Future of Work

Summary

How do we reimagine the future of work in a post-COVID19 era and how do we ensure that business revitalization in the digital age is both eco-centric and human-centric?

The last installment of GCNC’s Business Continuity Through the lens of Sustainability series looked at the – Future of Work with insights from Sarah Chapman, Ph.D., Director, Sustainability & Climate Change, National Lead, Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability, Deloitte, Helle Bank Jorgensen, CEO & Founder, Competent Boards Inc., and Sanjay Khanna, Director, and Futurist of Whitespace Legal Collab, Baker Mckenzie.

Through this webinar, speakers elaborated on the different aspects of the future of work after COVID-19 and how the pandemic has brought a global change in the way companies to operate in general. Aligning with the UN 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Sanjay Khanna went in-depth on how to provide some continuity and stability to the accelerating change the world is facing now and how we need to understand the challenges companies are facing, such as equity within the company, pay equity, and women being more affected by COVID-19.

Furthermore, Sarah Chapman shared information from a new report published by Deloitte, Catalyst, that explained how three groups are critical for the future of work. 1) Immigrants are underemployed and unable to find work that fully utilizes their skills. This deficiency costs Canada up to $50 billion annually in unrealized GDP. 2) Over 600,000 Canadians with disabilities say they would look for work if minor workplace barriers were removed and 3) how by 2030, Indigenous workers will make up 7 percent of the labor force, yet they are systematically underrepresented in Canadian businesses.

Following the data analysis, Helle Bank Jorgensen explained from a C-suite perspective how companies should be able to identify the important aspects and values that they want to bring to the table when it comes to their employees. Asking themselves the following questions will help companies move forward after COVID-19; 1) How do we retain talent? 2) How do we attract talent? and 3) What do companies really need? The whole way of work has been changing and companies will embed some of these new normal methods for the future of work.

Moreover, throughout the webinar, the speakers talked about how COVID-19 has brought up the ethical values of sustainability where businesses must continue to invest in business continuity and readiness for future crises by developing a more future-oriented board of directors with a mix of directors focused on mid-to-long-term issues and others laser-focused on the present.

Aligning with the SDGs helps companies meet these ever-shifting expectations. Another aspect that was discussed is how the private and public sector needs to work together to bring about change. SDG 17 – Partnership for the Goals is the key to restructure the new way of work after COVID-19.

We invite you to catch a glimpse of this interactive conversation through the webinar recording below.

Speakers:

• Sarah Chapman, Ph.D., Director, Sustainability & Climate Change, National Lead, Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability, Deloitte
• Helle Bank Jorgensen, CEO & Founder, Competent Boards Inc.
• Sanjay Khanna, Director, and Futurist of Whitespace Legal Collab, Baker Mckenzie

Moderator: 

• Ayman Chowdhury, Head of Secretariat, Global Compact Network Canada

GCNC Webinar Series: Business Continuity Through the Lens of Sustainability

A multi-part webinar series that will focus on the Canadian response to COVID-19 and share the insights, priorities and inspirations of top business leaders, government representatives and sustainability experts.

What does leadership from the top look like in a time of crisis and how does this vary across multinationals and SMEs? How can governments and civil society combine efforts with the private sector to catalyze the recovery process and limit further disruptions? How do we reimagine the future of work in a post-COVID era and how do we ensure that business revitalization in the digital age is both eco-centric and human-centric?

The webinar series aims to offer thoughtful reflection and expertise while hoping to reanimate collaboration and drive actionable goals.