The Future Of Less Work

When the workplace stopped being a place, presence stopped being physical. But that didn’t make it any less important—it made it essential.

In this episode of The Future of Less Work, host Nirit Cohen sits down with Lorraine K. Lee, bestselling author of Unforgettable Presence and former LinkedIn editor, to unpack how professionals can thrive in a world where digital impressions often matter more than physical ones.

Together, they explore how to get noticed without burning out, how to build influence in hybrid and remote settings, and why your video presence, Slack updates, and LinkedIn posts might be more critical than your resume. Lorraine shares her 4Es framework for building visibility (Explore, Establish, Envision, Excel) and explains why career success today requires thinking like the CEO of your own brand.

You’ll hear why visibility is no longer about charisma—it’s about intention. Why thoughtful communication beats constant noise. And why, even in an AI-powered world, presence is still one of the most human—and valuable—skills you can master.

If you’ve ever felt unseen at work, wondered how to build credibility online, or struggled to “show up” when no one’s in the room, this is the episode for you.

Want to dive deeper into this topic? Read Nirit’s Forbes article, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠"⁠⁠⁠⁠Why Your Online Presence Matters More Than Your Resume", to explore these ideas further.  https://youtu.be/eHi9IkJ3TVA

Guest Information:

Lorraine K. Lee is a keynote speaker and the best-selling author of Unforgettable Presence: Get Seen, Gain Influence, and Catapult Your Career. She also teaches popular courses at Stanford Continuing Studies and LinkedIn Learning.

She is passionate about empowering leaders to elevate their presence, influence, and impact. Her frameworks have been adopted by globally recognized organizations like Zoom, Amazon, Cisco, and McKinsey & Company.

Lorraine is recognized as a LinkedIn Top Voice with hundreds of thousands of followers, and previously spent over a decade as a founding editor at companies including LinkedIn and Prezi. Her insights are featured in top media outlets including CNBC, Bloomberg, and Fast Company.

https://lorraineklee.com/unforgettable-presence/

Chapters:

00:00 — Why Visibility Matters More Than Ever
01:32 — What Is Presence in the Digital Workplace?
02:59 — Be the CEO of Your Career
05:23 — Speaking Up in Virtual Meetings
07:15 — How to Communicate with Presence Online
08:53 — Overcoming Proximity Bias in Hybrid Work
10:39 — The 4Es Framework for LinkedIn Presence
12:21 — Why Personal Brand Is Essential for Employees
14:14 — How LinkedIn Builds Confidence and Opportunity
16:22 — How to Align Your Offline and Online Presence
17:48 — Why Your LinkedIn Profile Shapes Perception
19:11 — One Small Move to Improve Video Presence
20:42 — The T Framework for Video Presence: Tech, Energy, Aesthetics
22:34 — Stop Underdressing for Video Meetings
23:45 — What Questions Should We Be Asking About the Future of Work?
24:55 — Will AI Replace Presence or Make It More Valuable?

What happens when the future of work demands not just new skills—but new muscles for conflict, tension, and trust? What if your ability to disagree well is what sets you apart in an AI-powered world? How should you handle disagreements at work?

In this episode of The Future of Less Work, host Nirit Cohen sits down with Justin Jones-Fosu, CEO of Work. Meaningful. and author of I Respectfully Disagree, to explore how respectful disagreement is emerging as a core leadership skill.

Together, they unpack why “culture fit” may be an outdated hiring filter, how over-agreeable teams erode trust, and why emotional safety matters more than ever in hybrid and remote settings. Justin introduces his Five Pillars of Disagreement Intelligence, shares the Heart.Head.Hand. model for conversations that connect, and explains why AI will only make the human skills harder—and more necessary.

You’ll hear how inclusive design helped shape his thinking, how working across cultures challenges assumptions, and why boundaries are different from barriers when it comes to building workplace belonging.

