1 00:00:05,670 --> 00:00:09,680 Welcome back for episode 179 of our podcast series. 2 00:00:10,590 --> 00:00:12,720 This is your host Neha Lagoo Ratnakar, 3 00:00:13,260 --> 00:00:15,280 and you're once again listening to Count Me In, 4 00:00:16,079 --> 00:00:20,400 IMA's podcast about all things affecting the accounting and finance world. 5 00:00:20,400 --> 00:00:24,100 Today, you're going to hear from Sammy Courtwright, 6 00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:25,980 the co-founder of Ten Spot. 7 00:00:25,980 --> 00:00:29,520 Ten Spot is a workforce engagement platform helping 8 00:00:30,361 --> 00:00:32,800 companies enhance their work from home capabilities. 9 00:00:33,840 --> 00:00:38,030 Sammy joins us to talk about how technology has impacted today's work 10 00:00:38,031 --> 00:00:38,860 environment, 11 00:00:38,860 --> 00:00:43,140 what it means for our work life balance and what the future of the workforce 12 00:00:43,141 --> 00:00:45,060 looks like based on current trends. 13 00:00:46,080 --> 00:00:48,810 Keep listening as we head over to the conversation now. 14 00:00:56,030 --> 00:00:58,050 So right before we started recording here, 15 00:00:58,051 --> 00:01:01,370 we were talking a little bit about how things have changed over the last couple 16 00:01:01,371 --> 00:01:03,760 years, and to kick off our conversation. 17 00:01:03,900 --> 00:01:08,560 I'd like to first ask how has technology impacted work being 18 00:01:08,630 --> 00:01:09,760 done at work? 19 00:01:10,870 --> 00:01:11,959 Yeah, Mitch, I mean, 20 00:01:13,030 --> 00:01:16,280 what a change we were faced two years ago, right? 21 00:01:16,330 --> 00:01:21,080 Where suddenly we were thrown into remote or distributed work and 22 00:01:21,170 --> 00:01:21,850 technology, 23 00:01:21,850 --> 00:01:26,830 thank goodness was able to make that transition moderately seamless. Right? 24 00:01:26,850 --> 00:01:29,830 Of course there was always that idea of having to figure out which technology 25 00:01:29,840 --> 00:01:32,910 we're going to use. Does it work? Does everyone know how to use it? 26 00:01:33,290 --> 00:01:35,630 Is it effective? Now we have to buy more licenses, 27 00:01:35,930 --> 00:01:40,709 but it's definitely made this working from home or hybrid work 28 00:01:40,819 --> 00:01:44,700 significantly more streamlined collaborative, 29 00:01:45,280 --> 00:01:49,100 but it's also made it really constant, right? I feel like you're always on, 30 00:01:49,760 --> 00:01:53,260 which is a good thing and a bad thing for some people. 31 00:01:53,460 --> 00:01:54,820 I think at the beginning of the pandemic, 32 00:01:54,970 --> 00:01:59,420 when things were a little bit slower Netflix and all of those other subscription 33 00:01:59,421 --> 00:02:01,660 services, weren't pumping out the content as quickly. 34 00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:03,660 You might just check another email. 35 00:02:03,660 --> 00:02:07,450 You might respond or start working on a project. And while that was great, 36 00:02:07,610 --> 00:02:09,570 I think now we've realized that we went too far, 37 00:02:09,571 --> 00:02:13,090 perhaps in one direction of always being on. 38 00:02:13,270 --> 00:02:17,810 And I think now people are being a little bit more clear or understanding of 39 00:02:18,610 --> 00:02:22,770 creating better boundaries with technology. So when am I on, 40 00:02:23,030 --> 00:02:27,480 how do I set myself up for success? Am I balancing that a little bit more? 41 00:02:27,940 --> 00:02:32,440 So technology definitely impacted the work that we're able to do from anywhere, 42 00:02:32,500 --> 00:02:36,880 not necessarily from your home. But it comes with some pros and cons. 43 00:02:38,510 --> 00:02:42,500 Absolutely. And I think anybody listening can relate. So, you know, 44 00:02:42,741 --> 00:02:46,570 you mentioned balance here and I want to get into that work life balance because 45 00:02:46,571 --> 00:02:51,490 it is so easy to work remotely and through the different tablets and laptops and 46 00:02:51,491 --> 00:02:53,330 phones and everything, that's at our fingertips. 