Preparing For The Future Of Work: Dr. Eeva Raita of Futurice On The Top Five Trends To Watch In The Future Of Work

An Interview with Phil La Duke

As a social psychologist, nothing makes me happier than seeing more and more leaders having the courage to talk about emotions and feelings also in the work context. I believe that this is a way forward towards more psychologically safe workplaces where everyone is welcome as they are.

There have been major disruptions in recent years that promise to change the very nature of work. From the ongoing shifts caused by the COVID19 pandemic, the impacts caused by automation, and other possible disruptions to the status quo, many wonder what the future holds in terms of employment. For example, a report by the McKinsey Global Institute that estimated automation will eliminate 73 million jobs by 2030.

To address this open question, we reached out to successful leaders in business, government, and labor, as well as thought leaders about the future of work to glean their insights and predictions on the future of work and the workplace.

As a part of this interview series called “Preparing For The Future Of Work”, we had the pleasure to interview Dr. Eeva Raita, Head of Strategy & Culture at Futurice.

Eeva Raita is Head of Strategy & Culture at Futurice, a partner to global corporations and public sector service providers based in Europe that combines tech, business, and organizational know-how in a fast-changing and competitive world. The company employs over 600 people with offices in Finland, Germany, Sweden, and the UK. Eeva leads a team responsible for helping both client organizations and Futurice itself find success in the digital era by creating better work cultures, innovating for growth, and leading change. She holds a Ph.D. in social psychology and combines her expertise in people and tech to help companies to foster learning and become more human-centric and data-enabled.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers like to get an idea of who you are and where you came from. Can you tell us a bit about your background? Where do you come from? What are the life experiences that most shaped your current self?

Thanks for having me! I’m a social psychologist supporting leaders in shaping their company strategy and culture to improve employee and customer experience. Before my current role as a Head of Strategy & Culture, I pursued an academic career focusing on the intersection of technology and humans and did my doctorate on the social side of user experiences.

When I was fifteen, I was selected as Finland’s representative to join a 6-week leadership camp in New York state together with 60 other bright minds from all over the world. Before and after the camp, we were hosted by camp alumni in New York and Washington, and their hospitality made a lasting impression on me. Since then, I’ve had a passion for leadership development and felt that it’s my responsibility to make the world a better place and give back all the good that comes my way.

What do you expect to be the major disruptions for employers in the next 10–15 years? How should employers pivot to adapt to these disruptions?

I foresee three key disruptions. First of all, all businesses will need to become sustainable in the coming years. So there is no room for innovation that doesn’t aim to make the company’s business more sustainable in every aspect. This is linked to a growing need to clarify the purpose of any business as newer generations are no longer motivated just by the payslip but want to also make a difference in the world.

Second, the data revolution is here to stay and it is likely to shape our businesses not just in the form of automation, and new business models, but also in hopefully improving our ability to make more informed decisions based on data. All companies will need to work on their culture to improve their ability to innovate a more sustainable future and incorporate data into their everyday workflows from strategy to execution.

Last, I foresee a growing importance of finding ways to build outstanding employee experience in a business environment where fewer and fewer people work as full-time employees, and rather we have gig workers, freelancers, and entrepreneurs all working in new kinds of ecosystems driven by shared passions and complementary capabilities.

The choice as to whether or not a young person should pursue a college degree was once a “no-brainer”. But with the existence of many high profile millionaires (and billionaires) who did not earn degrees, as well as the fact that many graduates are saddled with crushing student loan debt and unable to find jobs it has become a much more complex question. What advice would you give to young adults considering whether or not to go to college?

I’m a strong believer of life-long learning and the importance of education. Giving general advice easily turns into truisms, but if anything, it’s evident that there needs to be an even better dialog between universities, organizations, and young people in how we develop our educational systems. How can we design such degrees that meet the needs of the current work-life and future generations? When I started college, I had been doing soul searching for a few years, working in various positions. In the end, it was clear that I wanted to pursue studies in social psychology even if my future position wasn’t crystal clear. I believe that moving forward, we should increasingly cater to the need to learn at different points of life, instead of putting the emphasis on first earning a degree and then pursuing a career.