If you’ve ever struggled to speak up, lead hard conversations, or disagree without disengaging—this episode is your guide to building a more courageous, human, and future-ready workplace.

Want to dive deeper into this topic? Read Nirit’s Forbes article, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠"⁠⁠⁠⁠One In Three Employees Would Rather Clean A Toilet Than Ask For Help⁠", to explore these ideas further.  

https://youtu.be/EL8hvdcrIPQ

Guest Information:

Justin Jones-Fosu brings energy everywhere—whether scaling one of the famed 7 Summits, dancing with his wife, or chasing after his four turbocharged kids. But his real passion? Elevating workplaces, one keynote, one training, and one course at a time.

As the CEO of Work. Meaningful. Justin delivers 50+ keynotes a year, helping organizations climb higher with enchanting employee experience through meaningful engagement, belonging, and leadership that actually sticks.

An author and workplace researcher, he’s written Your WHY Matters NOW, The Inclusive Mindset, and his latest, I Respectfully Disagree, a guide to navigating tough conversations in a divided world.

With humor, insight, and research-backed wisdom, Justin doesn’t just speak—he creates experiences that leave participants not just informed but transformed.

Chapters:

00:00 – Why is disagreement essential in the workplace?
02:40 – What is disrespectful agreement?
05:00 – How should leaders handle team tension?
08:51 – What are the Five Pillars of Respectful Disagreement?
11:20 – How can we build disagreement skills before conflict happens?
12:45 – What is the Circles of Grace Challenge?
13:45 – Why does hiring for culture fit limit inclusion?
15:15 – How can disagreement lead to innovation?
16:00 – What is the Heart. Head. Hand.™ model?
18:15 – Why human stories matter more than ever
19:40 – What leadership skills will AI never replace?
21:55 – Can AI simulate empathy and curiosity?
23:45 – What is double Dutch communication—and how do we fix it?
25:15 – Can disagreement actually build belonging?
26:34 – What question should we ask about meaning at work?

What if the skill most missing from the modern workplace isn’t technical at all—but social? And what if our discomfort is actually the secret to our success?

In this episode of The Future of Less Work, host Nirit Cohen sits down with Henna Pryor—workplace performance expert, Inc. columnist, and author of Good Awkward—to unpack why relational discomfort has quietly become one of the biggest blockers to trust, collaboration, and innovation at work.

Drawing on new national research, Henna shares that 30% of employees would rather clean a toilet than ask for help—a stat that reveals just how far our social muscle has atrophied. Together, they explore why hybrid work environments have made it harder to be vulnerable, how AI is making human connection even more optional, and why leaders must rethink influence as a relational—not positional—skill.

This episode is a call to rebuild what Henna calls “discomfort tolerance”—the willingness to engage with imperfection, disagreement, and awkwardness as core competencies for the future of work. From conflict avoidance to surface-level relationships, from solo productivity to relational blind spots, Henna and Nirit unpack the hidden costs of too much comfort—and how to start training your social fitness like a real skill.

If you’ve ever hesitated to speak up, avoided asking for help, or wondered what soft skills really look like in an AI-powered world, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.

Want to dive deeper into this topic? Read Nirit’s Forbes article, ⁠⁠⁠"⁠One In Three Employees Would Rather Clean A Toilet Than Ask For Help", to explore these ideas further.  

https://youtu.be/HS6PWctsAbs

Guest Information:

Henna Pryor is a workplace performance expert, executive coach, Inc. Magazine columnist, and the author of Good Awkward: How to Embrace the Embarrassing and Celebrate the Cringe to Become the Bravest You. A two-time TEDx speaker, Henna specializes in helping high-achievers and teams improve their influence through social confidence and intentional discomfort. Her work draws on neuroscience, communication research, and real-world coaching insights to reframe awkwardness as a workplace asset.