47 00:02:53,331 --> 00:02:57,410 So what are some of the things that people can do to really just shut off 48 00:02:58,080 --> 00:03:02,040 both, you know, work and technology so that we can really, you know, 49 00:03:02,790 --> 00:03:04,960 make strides towards this work life balance? 50 00:03:06,660 --> 00:03:07,290 Sure. 51 00:03:07,290 --> 00:03:12,070 So I have found that I'm paying far more attention to my screen time. 52 00:03:12,169 --> 00:03:14,710 At least Apple has this function. I'm uncertain about other models, 53 00:03:15,200 --> 00:03:18,190 where it tells you how much time you're spending on your screen. Similarly, 54 00:03:18,190 --> 00:03:22,780 apps like Google have taken a further 55 00:03:22,889 --> 00:03:26,500 kind of dive into the calendar settings and has allowed you to take a look at 56 00:03:26,501 --> 00:03:29,900 your calendar and understand when there is focus time when there is shutoff 57 00:03:29,901 --> 00:03:32,180 time, when there is even on my phone, 58 00:03:32,250 --> 00:03:36,940 I've set up sleep time where it knows that I'm gonna be winding down to go to 59 00:03:36,941 --> 00:03:40,530 sleep at a certain hour. So it starts going into, to kind of shut off mode. 60 00:03:40,570 --> 00:03:43,610 I don't really access social media at that time, or it lets me know that, Hey, 61 00:03:43,611 --> 00:03:46,850 you're in sleep mode. You might not wanna be checking, you know, 62 00:03:46,851 --> 00:03:51,490 Instagram right before you go to bed. It makes you a lot more aware. 63 00:03:51,770 --> 00:03:56,090 I don't think that I even really had that visibility or was aware of how much 64 00:03:56,120 --> 00:04:00,130 time I was spending either on my computer tablet or phone, but now that 65 00:04:01,710 --> 00:04:02,543 Apple, at least, 66 00:04:02,600 --> 00:04:06,580 and many other applications are really starting to focus on how much time you 67 00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:09,220 are spending using technology. 68 00:04:10,140 --> 00:04:14,780 I think it's helped me create a better boundary of switching off or not 69 00:04:14,800 --> 00:04:19,180 always being on. I really think awareness is kind of the key to this. 70 00:04:19,560 --> 00:04:22,089 So for people that are asking that like Hey I'm uncertain, you know, 71 00:04:22,400 --> 00:04:26,130 what to do to get started. I always recommend take a look at your calendar, 72 00:04:26,279 --> 00:04:27,690 take a look at your habits and your day, 73 00:04:27,691 --> 00:04:29,370 and just start jotting down things that you're doing. 74 00:04:29,390 --> 00:04:31,490 How much time are you spending on that specific project? 75 00:04:31,550 --> 00:04:33,290 How much time are you spending in front of the computer? 76 00:04:33,670 --> 00:04:36,970 Are you getting up to get that glass of water or do you wait until, you know, 77 00:04:36,971 --> 00:04:41,210 that specific task is done before you reward yourself with getting up and, 78 00:04:41,230 --> 00:04:42,839 you know, getting that glass of water, 79 00:04:43,089 --> 00:04:45,520 those things make a really big difference. 80 00:04:45,580 --> 00:04:48,120 And they even say those 10 to 15 seconds, 81 00:04:48,180 --> 00:04:50,680 30 seconds breaks that you can take to, you know, 82 00:04:50,681 --> 00:04:55,040 get up and go refresh your water or whatever it might be. Grab a cup of coffee, 83 00:04:55,660 --> 00:04:59,040 really recharges your brain and allows you to be more creative. 84 00:04:59,460 --> 00:05:01,160 So I think for those that are looking, you know, 85 00:05:01,300 --> 00:05:05,950 to maybe just get started and want to shut off or create more boundaries, 86 00:05:06,320 --> 00:05:11,230 start documenting what you're doing and how you're using technology and 87 00:05:12,160 --> 00:05:13,589 start creating a little bit more limits. 