In this HCI Webinar Dr. Jonathan H. Westover talks with Laura Maffucci about G-P's 2025 World at Work Report and the outlook for 2026. Laura Maffucci is G-P’s Head of HR, overseeing the global workforce, talent, and employee experience with a people-first mindset. She values diversity of thought as essential for a healthy workspace. In her 20+ year career in HR, Maffucci has spoken on global and national platforms about compensation, employee well-being and mental health. She’s a staunch advocate for the employee experience and creating a culture of inclusivity. Maffucci is passionate about the future of work, normalizing the value of work everywhere, and enabling employees globally to be their best selves and add value wherever they go and whatever they do.

The video presents a nuanced analysis of the future of work in the face of advancing artificial intelligence (AI) and automation. It challenges the widespread narrative that machines will soon render human labor obsolete, leading to a workless society. Instead, it emphasizes the importance of understanding the transformation at the task level rather than the job level, highlighting that AI primarily replaces specific routine, data-intensive, and repetitive tasks, not entire occupations. The labor market is expected to polarize, with middle-skill, middle-wage jobs being hollowed out, while two distinct workforce segments emerge: AI-augmented superworkers who leverage AI as a collaborator to enhance productivity and human essential service providers whose roles depend on empathy, trust, and physical interaction, which AI cannot replicate. Highlights 🤖 AI replaces tasks, not entire jobs, reshaping labor by automating routine, rule-based tasks. 🧠 The workforce is polarizing into AI-augmented superworkers and human essential service providers. 💼 AI-augmented workers use AI as a collaborator to enhance high-value, creative, and strategic work. ❤️ Human essential roles requiring empathy, trust, and physical interaction remain irreplaceable by AI. 📚 Massive investment in reskilling and continuous learning is crucial to navigate labor market shifts. 🤝 Worker inclusion in AI system design fosters trust and improves adoption outcomes. 🌍 The future of work must address not only economic needs but also identity, purpose, and mental health. Key Insights 🤖 Task-Level Automation as the Core of AI’s Impact: Unlike previous technological waves that primarily automated physical labor, AI targets cognitive, repetitive, data-heavy tasks. This distinction is crucial because it means many jobs will not vanish but will change in composition, requiring a granular understanding of work at the task rather than job level. This insight informs more effective workforce planning and policy-making by identifying which tasks are vulnerable and which require human skills. 📉 Hollowing Out the Middle of the Labor Market: AI automates tasks concentrated in mid-skilled, mid-wage jobs, such as invoice processing and basic legal discovery. This creates a “hollowing out” effect, where middle-skill jobs decline, increasing polarization between high-skill, high-pay AI-augmented roles and low-skill, low-pay roles reliant on uniquely human capabilities. This polarization poses challenges for economic inequality and social mobility, making targeted interventions essential. 🦸‍♂️ Emergence of AI-Augmented Superworkers: Professionals who integrate AI tools into their workflows become more productive and valuable by offloading routine tasks to AI. This augmentation enables them to focus on strategic thinking, creative synthesis, and nuanced decision-making, increasing their economic value and job satisfaction. This suggests that future workforce success depends on human-machine collaboration skills, not just human skills alone. ❤️ Irreplaceability of Human Essential Service Providers: Roles requiring empathy, trust, physical care, and social interaction—such as nurses, therapists, and skilled tradespeople—cannot be authentically replicated by AI. These jobs emphasize the uniquely human aspects of work, which will remain critical even as AI advances. This insight challenges narratives that view AI as a universal replacement and underscores the need to value and support these human-centered professions. 🎯 Strategic Business Choices: Augmentation over Replacement: Companies must deliberately redesign workflows to pair human judgment and creativity with AI’s ability to handle repetitive, data-intensive tasks. This requires leadership commitment to human-AI teams, not just cost-cutting through automation. Such strategies maximize productivity and worker satisfaction while minimizing social disruption, setting a model for responsible AI integration. 📚 Essential Role of Reskilling and Continuous Learning: The rapid evolution of AI-driven work demands sustained investment in training programs that are accessible, practical, and linked to emerging roles. Providing workers with credentials, paid learning time, and life support is critical to facilitate mid-career transitions, preventing widespread displacement and fostering adaptability in the workforce. This insight highlights education as a cornerstone of equitable technological progress. If you found this helpful, please like and share to spread the conversation. #AI #Automation #FutureOfWork #Reskilling #WorkforceInnovation OUTLINE: 00:00:00 - The End of Work? — A Familiar Fear in an Unfamiliar Age 00:01:41 - Deconstructing Automation’s Real Impact 00:02:48 - The Three Emerging Workforces of the AI Era 00:04:20 - How Companies and Governments Must Respond 00:06:04 - Beyond Stipends to Shared Prosperity