Learn more at: https://www.hennapryor.com

The Study: socialmusclereport.com
Good Awkward: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1646871456

Chapters:

00:00 — What is the future of social skills at work?
03:04 — Why do we avoid asking for help at work?
06:39 — What is social muscle and why does it matter?
10:42 — How do you train for discomfort at work?
15:48 — Why awkward moments are good for your career
19:23 — How to build disagreement intelligence
24:51 — Can you grow influence without power?
29:10 — What is relational fluency and how do you build it?
33:58 — How can leaders foster human connection in hybrid work?
39:44 — What’s one question we should all ask about the future of work?

What if meaning isn’t something you find in your job—but something you can create in any role, on any team, starting today?

In this episode of The Future of Less Work, host Nirit Cohen sits down with Wes Adams and Tamara Myles, authors of Meaningful Work and researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, to explore what it takes to unlock motivation in a world where paychecks alone aren’t enough.

Together, they unpack what really makes work feel worth doing—and why nearly 50% of our experience of meaning at work comes down to what leaders do. From simple gestures of acknowledgment to the deep impact of challenge and trust, Wes and Tamara lay out a practical framework to help managers build community, spark contribution, and foster growth—three pillars that fuel engagement and performance.

They also dive into how AI is reshaping the future of work—and why human skills like connection, creativity, and resilience aren’t going away. They’re becoming the most important differentiators of all.

If you’ve ever wondered how to retain top talent, spark motivation in your team, or build a culture that actually makes people want to show up—this episode is for you.

Want to dive deeper into this topic? Read Nirit’s Forbes article, ⁠"Why China’s 996 Work Culture Won’t Win The Future Of Work", to explore these ideas further.  

https://youtu.be/6smc_yH-h5E

Guest Information:

Wes Adams is the CEO of SV Consulting Group. He partners with Fortune 500s and scaling companies to develop high-impact leaders and design operating structures that support high performing teams. He is also a positive psychology researcher at the University of Pennsylvania where he studies the leadership practices and organizational structures that help employees thrive. He is the author of MEANINGFUL WORK: How to Ignite Passion and Performance in Every Employee with Tamara Myles. He lives in Atlanta, GA.

Tamara Myles is a speaker, author, professor, and entrepreneur specializing in the science of human flourishing at work. She helps leaders and organizations like Microsoft, KPMG, and MassMutual unlock the power of meaningful work to drive peak performance, innovation, and resilience. A faculty member at Boston College and a researcher and instructor at the University of Pennsylvania, Tamara’s work challenges assumptions about work, showing that when leaders make work meaningful, they create thriving teams and lasting impact. She is the author of MEANINGFUL WORK: How to Ignite Passion and Performance in Every Employee with Wes Adams. She lives in Concord, Massachusetts.

Chapters:

00:00 – What makes work meaningful today?
01:14 – What is meaningful work?
02:18 – Can any job feel meaningful?
03:45 – How leaders build community at work
06:01 – Why feedback fuels a sense of contribution
09:17 – Micro-moments of recognition that matter
10:27 – What is the right kind of challenge at work?
12:45 – Why meaning at work matters more today
14:45 – How AI is changing the role of human skills
17:05 – Will AI make work more meaningful—or less?
18:39 – Designing AI for human flourishing
20:25 – Practical ways to create meaningful work
22:19 – How leaders can stretch more people on their team
23:05 – What’s the big question we should be asking about work?
24:00 – What do we want people to do with time AI frees up?

Why are entry-level jobs disappearing—just as companies claim they can't find qualified talent? How can managers lead in a world where AI handles the tasks but not the people? And what happens when employees want stability while leadership pushes for agility?

In this episode of The Future of Less Work, host Nirit Cohen sits down with Kyle Forrest, Principal at Deloitte Consulting and U.S. Future of HR Leader, to unpack some of the biggest contradictions shaping work today.

Drawing on insights from Deloitte’s 2025 Global Human Capital Trends Report, they explore the growing experience gap, the challenge of stagility—balancing stability with agility—and what it takes to reimagine the manager role in a fast-changing world.