88 00:05:13,590 --> 00:05:16,710 What do you wanna do with that time instead? Is it, you wanna read a book? 89 00:05:16,711 --> 00:05:18,630 You wanna meditate more, you wanna go for a walk, 90 00:05:18,690 --> 00:05:21,550 you want to spend more time with your kids. You wanna play with your dog. 91 00:05:22,110 --> 00:05:25,180 I think for those moments, and you can even put them into your calendar, 92 00:05:25,350 --> 00:05:30,339 block out those moments have been really effective and helps people at least 93 00:05:30,570 --> 00:05:31,403 shut off, 94 00:05:31,720 --> 00:05:36,020 from both work and technology to kind of maintain that healthier work life 95 00:05:36,021 --> 00:05:36,854 balance. 96 00:05:37,760 --> 00:05:41,339 You know, I use focus time throughout the week, you know, 97 00:05:41,620 --> 00:05:46,490 on my calendar and other thing, turning off the phone and sleep mode, 98 00:05:46,550 --> 00:05:50,370 all that stuff. The whoop band that I have tells me when to go to bed. 99 00:05:50,550 --> 00:05:53,410 So I know all right, it's time to shut everything else down, leave it alone. 100 00:05:53,830 --> 00:05:56,810 So there is, there are so many options available to us. 101 00:05:57,140 --> 00:06:00,080 Really you just have to seek them out and take advantage of 'em. I think, 102 00:06:00,081 --> 00:06:03,640 because it's so helpful, at least in my personal experiences, you know, 103 00:06:03,641 --> 00:06:05,200 but that's on the personal side of things. 104 00:06:05,220 --> 00:06:10,040 And obviously everybody has gotten relatively accustomed to a 105 00:06:10,041 --> 00:06:11,520 different kind of work life balance. 106 00:06:11,580 --> 00:06:14,800 And as they adjust to everything you are mentioning, you know, 107 00:06:14,801 --> 00:06:18,790 they are seeking new things I think from work, right. 108 00:06:18,791 --> 00:06:21,070 And we're seeing a lot happening in the workforce today. 109 00:06:21,690 --> 00:06:25,910 So my next question for you is kind of taking it back to business a little bit, 110 00:06:25,911 --> 00:06:29,310 if you will. And from the employer's perspective, 111 00:06:29,900 --> 00:06:34,029 with the idea of work life balance in mind, how should these employers, 112 00:06:34,030 --> 00:06:38,820 how should these businesses really work to keep employees engaged and retain 113 00:06:39,661 --> 00:06:43,020 them? You know, like I said, with everything else going on today. 114 00:06:45,130 --> 00:06:49,140 Yeah. I always think the first step is to acknowledge it. 115 00:06:49,779 --> 00:06:54,740 I think employers are now realizing that employees are not 116 00:06:54,810 --> 00:06:56,860 just employees anymore, 117 00:06:57,250 --> 00:07:01,850 that they're people with lives outside of work. And in reality, 118 00:07:01,930 --> 00:07:03,170 I know that this has always been the case, 119 00:07:03,270 --> 00:07:07,490 but anyone who has been on a zoom call in the last like 18 months now, 120 00:07:07,510 --> 00:07:11,370 we all know a lot more about their dogs, their cats, their kids, their partners, 121 00:07:11,371 --> 00:07:15,330 their parents. We know so much more about our colleagues and coworkers lives. 122 00:07:15,570 --> 00:07:20,400 I really think this blurred line of work and life encouraged 123 00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:25,480 employees to expect their companies to consider and acknowledge their whole 124 00:07:25,880 --> 00:07:29,400 selves and all of these roles that we play outside of work, 125 00:07:29,401 --> 00:07:34,320 whether that's parenthood or caring for an aging parent or pursuing 126 00:07:34,360 --> 00:07:39,080 a passion like playing in a band or taking a yoga teacher training class 127 00:07:39,760 --> 00:07:42,630 get an advanced degree, you know, whatever it might be. 128 00:07:43,710 --> 00:07:48,550 I think that there's a lot more acknowledgement that there is more than just 129 00:07:48,820 --> 00:07:51,350 work Sammy showing up every day. 130 00:07:51,550 --> 00:07:56,310 I have all of these other roles and responsibilities that I play and employers 131 00:07:56,380 --> 00:08:01,340 have to acknowledge that and recognize that to keep employees engaged. 132 00:08:02,100 --> 00:08:06,460 I also really think like this idea or approach to like 133 00:08:06,510 --> 00:08:09,580 360 degree wellness, mental, physical, social, 134 00:08:10,210 --> 00:08:15,140 flexibility with work hours. I think employers really need to start. 