elise Hu has conversations with economists, technologists, and researchers who explore the data and insights into why and how work is changing.
Welcome to Season 2 of WorkLab: The Podcast
February 23, 2022 02:00 - 1 minute - 4.34 MBThe world has never before had the chance to collectively reinvent the ways we work. Leaders are taking stock of how we’ve always done things, then imagining a new future. In Season 2 of the WorkLab podcast from Microsoft, we’re exploring that opportunity. What can we learn from leaders, thinkers, and researchers that will allow us and our teams to work smarter…and happier? We’re in a learning mindset—because hybrid work is truly a work in progress. WorkLab
41%: Experts Discuss the Top Workplace Trends of 2021
December 15, 2021 03:00 - 29 minutes - 43 MBHow did work change in 2021, and how will it continue to evolve next year? We know that the Great Reshuffle isn’t over: In a Microsoft survey, 41 percent of respondents said that they may leave their employer, and resignations did in fact reach record highs. WorkLab host Elise Hu is joined by correspondents Mary Melton and Desmond Dickerson present highlights from the interviews they conducted with experts and executives this season, and discuss the year’s biggest work trends. WorkLab Wo...
54%: New Strategies for Finding Balance at Work
December 01, 2021 17:49 - 27 minutes - 40.4 MBAs companies move into hybrid work and embrace more flexibility, they’ll need to experiment. They’ll have to make space for employee feedback—and truly listen, says Anne Helen Petersen, co-author of the new book Out of Office: The Big Problem and Bigger Promise of Working from Home. In this episode of the WorkLab podcast, Petersen talks to host Elise Hu about the opportunity to reinvent work in the shift to hybrid mode. How can we make work more meaningful—and promote wellbeing? WorkLab ...
188%: The Rise of the Creator Economy
November 17, 2021 03:00 - 15 minutes - 23 MBWhy should business leaders pay attention to the creator economy? The latest episode of the WorkLab podcast features Daniel Roth, editor in chief at LinkedIn, who’s been tracking the power of creators’ content on the platform. Roth explains what the creator economy is and why it’s growing; CB Insights found that creator-focused companies reaped 188 percent more funding in the first half of 2021 than in all of 2020. Eyes are on creators, and Roth says that employers should embrace and encoura...
61%: Flexibility, Autonomy, and Managing Through Hybrid
November 03, 2021 02:00 - 23 minutes - 33.6 MBThere is no one-size-fits-all solution for the hybrid era. A recent report by Microsoft found that 61% of workers identified “social interaction” as a primary benefit of coming to the office. But the same percentage said that ditching daily commutes was a top reason to work from home. In this episode of the WorkLab podcast, leadership expert Dr. David Rock explains how managers must offer flexibility and a sense of autonomy to help employees feel motivated … no matter where they prefer to wo...
81%: The Impact of Flexible Work on the Economy
October 20, 2021 02:00 - 20 minutes - 29 MBThe shift to hybrid work is already transforming the business world. What should forward-thinking leaders watch for? The latest episode of the WorkLab podcast features Nicholas Bloom, an economics professor at Stanford University who studies remote and hybrid work. Bloom addresses emerging trends like flexibility; according to a LinkedIn survey, 81 percent of leaders are changing their workplace policies to offer more of it. And Bloom offers up data-based advice for managers facing times of ...
36%: Embracing Authenticity in Hybrid Work
October 06, 2021 02:00 - 25 minutes - 35.1 MBHow can organizations be sure that everyone feels included in hybrid work? In the latest episode of WorkLab’s new podcast, consultant, and coach Ritu Bhasin talks to host Elise Hu about how leaders can foster a sense of belonging by allowing everyone to show up as their full, authentic selves. We’ll look at the business imperatives of diversity and inclusion—McKinsey research shows that big companies that are very diverse outperform those that are not by 36 percent—and share tips for inclusi...
39%: Finding Quiet in the Noise
September 22, 2021 02:00 - 22 minutes - 32.5 MBOur ability to connect anytime, anywhere, has enabled a remarkable transformation to hybrid work. It’s also driving us to distraction. As Microsoft’s 2021 Work Trend Index showed, about 39 percent of people worldwide describe themselves as exhausted. In this episode of WorkLab’s new podcast, Dr. Clare Purvis, senior director of behavioral neuroscience at Headspace, talks to host Elise Hu about meditation as a mechanism against stress—and why employees and companies alike must address mental ...
73%: The Hybrid Work Paradox
September 08, 2021 04:00 - 28 minutes - 39.9 MBCompanies are facing yet another big test: the seismic shift to hybrid work. In the debut episode of WorkLab’s new podcast, Microsoft 365 leader Jared Spataro talks to host Elise Hu about an emerging paradox. Three quarters of people worldwide—73 percent—say they want flexible remote work options to continue. But nearly the same percentage want more in-person time with colleagues, too. In short: People want it both ways. And companies have to figure out how to give it to them. WorkLab “Be...
WorkLab Trailer
August 25, 2021 23:58 - 1 minute - 1.92 MBEverything we thought we knew about work—where we do it, when we do it, how we do it—has been turned on its head. Where is it all going, and is there a map to get us there? WorkLab is a new podcast from Microsoft that taps into data and research to guide you on the road ahead. Leaders and scientists share the company’s findings, and we’ll hear stories about how people and organizations are being transformed at this radical moment. Join us as we explore the science of work and ingenuity. Th...