Despite the doom and gloom predictions, there are, and likely still will be, jobs available. How do you see job seekers having to change their approaches to finding not only employment but employment that fits their talents and interests?

Just like business and operational models are changing with the introduction of new technologies, the job market is also in flux. We are likely moving more towards a platform-like job seeking, where both organizations and job seekers need to look for new ways to promote their ‘offering.’ On the one hand, organizations need to put an extra effort into crystallizing their purpose and culture to ensure an outstanding employee experience; on the other hand, employees should be visible and show off their capabilities as we move away from traditional CVs towards social media profiles. In my own role, I see job seekers being very active in following potential firms and seeking companies that match their values both in terms of the business they are in as well as their leadership and ways of working. It’s always a pleasure to discuss with applicants that have done their homework and can easily articulate what they have to offer.

The statistics of artificial intelligence and automation eliminating millions of jobs appears frightening to some. For example, Walmart aims to eliminate cashiers altogether and Dominos is instituting pizza delivery via driverless vehicles. How should people plan their careers such that they can hedge their bets against being replaced by automation or robots?

Automation will replace repetitive jobs where machines easily outperform humans, but simultaneously jobs that can’t be automated will grow in their importance. These jobs are those where empathy and creativity play a central role. In addition, we will see the rise of many new jobs that still wait to be invented and are likely to involve new kinds of human-technology interaction. To be best prepared is to build your own capability to learn and unlearn — that will never go out of fashion.

Technological advances and pandemic restrictions hastened the move to working from home. Do you see this trend continuing? Why or why not?

Hybrid work is here to stay, but it will be very different depending on the type of work: the change has been dramatic for knowledge work mainly. Based on the discussions with client organizations, most employees seem to opt for a model where they work at least part of the week from home. The central question now is: who gets to decide, and based on what ground, how we work in the future? Obviously, employees need to be heard, but how might we best ensure this is not only a ‘me now’-decision, but rather reflects the broader interests of the company, clients & co-workers now and also in the future.

For example, while many people might now prefer working from home, is it really good for their mental health in the long term? As a social psychologist, I can’t help worrying about what long periods of not meeting people face to face does to our social identities, and sense of belonging — regardless of the technologies available for socializing. I hope most companies will accept that there isn’t a ready answer for what will work best in the future, and rather than trying to plan it, we should experiment with sound metrics and simultaneously develop tools and practices that best support these new ways of working.

What societal changes do you foresee as necessary to support the fundamental changes to work?

The most challenging part about hybrid work, besides the basic need for connection and relatedness, is that we know that it has a negative effect on inclusion and social capital — during the pandemic random collisions lessened and instead people communicated even more with those they had strong bonds with. If we don’t see a huge shift in diversity, equity, and inclusion as a whole, the negative effects of bubbles and silos will only strengthen in the future. This will be problematic because it threatens the ability of organizations to benefit from their full potential and to renew themselves.

What changes do you think will be the most difficult for employers to accept? What changes do you think will be the most difficult for employees to accept?

Together with hybrid work, we are seeing a growing trend towards less hierarchical and more autonomous organizations. Based on the discussions I’ve been having with leaders, the most challenging part is likely to be giving up control, trusting that teams are doing the right thing even when they are not working ‘under your eyes’. On the other hand, the demand for the employees is that they learn that autonomy always comes with accountability. When one is used to instructions from managers that not only explain what needs to be done but also how it should be done, it takes a lot of learning to become self-directed and manage yourself from time usage to smart prioritization and focus.

The COVID-19 pandemic helped highlight the inadequate social safety net that many workers at all pay levels have. Is this something that you think should be addressed? In your opinion how should this be addressed?

