Tuesday, October 20, 2020 5:30 p.m session

Professors William Kerr and Joseph Fuller lead a timely discussion of the future of work in the COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 era. Forces such as automation, demographics, and globalization were already changing how and where we work at a bewildering pace. Then COVID-19 happened, accelerating the speed of change and deepening the complexity of managing change. In the months ahead, companies need to prepare for three areas where decisions and actions taken due to COVID-19 will play out in significant ways. These are: the rise of the gig economy; the growing polarization between middle skills and high skills workers; and the evolution in the contract between employees and employers. Understanding the impact of these disruptions and being able to manage them successfully will have critical implications for the future survival of companies as well as the prosperity of communities.

This program was presented as part of our first-ever, two-day 2020 HBS Global Networking Night, hosted by HBS Alumni Clubs and Associations worldwide on October 20 and 21, 2020.