Together, they look at how leaders can redesign work for learning, well-being, and performance—not just productivity. They talk about preparing Gen Z for jobs that no longer look like jobs, using AI to unlock human potential, and why the future of work needs to center on human sustainability.

If you’re navigating the space between disruption and design, this episode offers practical insight—and an invitation to rethink what work is really for.

https://youtu.be/XG2rT9aAGiM

Guest Information:

Kyle Forrest, principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP and US Future of HR Leader

Chapters:

00:00 – Why Entry-Level Jobs Are Disappearing
03:00 – The Experience Gap and What We’re Missing
06:30 – How Companies Can Rethink Talent Pipelines
09:00 – AI Fluency as the New Career Advantage
11:30 – Reimagining Onboarding and Learning at Work
13:00 – Why People No Longer Trade All Their Time
15:00 – Personalization, Motivation, and the Role of the Manager
18:30 – Freeing Managers to Actually Lead
21:00 – Rethinking the Manager Track
22:30 – The “Stagility” Tension: Stability vs Agility
25:30 – What It Will Take to Lead with Agility
27:00 – From Hierarchies to Networks (Will It Finally Happen?)
28:30 – Human Sustainability as the Real Metric
30:30 – From Billion-Dollar Companies to Billion-Dollar Individuals

What if productivity wasn’t just about how much people worked—but how they worked, who they collaborated with, and whether they were truly engaged?

In this episode of The Future of Less Work, host Nirit Cohen sits down with Sam Naficy, CEO of Prodoscore, to explore the evolving science—and ethics—of measuring work.

As more organizations embrace hybrid, digital, and AI-enhanced models, the old ways of tracking productivity are falling apart. Sam shares what live behavioral data from over 14,000 employees reveals about real-world performance, collaboration, burnout, and even AI’s impact on output. Together, they unpack how organizations can use data not just for oversight, but to empower employees, coach managers, and build systems where great work is easier to recognize—and replicate.

From organizational network analysis to predictive signals for attrition, this conversation sheds light on the blind spots leaders face in distributed teams—and what becomes possible when we move beyond gut feel to data-driven trust. Whether you're leading a team, shaping workplace policy, or just trying to do meaningful work in less time, this episode challenges how you think about productivity—and offers a glimpse into the new social contract between people and work.

If you're grappling with return-to-office debates, tool overload, or how to use data without surveillance, this is a conversation you won't want to miss.

https://youtu.be/MvBuwnr8jZc

Guest Information:

Sam Naficy is the CEO of Prodoscore, an AI-powered productivity intelligence platform helping organizations gain real-time insights into how work happens. A serial entrepreneur by nature, Sam has over 25 years of senior executive experience in SaaS and technology-enabled businesses across industries including pharmaceuticals, retail, distribution, quick service restaurants, and enterprise software. He has raised more than $300 million in debt and equity throughout his career. Early on, he founded Daru Nardin, a pharmaceutical brokerage firm focused on the Middle East, where he secured exclusive distribution rights to Merck Sharpe & Dohme and Faulding Pharmaceuticals for sales into Iran. He went on to launch The NORG Group, entering into joint ventures with the 99 Cents Only Corporation (NYSE: NDN). Prior to Prodoscore, Sam was the founder and CEO of DTiQ, which has become the global leader in intelligent video surveillance and loss prevention, serving over 45,000 customers. Beyond the business world, Sam is a passionate supporter of nonprofits focused on underprivileged children and has served on the board of the Los Angeles Boys and Girls Club. His philanthropic contributions include support for the National Kidney Foundation, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, Juniors of Social Service, and Northridge Hospital. He is an active investor in SaaS and tech-enabled ventures and a longtime member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) Los Angeles, where he previously served as Chapter Chair. In 2013, Sam was recognized as Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year for Greater Los Angeles.