135 00:08:15,141 --> 00:08:17,300 And I, and I see a lot of companies moving this direction, 136 00:08:17,400 --> 00:08:22,090 but stop offering these blanket benefits or these one 137 00:08:22,490 --> 00:08:26,330 size fits all approach. I really think that employees today, 138 00:08:26,331 --> 00:08:29,770 no matter what their age is have come to desire, you know, 139 00:08:30,050 --> 00:08:34,490 a range of health and wellness benefits that are really robust and could greatly 140 00:08:34,491 --> 00:08:35,490 impact their lives. 141 00:08:35,730 --> 00:08:40,530 I think companies now are offering more of a marketplace approach or a stipend, 142 00:08:40,590 --> 00:08:43,920 so it can be used for whatever you deem to be wellness. 143 00:08:44,540 --> 00:08:47,040 And I think that kind of expands the availability of the service, 144 00:08:47,140 --> 00:08:48,360 the access to the service, 145 00:08:48,580 --> 00:08:53,200 and it's really customized to what the employees need at that time. 146 00:08:53,620 --> 00:08:57,880 And I think that's another really great way to keep employees engaged 147 00:08:58,900 --> 00:09:00,120 and retained at work. 148 00:09:01,540 --> 00:09:04,200 You know, it's so true. I was actually just talking to somebody, 149 00:09:04,480 --> 00:09:08,880 a friend of mine started a new job and he was telling me about the different 150 00:09:09,850 --> 00:09:12,679 incentives that come with the new job and at the company, 151 00:09:12,680 --> 00:09:17,429 things like a barber shop in the office and somebody coming in once a week, 152 00:09:17,450 --> 00:09:22,270 you know, things that handling a stipend for dry cleaning. So you can, 153 00:09:22,290 --> 00:09:24,950 you know, keep up with your work attire when you have to come to the office. 154 00:09:25,990 --> 00:09:29,230 I called them practical incentives, right. Things that people do. 155 00:09:29,231 --> 00:09:30,309 And I think that's so helpful, 156 00:09:30,970 --> 00:09:34,630 but I know you have some more ideas in this space and, and, you know, 157 00:09:34,631 --> 00:09:38,980 there are fun classes and things that employers can do to keep their employees 158 00:09:38,981 --> 00:09:43,020 engaged, but if perks and remote work and you know, 159 00:09:43,021 --> 00:09:47,660 some of these other practical incentives aren't enough, what else can be done? 160 00:09:47,661 --> 00:09:51,460 Because I think that's another trend. You know, what else, or, you know, 161 00:09:51,800 --> 00:09:54,020 how much more can I get is kind of a theme. 162 00:09:54,040 --> 00:09:56,890 So what else can these employers do for their employees? 163 00:09:58,420 --> 00:10:02,790 Sure. There's a couple of things I wanna hit on. I think training is in, 164 00:10:02,809 --> 00:10:03,111 you know, 165 00:10:03,111 --> 00:10:07,830 professional development is one of them also building a sense of community in 166 00:10:07,831 --> 00:10:08,664 the workplace, 167 00:10:08,840 --> 00:10:12,910 especially when employees are working remotely. 168 00:10:13,550 --> 00:10:16,270 I really think younger workers specifically, you know, 169 00:10:16,380 --> 00:10:21,260 Gen Z are relying on the workplace to provide them with opportunities 170 00:10:21,320 --> 00:10:22,660 for socialization. 171 00:10:23,640 --> 00:10:28,540 We recently ran a survey and we learned that 62% of 172 00:10:28,600 --> 00:10:33,059 gen Z workers are really enthusiastic about the positive impact virtual 173 00:10:33,600 --> 00:10:35,300 events have had on their company. 174 00:10:35,400 --> 00:10:39,610 So these virtual events could be anything from a company wide trivia night, 175 00:10:40,850 --> 00:10:45,450 a scavenger hunt, a team wide scavenger hunt, a cocktail crafting class. 176 00:10:45,740 --> 00:10:50,250 These really fun and unique events are opportunities that aren't 177 00:10:50,600 --> 00:10:53,490 focused on work, per se. Sure. This isn't like, you know, 178 00:10:53,491 --> 00:10:56,410 brainstorming session for the next project that you're working on, 179 00:10:56,630 --> 00:11:01,480 but it's opportunity for socialization it's opportunity for building that 180 00:11:01,481 --> 00:11:02,400 sense of community. 