HARRT at UCLA Fall Series Session 1: “Shaping Work of the Future from Policy to Practice” with MIT Professor, Thomas Kochan

October 18, 2021 – HARRT’s Faculty Director, Professor Corinne Bendersky shared a conversation on “Shaping Work of the Future from Policy to Practice” with Thomas A. Kochan, the co‐director of the MIT Sloan Institute for Work and Employment Research and the George Maverick Bunker Professor of Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management.

The world of work has changed significantly as a result of the pandemic, technological innovations, economic upheaval, and new expectations of the workforce. Professor Kochan’s recent studies call attention to the challenges facing working families in meeting their responsibilities at work, at home, and in their communities. Through empirical research, he demonstrates that fundamental changes in the quality of employee and labor-management relations are needed to address America’s critical problems in industries ranging from healthcare to airlines to manufacturing. Our attendees discussed his most recent book, Shaping the Future of Work as well as the challenges of transforming public policies, business strategies, and organizational practices for future businesses to meet the demands of their employees, shareholders, and society. Members also explored the need to update America’s work and employment policies, institutions, and practices to catch up with a changing workforce and economy directly with Dr. Kochan during an extensive Q&A session.