• https://www.prodoscore.com/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/samnaficy/

Chapters:

00:00 – What Productivity Data Can Reveal
01:25 – How Prodoscore Measures Productivity
02:45 – Activity vs Impact at Work
04:33 – Measuring Quality of Work Engagement
06:17 – Giving Employees Their Own Data
08:03 – Why Hybrid Workers Are More Productive
11:04 – How Organizational Network Analysis Works
12:45 – Identifying Hidden Influencers in the Workplace
14:46 – Using Data for Objective 360 Reviews
16:19 – Predicting Employee Attrition with Data
18:33 – Can Productivity Tools Be Gamified?
20:38 – Good Employees Want to Be Measured
22:05 – AI and the Future of Work Productivity
24:00 – Linking Activity to Business Outcomes
25:23 – Redefining Trust and Visibility in Hybrid Work
27:03 – Why Culture Still Needs a Human Touch
30:04 – Will We Work Less or Just Smarter?
32:30 – Balancing Flexibility and Accountability with Data

DEI programs are under fire. Political pushback, budget cuts, and employee fatigue have left many organizations scaling back or quietly rebranding their diversity efforts. But what if the problem isn’t DEI itself—what if it’s the way we’ve been doing it? Why DEI training isn’t working anymore?

In this episode of The Future of Less Work, host Nirit Cohen speaks with Dr. Flannery Stevens, Associate Professor at Villanova School of Business and coauthor of a powerful Harvard Business Review article challenging outdated DEI models. Together, they ask the hard questions: What does inclusion really mean in a world of hybrid teams, AI tools, and fractional work? Are headcount metrics doing more harm than good? And how can we design systems that make everyone feel seen, heard, and valued?

From personalized learning to inclusive AI practices and the unintended consequences of rapid tech adoption, this conversation explores how to rethink inclusion for today’s workforce—not just as a set of programs, but as a strategic lens for designing the future of work.

If you’re tired of checkbox DEI and ready to rethink what fairness and equity could really look like, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.

https://youtu.be/HToC6qDPRko

Guest Information:

Flannery Stevens is an associate professor in the Management & Operations Department at the Villanova School of Business. Her research focuses on the sources and consequences of inequality in organizations at both micro and macro levels. Dr. Stevens’s research has been published in Administrative Science Quarterly, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, and Journal of Organizational Behavior, Harvard Business Review and MIT Sloan Management Review, among others. She earned her PhD in Management and Organizations from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, and received MS and BA degrees in Psychology from Tulane University and Binghamton University, respectively.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/flannery-stevens-4553333/

https://hbr.org/2025/04/to-make-your-dei-efforts-more-effective-challenge-outdated-models

Chapters:

00:00 – Is DEI Broken or Just Misunderstood?
01:27 – Why Counting Headcount Isn’t Enough
04:51 – What’s Missing in Today’s DEI Execution?
06:49 – Why Diverse Teams Build Better Products
08:43 – What Does Inclusion Look Like in Remote Work?
11:56 – How Technology Can Expand—or Shrink—Voices
13:50 – Rethinking DEI Training in the Age of AI
15:43 – Can AI Personalize Learning Without Reinforcing Bias?
17:52 – How AI Might Reinforce Inequality at Work
19:44 – Where Should CHROs Start on Inclusive AI?
23:02 – Why Internal AI Tools Need Inclusion Too
24:53 – The Fast Pace of AI and Human-Centered Design
26:44 – Will the Future of Work Boost Real Inclusion?
28:25 – How to Use AI Without Leaving People Behind
29:30 – The Heart of Inclusion: Being Seen and Heard

What happens when AI becomes so ambient, so invisible, that it disappears into the background of work—while quietly transforming everything? How does voice AI change jobs? Can technology finally deliver on its promise to make work more human?

In this episode of The Future of Less Work, host Nirit Cohen sits down with Punit Singh Soni, former Google executive and founder of Suki, a company reimagining healthcare through voice-enabled AI. But this isn’t just a healthcare story—it’s a blueprint for how every profession could evolve when administrative work is offloaded and human connection takes center stage.