181 00:11:02,950 --> 00:11:07,880 That is kind of outside of these perks and benefits that we were discussing 182 00:11:08,160 --> 00:11:12,200 previously that is really important to creating a cohesive and synced team. 183 00:11:12,940 --> 00:11:16,160 And I really think, you know, because of this work home transition, 184 00:11:17,220 --> 00:11:22,070 the number of individuals that have really relied on work, 185 00:11:22,179 --> 00:11:25,190 providing them those opportunities has really increased. 186 00:11:25,330 --> 00:11:28,510 So I'm gonna put heavy weight on building a sense of community. 187 00:11:28,929 --> 00:11:32,309 And then let's kind of touch on training because I mentioned that or 188 00:11:32,310 --> 00:11:33,470 professional development, 189 00:11:34,360 --> 00:11:38,190 there was this report in 2018 that just like blew my mind. 190 00:11:38,990 --> 00:11:43,740 59% of managers had never had any training on 191 00:11:43,800 --> 00:11:48,660 how to manage people. Now this is 2018 when this data came out. 192 00:11:49,160 --> 00:11:50,300 Now imagine with the pandemic, 193 00:11:51,480 --> 00:11:55,400 you are potentially starting at a new company and you're promoted as a manager. 194 00:11:55,820 --> 00:11:57,240 And you're like, oh my gosh, this is so exciting. 195 00:11:57,300 --> 00:11:59,400 I'm gonna get a title change and potentially, you know, 196 00:11:59,401 --> 00:12:01,800 a salary increase and I'm responsible for people. And that's, 197 00:12:02,070 --> 00:12:05,200 what an incredible accomplishment. Then you sit back and think, hold on, 198 00:12:06,130 --> 00:12:07,590 my whole team is remote. 199 00:12:08,470 --> 00:12:12,510 I haven't really managed distributed teams before. How do I connect with them? 200 00:12:13,040 --> 00:12:16,340 How do I build that sense of community? How do I make sure that they're getting, 201 00:12:16,640 --> 00:12:19,900 you know, feedback on career development and whatever else it might be. 202 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:24,020 And that's a really big issue that managers are facing today, 203 00:12:24,021 --> 00:12:27,020 and it's not just managers professional development in general. 204 00:12:27,600 --> 00:12:31,900 So I really think that training professional development courses that can be 205 00:12:31,901 --> 00:12:36,010 done on individuals own time to really help advance their career 206 00:12:37,260 --> 00:12:38,890 might be that extra edge. 207 00:12:39,350 --> 00:12:44,250 If those perks and remote work aren't enough to really keep employees engaged at 208 00:12:44,251 --> 00:12:45,084 work. 209 00:12:45,830 --> 00:12:46,590 It is amazing. 210 00:12:46,590 --> 00:12:50,330 And there's so much data out there now about who's changing jobs and the 211 00:12:50,490 --> 00:12:52,890 responsibilities like you just mentioned, and, you know, 212 00:12:52,891 --> 00:12:57,280 everything is exponentially increasing at this point. It's great opportunity. 213 00:12:57,580 --> 00:13:01,080 It leaves a lot of gaps as well. And I think you hit it. 214 00:13:01,429 --> 00:13:05,840 It's all about training and making sure that everybody on your team is up to 215 00:13:05,841 --> 00:13:09,160 speed with the needs and everything's aligned with the organization, you know, 216 00:13:09,161 --> 00:13:12,800 but I wanna talk a little bit more about that as people are transitioning from 217 00:13:12,980 --> 00:13:15,910 job to job and move up in their careers and such, 218 00:13:16,160 --> 00:13:18,110 there is something to be said for continuity. 219 00:13:18,190 --> 00:13:22,670 I think so as far as managers and manager training and keeping 220 00:13:23,220 --> 00:13:26,350 individuals in place or, or really qualified, 221 00:13:26,900 --> 00:13:29,070 what can organizations and, or, you know, 222 00:13:29,150 --> 00:13:33,710 managers of managers do to kind of combat this trend and really try to build 223 00:13:33,711 --> 00:13:34,544 this team up 224 00:13:36,220 --> 00:13:40,100 find this continuity and continue moving forward as a group, you know, 225 00:13:40,101 --> 00:13:43,020 as opposed to leaving and hiring new individuals. 