In this podcast episode, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover talks with Laura Maffucci about G-P's 2025 World at Work Report and the outlook for 2026. Laura Maffucci is G-P’s Head of HR, overseeing the global workforce, talent, and employee experience with a people-first mindset. She values diversity of thought as essential for a healthy workspace. In her 20+ year career in HR, Maffucci has spoken on global and national platforms about compensation, employee well-being and mental health. She’s a staunch advocate for the employee experience and creating a culture of inclusivity. Maffucci is passionate about the future of work, normalizing the value of work everywhere, and enabling employees globally to be their best selves and add value wherever they go and whatever they do. Check out all of the podcasts in the HCI Podcast Network (https://www.podbean.com/podcast-network/HCI) !

Predictions of a fully automated, workless society within two decades have captured public imagination and policy attention. This article examines the empirical evidence and theoretical frameworks surrounding large-scale technological displacement, arguing that rather than eliminating work entirely, AI and automation are more likely to hollow out middle-skill occupations while preserving demand for high-touch human services and augmented knowledge work. Drawing on labor economics, organizational psychology, and technology adoption research, we identify three emerging workforce segments: AI-augmented super-workers, human-essential service providers, and a potentially marginalized middle tier facing structural displacement. The article evaluates organizational responses including skills development programs, hybrid human-AI work design, and social safety net innovations. We conclude that preventing a bifurcated "stipend society" requires proactive intervention in education systems, labor market institutions, and the psychological contract between workers, employers, and the state. The central challenge is not whether society can afford economic security for displaced workers, but whether existing political and cultural frameworks can accommodate such a transformation while preserving human agency and meaning.

In this HCI Webinar, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover talks with performance management, workplace dynamics, and employer liabilities. Mark F. Kluger practices exclusively in the area of labor and employment law on behalf of employers. For ten years, before founding Kluger Healey, LLC, he was Chairman of the Labor and Employment Department of one of New Jersey’s oldest law firms. Mark is a frequent speaker and writer on sexual harassment and discrimination avoidance, workplace diversity, performance management, union avoidance, and a myriad of other employment-related subjects and regularly conducts training sessions for employers on these critical topics. In addition, Mark has extensive experience in counseling employers on issues involving discipline and discharge, reductions in force, mergers and acquisitions, compliance with wage and hour, disability, COBRA, and family and medical leave laws. He regularly drafts all forms of employment policies and handbooks, severance agreements, employment contracts, non-competition and confidentiality agreements, and affirmative action plans. Mark also represents employers in collective bargaining, grievance arbitration, NLRB proceedings, and picket line issues. Mark graduated from Vassar College in 1984 and Cornell University Law School in 1987. He was an Adjunct Professor at Seton Hall Law School from 1991-1996 and served as a member and President of the Board of Education in North Caldwell, New Jersey from 2002-2008.