Together, they explore what it means to build “invisible” technology that assists without intruding, how ambient AI is redefining workflows one profession at a time, and why the real revolution may lie not in automation—but in imagination. Punit shares why he left Big Tech to find more meaning in his work, how AI can unleash new kinds of creativity and purpose, and why he believes we’re still in the earliest days of what’s possible.

If you’ve ever wondered what happens when tech stops interrupting and starts supporting, what new jobs will emerge when coding is no longer a barrier, or how we can design work around our deepest human strengths—this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.

Want to dive deeper into this topic? Read Nirit’s Forbes article, “⁠When Work Talks Back And Voice Becomes The New Keyboard⁠“, to explore these ideas further. 

https://youtu.be/-rEAo7Z7OSs

Guest Information:

Punit Singh Soni is the founder and CEO of Suki, the leader in voice technology for healthcare, providing AI-powered voice solutions for clinicians. He leads a team of physicians, engineers, and technologists, creating innovative solutions to lift the administrative burden from doctors, including the company’s flagship product, Suki Assistant. Suki also offers its proprietary AI platform, Suki Platform, to partners who want to create a best-in-class AI and voice experience for their solutions. Prior to starting Suki, Punit was the Chief Product Officer of Flipkart, a $15B Indian e-commerce company. Punit also held leadership positions at Google including: VP of Product at Motorola; Lead PM at Google+ Mobile and Google Mobile Apps; PM at News, News Archive and Search. He graduated with an MBA from Wharton and has a MS/BS in Electrical Engineering.

Chapters:

00:00 – What Does It Mean to Put Humans First in AI?
01:36 – Are We Headed Toward a Future of Less Work?
05:45 – What Jobs Will Be Left for Humans?
07:30 – How AI Can Make Work More Human
08:57 – Will AI Redefine What a Job Is?
10:41 – Why Voice Is the Future of AI Interfaces
12:08 – What Is Ambient AI and How Will It Change Work?
14:14 – The Benefits and Risks of Invisible AI
16:30 – How AI Could Reduce Burnout in Healthcare
18:29 – Will Every Profession Need Its Own AI Assistant?
20:28 – Will AI Kill White-Collar Jobs—or Create More?
22:23 – What Founders Learn About the Future of Work
24:43 – Which Skills Will Stay Human in an AI World?
26:23 – Can We Redesign Healthcare with AI This Time?
28:10 – Who’s Responsible for the Future of Work?

What happens when the next generation enters the workforce without ever knowing the “old way”—and starts reshaping work not by accident, but by design? What if Gen Z isn’t the problem, but the prototype?

In this episode of The Future of Less Work, host Nirit Cohen sits down with Amanda Schneider, founder of ThinkLab, the research division of Interior Design Magazine, to explore how digital-first workers are challenging our assumptions about space, trust, and connection.

From the rise of the “phygital” workplace to the trust gap shaping hybrid work, Amanda offers a design-forward lens on what it takes to build belonging, culture, and collaboration in a fluid world. Together, they unpack why Gen Z sees digital and physical space as one seamless environment, what leaders get wrong about building culture, and why intentionality—not location—is the key to thriving in the next era of work. Amanda shares how radical transparency, authentic storytelling, and self-awareness can help organizations and individuals design better ways to work and live.

If you’ve ever wondered how to build trust without walls, how to lead digital natives, or how to design workspaces and work cultures that truly reflect your values—this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.

Dive deeper into the research featured in this episode: Unlocking Gen Z’s Potential to Impact the Future of Work

https://youtu.be/DP3sVzes9Pw

Guest Information:

Amanda Schneider the Founder & President at ThinkLab, the research division of Interior Design Magazine. As a former blogger for the Huffington Post Amanda has been exploring the future of work through the lens of design for more than two decades. Her latest research around Gen Z was featured in a viral Forbes article titled Gen Z and the Great Office Debate Won’t End in 2023. She also co-authored the #1 article in the MIT Sloan management review July of 2024, and took the TedX stage in 2024 which can now be found on TED.com. Her degree in Industrial Design coupled with an MBA formed her foundation at the intersection of design and business and the power of that intersection to transform our world. Learn more by tuning into her award-winning podcast, Design Nerds Anonymous.

