The problem with having a busy mind is that it contains so many ideas and thoughts that sometimes it's hard to pull out the single, clear, well-articulated thread on things you're constantly noodling on.
The biggest theme in my head right now it the impact on supporting and nurturing talent in the creative industries, in an AI/Hybrid team world.
When models move towards "lean core + expert network", how do people become experts if they're not spending time in organisations as a junior; and where does pastoral support for workers come from, if they're not longer employed?
Most employees aren't actively aware of the massive amount of hidden support infrastructure they benefit from when they're part of an organisation. Whether it's sick leave and holiday pay, whether it's training or mentoring, whether it's support from a boss or colleague, the things we learn from being in meetings, performance reviews, from managing others and working with others, even from bad bosses or toxic workplaces. From pitching to feedback, from losing working and celebrating winning together. Even things like having an IT support desk, HR partner, legal team, or just the microinteractions of nodding at the security guard in the office.
I'm not saying all of these things are essential, but all of these things do shape how we work, and how we progress in our careers. And a redesign of how work works needs to consider where these things come from.
We're facing the biggest upheaval in how work works in over a century.
Whilst I see hirers rushing to redesign for a hybrid/AI, 40/40/20 (credit: Rich Wilson) model, agentic, lean+expert, collective, associate, whatever we want to call them new shape of the workforce, I don't see as much investment into answering two critical questions:
1. Where will people learn how to work (and how will it be funded).
2. Where will people find support (and how will it be funded).
I know lots of people are asking these questions - Zoe wrote an insightful post about point 1 recently, and folk like ERIC and Freelancer Club are very much pointed towards the early years career question.
I'm working hard on designing things for point 2, creating community infrastructure for freelancers which hirers can tap into, to ensure their workforce are engaged, retained, nurtured, and that resources for mental health at work aren't just for employees.
But the parenthesis in the questions above are important too .... because who is going to invest into this? Hirers expect freelancers to show up with the skills. Why would you hire someone who can't do the job?
If, as an industry, we expect individuals just self-fund and self-facilitate the development and support of the entire workforce, we are openly admitting that we do not care about diversity. We are openly admitting that we don't care about skills. We are openly admitting that we don't care about mental health.
And I'm not okay with that.
