Optimize Your New Workplace with these Insights

The idea of going back to a shared office space may make some employees cringe, while others may see it as a welcome change. But who gets to choose?

In a market where people are leaving their jobs in record numbers while organizations push for a return to the office, Peter Cappelli, professor of talent and management at the Wharton School, is helping leaders find a workplace model that serves both the company and its valued employees. His just-released book, “The Future of the Office: Work from Home, Remote Work, and the Hard Choices We All Face” (Wharton School Press, August 10, 2021), offers clear-eyed advice on how to strike that balance, based on new research and his years of experience helping HR managers find solutions to workplace challenges.

A dynamic and eloquent speaker, Cappelli is a frequently published author who regularly contributes to major business publications, including HR Executive. In a March 2021 Wall Street Journal article, he addressed employees directly, suggesting they think long and hard before opting to go fully remote if given the choice. Broadcast news outlets are also quick to seek Cappelli’s opinion when HR-related news stories are in the headlines.

In this enlightening video snippet, he points to the novel ways companies have handled staff shortages and excesses, and highlights lessons from the past that can inform today’s managers as they face similar pandemic-related challenges.

Upskilling, Older Workers and AI

Named one of the 50 influencers in the field of aging, Cappelli has also studied and written extensively on managing a multigenerational workforce with differing values. He co-authored the book “Managing the Older Worker: How to Prepare for the New Organizational Order” (HBR Press, 2010), which provides key steps to recruiting and retaining older workers.

“As the population becomes progressively ‘greyer,’ devising a strategy for the older worker now will give companies a competitive advantage,” says Cappelli.

Through virtual and in-person advisory meetings, education programs and workshops, he is offering much-needed guidance to organizations trying to design an optimal workplace model in the face of ever-shifting conditions.