A growing movement called career minimalism is reshaping how young professionals approach work and success. Rejecting the traditional model of relentless ambition and constant availability, career minimalists prioritize sustainability, balance, and well-being over sheer volume of achievement. This philosophy emphasizes doing the right work with focused dedication within defined boundaries, deliberately separating professional responsibilities from personal life to prevent burnout. Far from laziness or lack of ambition, career minimalism is about working smarter, not harder, redirecting ambition toward a fulfilling, balanced life that includes mental health, family, hobbies, and community. Highlights 🌱 Career minimalism is a deliberate shift toward sustainable, balanced work rather than relentless ambition. ⏰ Career minimalists set clear boundaries to separate work from personal life, preventing burnout. 🔥 The movement is driven by burnout, job instability, technology intrusion, and changing values. 🛡️ Prioritizing job security over status is a key principle of career minimalism. 🚫 Saying no to non-essential tasks protects personal time and improves focus. 🎯 Strategic focus on high-impact work maximizes effectiveness and energy use. 🤝 Employers benefit from loyal, healthy, and productive employees when respecting boundaries. Key Insights 🌟 Redefining Ambition as Sustainable Success: Career minimalism challenges the conventional definition of ambition by shifting the focus from climbing ladders and accumulating titles to achieving a sustainable, balanced lifestyle. This redefinition acknowledges that success is multifaceted and includes mental health and personal well-being, not just professional accolades. It reflects a cultural evolution in how younger generations value their time and energy. 🔥 Burnout as a Catalyst for Change: The prevalence of burnout—manifesting as chronic stress, exhaustion, and a sense of emptiness—has become a critical trigger for career minimalism. This insight highlights how unsustainable work cultures damage not only individual health but also overall productivity and happiness. Career minimalism serves as a proactive response designed to prevent burnout rather than treat its consequences. 🌍 Instability in the Modern Job Market: The traditional linear career path is increasingly obsolete due to rapid technological changes and economic uncertainty. Career minimalists respond by valuing stable, dependable jobs that provide security, recognizing that career longevity depends on resilience and adaptability rather than rapid advancement or prestige. This approach mitigates risk in an unpredictable work environment. 📵 Technology’s Role in Blurring Boundaries: Constant connectivity, such as after-hours emails and messages, erodes personal time and contributes to stress. Career minimalists actively push back against these intrusions by setting firm boundaries, enforcing “no work” zones outside designated hours. This protects mental space, allowing for recuperation and better performance during work periods. 🧠 Intentionality in Task Selection: Instead of spreading themselves thin trying to do everything, career minimalists strategically focus on tasks that deliver the greatest value and impact. This selective approach optimizes energy expenditure and prevents wasted effort on low-priority tasks, supporting both individual effectiveness and employer goals. 🛠️ Skill Diversification as Risk Management: By cultivating a portfolio of skills—through online learning, side projects, or trades—career minimalists build professional resilience. This diversification reduces dependence on any single job or employer and prepares individuals for unexpected career shifts, enhancing long-term employability and personal growth. 🤝 Mutual Benefits for Employees and Employers: When companies respect boundaries and support career minimalism principles, they cultivate loyal, engaged employees who are less prone to burnout. This results in higher retention rates, lower hiring and training costs, and consistent, high-quality output. Sustainable work practices thus create a win-win scenario, proving that caring for workers’ well-being aligns with business success. If this helped, please like and share the video. #CareerMinimalism #WorkLifeBalance #GenZ #Millennials #Burnout #HRStrategies OUTLINE: 00:00:00 - Redefining Career Success 00:00:45 - Boundaries And Myths 00:01:43 - Why Less Is Becoming More 00:02:45 - Principles And Practices 00:03:37 - Focus And Payoffs

In this podcast episode, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover talks with performance management, workplace dynamics, and employer liabilities. Mark F. Kluger practices exclusively in the area of labor and employment law on behalf of employers. For ten years, before founding Kluger Healey, LLC, he was Chairman of the Labor and Employment Department of one of New Jersey’s oldest law firms. Mark is a frequent speaker and writer on sexual harassment and discrimination avoidance, workplace diversity, performance management, union avoidance, and a myriad of other employment-related subjects and regularly conducts training sessions for employers on these critical topics. In addition, Mark has extensive experience in counseling employers on issues involving discipline and discharge, reductions in force, mergers and acquisitions, compliance with wage and hour, disability, COBRA, and family and medical leave laws. He regularly drafts all forms of employment policies and handbooks, severance agreements, employment contracts, non-competition and confidentiality agreements, and affirmative action plans. Mark also represents employers in collective bargaining, grievance arbitration, NLRB proceedings, and picket line issues. Mark graduated from Vassar College in 1984 and Cornell University Law School in 1987. He was an Adjunct Professor at Seton Hall Law School from 1991-1996 and served as a member and President of the Board of Education in North Caldwell, New Jersey from 2002-2008. Check out all of the podcasts in the HCI Podcast Network (https://www.podbean.com/podcast-network/HCI) !

Abstract: See minimalism represents a fundamental shift in how professionals—particularly Generation Z and millennials—conceptualize work's role in their lives. Rather than pursuing traditional upward mobility at all costs, career minimalists prioritize stability, boundaries, and fulfillment through secure employment, clear work-life separation, and diversified skill development. This article examines the emergence of career minimalism as a response to chronic workplace burnout, economic volatility, and evolving generational values. Drawing on organizational psychology, human resource management, and labor economics literature, we analyze the individual and organizational consequences of this philosophy and identify evidence-based practices for supporting sustainable career approaches. We argue that career minimalism is not withdrawal from work but strategic energy allocation—a recalibration of the psychological contract between employees and employers that prioritizes long-term resilience over short-term advancement. Organizations that understand and accommodate this shift stand to benefit from improved retention, reduced burnout, and access to diverse talent seeking meaningful but bounded employment relationships.