226 00:13:44,230 --> 00:13:47,400 Sure. Yeah. Look, I think there are good managers. 227 00:13:48,130 --> 00:13:49,480 There are great managers. 228 00:13:49,481 --> 00:13:53,440 And then unfortunately there are managers who make you wanna quit your job. 229 00:13:54,059 --> 00:13:57,270 And in the same survey that we ran, 230 00:13:57,290 --> 00:14:02,270 we learned that 46% of workers say that they currently have a manager or 231 00:14:02,470 --> 00:14:04,750 a team lead that makes them wanna quit their job. 232 00:14:05,490 --> 00:14:08,030 So for companies that are already kind of struggling with retention, 233 00:14:08,059 --> 00:14:12,150 this isn't fantastic news. And it's interesting to think about because you know, 234 00:14:12,151 --> 00:14:15,850 when employees are burned out, they turn to their managers for help. 235 00:14:16,910 --> 00:14:20,730 But when managers are burned out, who are they supposed to turn to? 236 00:14:20,970 --> 00:14:25,930 I really think training managers on how to be effective remote 237 00:14:25,931 --> 00:14:29,650 leaders is really important. And as I mentioned earlier, 238 00:14:29,810 --> 00:14:32,650 I think so many people have kind of been promoted throughout the pandemic or 239 00:14:32,651 --> 00:14:35,850 have stepped into new roles and responsibilities that they've never had before. 240 00:14:36,150 --> 00:14:38,960 And they're expected to manage a team remotely. 241 00:14:38,980 --> 00:14:42,120 And there just hasn't been training available for that. 242 00:14:42,540 --> 00:14:43,680 And it's kind of bonkers. 243 00:14:44,100 --> 00:14:48,920 So I think focusing on this management training will really reduce attrition, 244 00:14:49,500 --> 00:14:52,440 not only for the individuals being managed by set manager, 245 00:14:52,580 --> 00:14:54,080 but also for the managers themselves. 246 00:14:54,081 --> 00:14:57,920 There's nothing worse than feeling like you are not set up for success. 247 00:14:58,670 --> 00:15:01,600 It's all well and good that you've been moved into this role or that you're 248 00:15:01,601 --> 00:15:04,320 managing individuals for the first time. And you think, wow, 249 00:15:04,321 --> 00:15:08,160 what a career opportunity. But then you look back and you're like, wait, 250 00:15:09,080 --> 00:15:11,070 I haven't been set up for success for this role. 251 00:15:11,430 --> 00:15:14,070 I don't actually know how to effectively lead these teams. 252 00:15:14,590 --> 00:15:16,710 I don't actually know what's required of me. 253 00:15:17,550 --> 00:15:21,070 I know that employees have all these expectations or my team has all of these 254 00:15:21,071 --> 00:15:23,950 expectations of me, but how do I execute on that? 255 00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:28,510 Who's going to help either mentor me or provide me with the resources so I can 256 00:15:28,670 --> 00:15:30,030 actually be successful in this role. 257 00:15:30,650 --> 00:15:33,820 So I think manager training will really combat this, 258 00:15:33,870 --> 00:15:38,500 these concerns and put managers in a fantastic position 259 00:15:38,880 --> 00:15:42,300 to really succeed and nail, you know, their position, 260 00:15:42,301 --> 00:15:46,140 whether they be remote hybrid in office, all of the above. 261 00:15:47,100 --> 00:15:49,020 All right. So I wanna wrap up this conversation, 262 00:15:49,480 --> 00:15:53,970 but I do have somewhat of a loaded question for you. I know we were again, 263 00:15:53,971 --> 00:15:56,690 before we started recording, we were talking about it's, you know, 264 00:15:56,691 --> 00:15:59,530 it's time to be proactive. Let's start looking in the future. 265 00:15:59,660 --> 00:16:02,330 Let's not reflect so much on what's been happening in the past. 266 00:16:03,070 --> 00:16:04,650 So with that idea in mind, 267 00:16:05,170 --> 00:16:08,850 I want to get your thoughts on what the future of our workforce looks like. 268 00:16:09,400 --> 00:16:12,280 Because of all these trends, everything we've talked about. So for, 269 00:16:12,540 --> 00:16:15,720 but now let's take it into the future. What can we expect? 