Definitely! This pandemic, as with all negative events, treated us very unequally: those of us who are privileged enjoyed this secure position also during COVID-19 while those less privileged had a harder time. In Finland, this situation was a bit better than in many other countries because we have one of the world’s most comprehensive welfare systems. It’s not realistic to suggest that a similar system would be set up in the rest of the world, but times like these do show how important it is to have safety nets. And also in Finland the pandemic treated people unequally — our healthcare workers have been under heightened stress for a long period of time without the compensation they would deserve, and people in creative industries such as music and theatre were left in darkness.

Despite all that we have said earlier, what is your greatest source of optimism about the future of work?

While the challenges ahead sometimes feel almost insurmountable, I feel especially pleased with three recent trends that have finally become mainstream.

First, companies increasingly understand the importance of sustainability, not just as something add-on but rather as the central backbone for any business moving forward.

Second, DEI is finally receiving the attention it deserves. While most companies still have a long way to go to be truly inclusive, at least we are moving towards more diverse, accepting, and inclusive workplaces.

Last but not least, as a social psychologist, nothing makes me happier than seeing more and more leaders having the courage to talk about emotions and feelings also in the work context. I believe that this is a way forward towards more psychologically safe workplaces where everyone is welcome as they are.

Historically, major disruptions to the status quo in employment, particularly disruptions that result in fewer jobs, are temporary with new jobs replacing the jobs lost. Unfortunately, there has often been a gap between the job losses and the growth of new jobs. What do you think we can do to reduce the length of this gap?

This is such a challenging topic and addressing it will need action on many fronts. In short, we will need both systematic renewal as well as concrete experiments that help us start learning even when we don’t know how everything works. Finding ways to better support entrepreneurship can be one way to help people get back on their feet before bigger corporations are able to offer them opportunities — but doing even this is a complex issue that needs thinking and experimenting before the best model is found. Overall, I would invite more collaboration and an open dialog between universities, the public sector, and private companies, on how they can together shape the future of work and education. To be able to do things we need to find ways to facilitate this collaboration and also ensure we quickly turn it into concrete action with a big vision but small concrete steps.

Okay, wonderful. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “Top 5 Trends To Watch In the Future of Work?” (Please share a story or example for each.)

1) DATA REVOLUTION: FROM COMMAND & CONTROL TO ENABLING PEOPLE WITH DATA

Firms are currently exploring how to use data and AI to unleash growth via improving efficiencies, creating new business offerings, and boosting sustainability. Typically these discussions center around efficiency gains and optimization (anything from smart logistics to automation) or data-enabled business innovation (such as ai assets, data platforms, and boosting existing products with smart features). However, the most intriguing part of the data revolution is that forward-looking companies are learning to use data for supporting and enabling their people to make better decisions, learn faster, and focus their time on the most meaningful tasks. This will be especially important in knowledge work where a lot of waste is created searching for the relevant information. Here companies need to go beyond traditional resource management and use data not for control, but for enabling people by offering them sound insight created by searching, clustering, and visualizing relevant information.

As a concrete example, we developed ‘Bubble Burster’ that helps our employees find relevant information and connect inside our organization based on the digital footprint. Essentially this solution helps people to find who knows what based on a simple algorithm and data visualizations that show who has the biggest digital footprint for a given topic and also makes it easy to connect with this person. This way, we are using data to truly enable our people to succeed by simultaneously strengthening their social network and supporting the sharing of learnings instead of continuously reinventing the wheel due to a lack of visibility to what others are doing in the organization.

3) EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE: EX BECOMES THE NEW CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

As automation replaces many repetitive jobs and there is a scarcity of talent for new, more complex jobs, companies need to find ways to attract and retain the best talent. Forerunner companies will use everything they have learned about creating outstanding customer experiences into developing their employee experience with a similar passion: putting the people at the center of the design of work, and always making decisions not just based on their influence on the customer but also for the employees.

This task can’t be left to HR alone because the relevant touchpoints influencing employee engagement include everything that happens at work from recruitment and onboarding to everyday workflow. This is dependent on how people are organized, led, and enabled daily with inspiring tasks, opportunities for learning, supporting technologies, leaders who create psychologically safe environments, and a motivating company purpose.