Chapters:

00:00 – What Is the Future of Less Work?
01:35 – What Does Phygital Mean for Workplaces?
03:20 – How Should We Design Digital and Physical Work Together?
06:25 – What Can Gen Z Teach Us About Work?
08:30 – Why Gen Z Doesn’t Separate Digital and Physical Work
10:55 – What Is the Trust Gap in Hybrid Work?
12:00 – Can We Build Trust Without Returning to the Office?
13:25 – How to Build Culture and Belonging Digitally
15:00 – Why Intentionality Is the Key to Hybrid Success
17:00 – How to Design Work Around When and How We Work Best
18:55 – What Does Radical Transparency Look Like at Work?
20:50 – How Gen Z Research Is Reshaping Workplaces
21:55 – What Question Should We Ask About the Future of Work?

Will voice replace the keyboard at work? How will AI and voice technology change how we work?

In this episode of The Future of Less Work, host Nirit Cohen sits down with Josh Blalock, Chief Evangelist at Jabra, to explore a future where conversation becomes the interface. From AI-powered noise-canceling to real-time voice translation, Josh shares how voice and smart audio are unlocking a new way to work—one that’s more natural, inclusive, and connected across distance, time, and even language.

They dive into why voice is more than just a productivity hack, how it lowers the barrier to entry for AI adoption, and what it will mean when we no longer speak differently to machines and people. As the line blurs between human and agent teams, and as keyboards give way to microphones, this conversation offers a glimpse into how work is being reimagined—literally, word by word.

If you’re wondering what it means to be AI literate, how to lead teams across continents and time zones, or why voice-first work is about more than devices, this episode will make you rethink how you show up—and speak up—at work.

Want to dive deeper into this topic? Read Nirit’s Forbes article, “When Work Talks Back And Voice Becomes The New Keyboard“, to explore these ideas further. 

https://youtu.be/pFpG9480chM

Guest Information:

Josh Blalock is the Chief Evangelist at Jabra, a global leader in audio, video and collaboration solutions. With over 20 years of experience in engineering and architecting Microsoft technologies, Josh has deep expertise in Skype for Business, Microsoft Teams, and Office 365, as well as unified communications and video solutions. In his current role, Josh engages with customers, partners, and the industry around Jabra's portfolio of solutions, and how it is evolving to meet the changing needs of the modern workplace.

Josh is also co-founder and board member of Comms vNext, a community-led conference that brings together Microsoft UC professionals and enthusiasts to learn and network. As a multiple-time Microsoft MVP in the Office Apps & Services category, Josh shares his knowledge and insights with the Microsoft UC community - helping them achieve their communication and collaboration goals.

Josh recently launched Cutting Through the Noise - a weekly podcast aimed at taking topics in the AV / UC / AI space that are seemingly overly complex, and breaking them down into understandable concepts.

Chapters:

00:00 – What if we could talk to technology the same way we talk to people?
01:50 – Will we stop using keyboards and prompts at work?
03:23 – How voice AI removes barriers to adoption
05:07 – What does AI literacy mean in a voice-first workplace?
07:12 – Can anyone use AI if we just make it conversational?
09:28 – Why accurate audio is critical for AI to work
12:39 – Will voice tech make hybrid work more productive and inclusive?
14:36 – Are personal devices replacing expensive meeting room tech?
16:06 – How AI and video enhance hybrid collaboration
17:45 – What will work look like when human-agent teams become the norm?
19:49 – Why AI adoption affects happiness and productivity at work
21:59 – Is talking faster—and better—than typing with AI?