270 00:16:15,721 --> 00:16:19,040 What should people be doing? You know, please share your thoughts on, 271 00:16:19,260 --> 00:16:21,600 on what is to come for this workforce. 272 00:16:22,600 --> 00:16:23,720 Great question. 273 00:16:24,540 --> 00:16:28,760 And these are just my thoughts based on trends that I've seen and conversations 274 00:16:28,790 --> 00:16:29,623 I've been having. 275 00:16:29,840 --> 00:16:34,670 I think we can all safely say that the option to be remote or fully remote will 276 00:16:34,671 --> 00:16:37,750 be the norm. I think that this is not going anywhere, 277 00:16:38,970 --> 00:16:42,310 but I am really intrigued by the freelance space. 278 00:16:42,690 --> 00:16:46,270 And this is either that you are a freelance worker or that you work for a 279 00:16:46,271 --> 00:16:49,350 company, but you potentially could work for multiple companies at once. 280 00:16:49,550 --> 00:16:50,390 I don't know about you Mitch, 281 00:16:50,410 --> 00:16:55,220 but I have several friends that are actually running a couple or three 282 00:16:55,690 --> 00:16:59,940 full-time jobs at once. And it's pretty incredible. 283 00:17:00,040 --> 00:17:01,580 I know it's already happening now, 284 00:17:01,581 --> 00:17:05,460 but I really think that this will become a common practice and a kind of less 285 00:17:05,710 --> 00:17:10,420 taboo right now. They're doing it, you know, moonlighting or under the radar. 286 00:17:10,720 --> 00:17:13,970 But I think in the future, it might just be like, Hey, here's great talent. 287 00:17:14,550 --> 00:17:18,130 How could we attach this great talent to multiple projects across different 288 00:17:18,131 --> 00:17:19,890 companies and to kind of, you know, 289 00:17:20,030 --> 00:17:22,850 use them for a specific amount of time and they, you know, 290 00:17:22,851 --> 00:17:23,890 obviously get paid for their work, 291 00:17:23,891 --> 00:17:26,970 but then they can also get exposure to different companies, 292 00:17:27,030 --> 00:17:29,170 handle different projects or challenges. 293 00:17:29,730 --> 00:17:33,410 I think the freelance world will get really interesting very soon. 294 00:17:34,990 --> 00:17:37,040 Also I think I mentioned this earlier, 295 00:17:37,260 --> 00:17:41,680 but being really customized with the employee experience and that's from like 296 00:17:41,681 --> 00:17:43,680 hiring through to retiring. 297 00:17:44,119 --> 00:17:48,920 I really think AI is gonna play a major role in how you know, 298 00:17:49,880 --> 00:17:54,480 employees are going to shape their careers. I also think, you know, Gen Z, 299 00:17:54,560 --> 00:17:55,480 I talked about them earlier. 300 00:17:55,720 --> 00:17:58,720 I think they're gonna really have a significant impact on today's workplace. 301 00:17:59,380 --> 00:18:00,060 And you know, 302 00:18:00,060 --> 00:18:04,800 how we think about technology and company culture and world issues 303 00:18:04,801 --> 00:18:08,990 specifically also workplace issues like discrimination and diversity, equity, 304 00:18:08,991 --> 00:18:09,824 and inclusion, 305 00:18:09,890 --> 00:18:14,270 how companies deal with a lot of these workplace and pressing social and 306 00:18:14,271 --> 00:18:17,790 political issues. I also think, you know, we might, 307 00:18:17,791 --> 00:18:18,750 we talked about this earlier. 308 00:18:19,320 --> 00:18:23,430 Maybe there'll be a toe dipped in the four day work week or something a little 309 00:18:23,431 --> 00:18:27,869 bit more flexible. The idea that you get work done when you work best. 310 00:18:28,650 --> 00:18:32,020 And you know, companies will kind of begin to ebb and flow with that. 311 00:18:34,530 --> 00:18:35,859 This has been Count Me In, 312 00:18:36,490 --> 00:18:40,460 IMA's podcast providing you with the latest perspectives of thought leaders from 313 00:18:40,461 --> 00:18:43,220 the accounting and finance profession. If you like what you heard, 314 00:18:43,220 --> 00:18:46,220 and you'd like to be counted in for more relevant accounting and finance 315 00:18:46,330 --> 00:18:50,130 education, visit IMA's website at www.imanet.org.