The Road Ahead for the Future of Work
Featured Events Gabelli100 | Feb 10, 2020 | Claire Curry
What will “work” look like in 20 years? Will the traditional nine-to-five job even exist? How will employers recruit and retain top talent? Will humans be replaced by machines?
Questions like these are emerging as technology continues to advance, new business models take shape and global labor markets evolve. How these and other trends will affect tomorrow’s workforce is the focus of Work 2040: Future of Work in a Sustainable World Conference, co-sponsored by EY and PVH Corp., on March 5, 2020, at Fordham University’s Lincoln Center campus.
“Technology is developing at a very fast pace,” says Lerzan Aksoy, associate dean of undergraduate studies and strategic initiatives at the Gabelli School. “It is going to impact how the workforce profile changes, how we find jobs and how we craft jobs that are more aligned with what fulfills us and what makes us happy.”
The goals of the conference, she adds, are to look at how businesses, educators and policymakers can prepare for the future, and to inspire action. “The world is changing and there are new challenges,” she says. “We wanted to bring together practitioners and various stakeholders who will be impacted and who will also shape the future.”
Where Humanity Intersects Technology
One such expert is Nicholas Thompson, editor in chief of WIRED, who will participate on the panel The Future of Human Beings: Aligning Technology with Humanity. Other speakers who will share their insights on the panel are people-analytics expert Sheri Feinzig, a partner with IBM’s Global Business Services Talent & Transformation practice, and Paul Roehrig, global head of strategy at Cognizant Digital Business.
Nicholas Thompson, WIRED editor in chief
“In Ted-style talks, they will weave through ethical and moral issues that surround advancing technology, such as the fear of technology replacing humans, as well as the benefits of how technology can help us work more efficiently and effectively and move society forward,” Aksoy says.
The conference agenda includes other topics, including technology and artificial intelligence and global trends in work. In the latter session, Haig R. Nalbantian, senior partner at Mercer and founder of Mercer’s Workforce Sciences Institute, will discuss human capital management, incentive, and compensation design, measurement and performance and organizational performance.
Hunter Lovins, president of Natural Capitalism Solutions, named Time Magazine Millennium “Hero for the Planet,” will share her perspectives on sustainable business management. She is the author of 16 books, including “A Finer Future: Creating an Economy in Service to Life.”
A Year Looking at our Next 100
The conference is part of the Gabelli School of Business’ Centennial Celebration, spanning speaker events, global gatherings, regional receptions and special student and faculty engagement initiatives.
Emanuel “Manny” Chirico, PVH chairman and CEO
PVH Corp., which recently announced a sustainability partnership with the Gabelli School is the global fashion company owns several popular brands like Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger. It is recognized for its deep commitment to corporate responsibility and a sustainable future. Emanuel “Manny” Chirico, chairman and chief executive officer, GABELLI ’79, will share that vision in his keynote address.
Co-sponsor EY, Aksoy says, is equally passionate about corporate responsibility and pressing sustainability issues. The EY Ripples program leverages the organization’s global network to catalyze change and build a better working world. A number of initiatives support the next generation workforce, impact entrepreneurs, and environmental sustainability. The program’s goal is to positively impact 250 million lives by 2025, and 1 billion lives by 2030.
“We aim to start ripples that will join with others, ultimately creating huge waves of change over the next decade,” stated Gillian Hinde, EY global corporate responsibility leader in a recent article published on the firm’s website.
Dan Black, EY’s head of global recruiting, will share more about the organization’s commitment to building a better world as well as insights on what companies need to do to prepare for work in 2040 in a fireside chat session.
Dan Black, EY head of global recruiting
The event will run from 9:30 a.m. through 5 p.m. and conclude with a look at how business schools are preparing for work in 2040. Josep Franch, dean of ESADE Business School, William Boulding, dean of Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, and Dean Donna Rapaccioli of the Gabelli School, will share the stage for this conversation. The session will be moderated by Ellen Glazerman, executive director of the Ernst & Young Foundation and EY Americas director of university relations.
Aksoy says that business professionals, faculty scholars, and students will benefit from hearing the latest thinking about what the future of work in a sustainable world will look like.
“In our centennial year, we’ve been looking back at what we’ve accomplished and looking forward to where we want to be,” Aksoy said. “This conference is an opportunity to inspire action so we can work together to shape the future.”
To learn more about the agenda, speakers, or register for the event, click here.