To get started, companies will need to start measuring employee experience frequently and base their actions and interventions on insights from data. Currently, many companies measure employee engagement only 1–2 times per year, which means there is very little that can be done based on those findings. Instead, companies would need to both conceptualize and understand better the key elements of their targeted employee experience with all the influencing touchpoints and then measure these frequently so that especially leaders can take action based on these insights. Just looking at the new companies focusing on just this and seeing for example Workday acquire Peakon for approximately $700 million showcases what a big business employee engagement measurement is likely to become.

2) GREEN BUSINESS: ONLY SUSTAINABLE WORK CREATES COMMITMENT

Governmental regulations, together with consumer demands and the rise of the circular economy, are all driving the shift towards greener and more sustainable business models. In the future, there will be very little room for business innovation that isn’t aimed at seeking greater environmental and societal impact. Instead of having separate sustainability programs and efforts, the business itself will need to become more sustainable to combat biodiversity loss, climate change, overconsumption, and population growth.

What this means for the future of work is that more and more of us will be working on topics related to sustainability, and there will be a growing need for specialists in this area. I believe that for many this will also help to make their work more meaningful as especially the younger generations are looking for more than just the pay slip, and want to do work that has a positive impact on the environment. This change can already be seen not only in how the growing number of startups are somehow related to the circular economy and sustainability, but also in how companies’ strategies have changed. Our own semantic analysis has shown, for example, that ‘sustainability’ as a word has, during the past years, become a new buzzword in corporate strategy presentations. My hope is that more than a buzzword it will become a business reality.

4) DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION: NOT JUST A COMPETITIVE EDGE, BUT ESSENTIALITY

Simultaneously as new technologies enable us to reach new heights and collaborate globally, we are finally realizing the importance of creating inclusive workplaces where everyone feels welcome and accepted. The importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in itself is nothing new, but now we are finally seeing the rubber hit the road as more and more of also the traditional corporations are for example establishing new policies to increase the number of women in top leadership positions, developing fairer salary systems, educating employees on DEI matters, and enabling people to choose the pronouns they wish to be called by.

This trend is accompanied by the growing attention to psychological safety and acknowledgment of emotions at work: finally, leaders are rewarded for emotional and social intelligence. There is still a long way to go, and many struggles with even moving to gender-neutral wording, but the direction is towards a work-life where everyone can be who they are and be treated equally.

5) PLATFORMS: WORKPLACE TRANSFORMS INTO A PLATFORM FOR VALUE EXCHANGE

The most complex, interesting, and probably far-reaching trend influencing the future of work is the current move towards platform business models together with the expansion of business ecosystems where organizations co-create and build businesses together across traditional organizational boundaries. This transformation together with the new modes of work, from digital nomads to gig economy, is slowly turning companies into platforms for value exchange. We are saying goodbye to 9 to 5 jobs and lifelong careers for one company, and instead more and more of us will navigate these business ecosystems with new rules and less commitment to just one company.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how this quote has shaped your perspective?

When I was at the international leadership camp as a teenager, we printed camp t-shirts with the slogan ‘Carpe Diem’ with all our autographs on them. As we were moving a few months ago, I found that shirt and couldn’t help feeling a bit nostalgic. With the shirt in my hands, reminiscing all those memories, I realized that regardless of how cliche or naive it might be, the idea of seizing the day has been with me ever since. In fact, it describes my approach to life in general: stay curious, say ‘yes and..’ to new opportunities and never stop learning.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.

I’m a big fan of Brene Brown and love the work she has done to encourage leaders — and everyone really — to join the arena, show emotion, and own their stories. I would love to meet her in person!

Our readers often like to follow our interview subjects’ careers. How can they further follow your work online?

Tweets @EevaRaita, Linkedin, and our company blog are the best places to find me online.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this. We wish you continued success and good health.