The Future Of Less Work

What happens when AI doesn't just automate tasks but transforms how we build trust, communicate, and define real work? In this episode of The Future of Less Work, host Nirit Cohen sits down with Michael Litt, co-founder and CEO of Vidyard, to explore the new frontier of human-AI collaboration. From AI-generated video avatars to real-time translation and agent-driven workflows, they dive into how technology is reshaping everything from sales and communication to organizational design.

Michael shares how being "AI curious" is quickly becoming a core skill, why video still matters in a world of automation, and what it means to preserve authenticity and connection at scale. Together, they unpack what organizations can automate, what should remain human, and how trust is fast becoming the ultimate differentiator in the AI economy.

If you're navigating where people add value in a world increasingly run by agents and wondering whether video communication can be authentic, this conversation is a must-listen.

Want to dive deeper into this topic? Read Nirit’s Forbes article, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠"⁠When AI Can Do Everything, Trust Becomes Your Brand", to explore these ideas further.   

https://youtu.be/u1TbnETIoW8

Guest Information:

Michael Litt is the Co-founder and CEO of Vidyard, the leading provider of AI-powered video messaging and buyer engagement solutions for go-to-market teams. His insights on entrepreneurship, video technology, and venture capital have been featured in Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and TechCrunch. Beyond Vidyard, Michael is a General Partner at Garage Capital, a seed-stage venture fund backing Canada’s top tech startups, and a Board Member at Quantum Valley Ideas Lab, supporting breakthroughs in quantum research. A proud University of Waterloo alumnus, Michael is passionate about supporting the next generation of innovators and engineers. Outside of business, he’s an avid adventurer, with a love for surfing, skiing, and exploring the outdoors.

Chapters:

00:00 – AI Won’t Replace Us, But Redefine Our Work
03:30 – What Jevons Paradox Teaches Us About AI and Productivity
06:00 – How AI Is Transforming Video Production
08:00 – Why Being AI Curious Matters More Than Ever  
10:00 – What Service as Software Really Means for Jobs and Headcount
12:00 – How AI Is Creating a New Kind of Workforce Tension
14:00 – Real Use Cases: How Teams Use AI Every Day
16:00 – Can AI Avatars Be Used for Authentic Communication at Scale?
18:00 – What Makes Communication Feel Real in an AI-Driven World?
20:00 – If AI Can Do the Work, What’s Left That’s Truly Human?
22:00 – Trust as the Real Differentiator in Business and Sales
24:00 – Which Tasks Should Be Automated and Which Tasks Require Human Touch?
26:00 – How to Identify When a Human Needs to Be in the Loop
27:30 – What Startups Are Doing Differently in the Age of AI
29:00 – Why Productivity per Employee Is the New Growth Metric
31:00 – What Will Communication Feel Like in 2030?
33:00 – The Future of Work Is Human Ingenuity, Not Just Tools

What if the office wasn’t a place, but a platform? In this episode of The Future of Less Work, host Nirit Cohen sits down with Mark Dixon, Founder and CEO of International Workplace Group (IWG), to unpack how hybrid work is reshaping where, and how we work. Long before “hybrid” was a buzzword, Mark saw the writing on the wall: people needed flexibility, and companies needed scalable, distributed solutions. Now, with over 4,500 coworking locations in 120+ countries, IWG is meeting that need.

Together, they explore offices 15 minutes from home, why the return-to-office debate misses the point, how the rise of commuter towns is reshaping economic maps, and why productivity in 2025 is about outputs, not hours. Mark shares data showing hybrid workers are not only more productive, but happier and healthier, and how companies that don’t adapt risk losing top talent. The conversation dives into leadership blind spots, the myth of culture tied to a building, and what organizations must do to curate connection, not just enforce presence.

If you’re rethinking office space, leadership culture, or how to keep your best people engaged, this episode is a must.

 Want to dive deeper into this topic? Read Nirit’s Forbes article, “Where Company Culture Lives When It’s Not In The Office“, to explore these ideas further.https://youtu.be/HEs_3X3cqsw

Guest Information:

Mark Dixon is the founder and CEO of International Workplace Group, the world’s largest operator of office and flexible workspaces. With hardly any starting capital, Mark had already launched, grown and sold a number of different businesses in the retail and wholesale food industry, by the time he founded IWG in 1989, after spotting businesspeople meeting around coffee tables. Now, the company rents out meeting rooms, office space by the hour, virtual offices and space in co-working sites across more than 120 countries. Mark has received many awards for enterprise and is widely acknowledged as one of the pioneers of the workspace industry who revolutionised the way business approaches its property needs with his vision of the future of work.

To find out more please visit: https://www.iwgplc.com/en-gb 

Chapters:

00:00 – What If the Office Was Never the Point?
01:30 – How a Coffee Shop Sparked the Future of Work
03:20 – Companies Wanted Flexibility Long Before Remote Work
05:15 – Tech Has Quietly Reshaped Work Since 1989
06:35 – Why RTO Is the Wrong Question
08:20 – The Commute Is Broken—Here’s What Should Replace It
09:50 – What Companies Get Wrong About Office Culture
11:00 – From Office Mandates to Curated Offsites
12:30 – HR Is Now Driving Workplace Strategy
13:40 – Can You Build Culture Without a Headquarters?
15:00 – How AI Is Powering “Work Location as a Service”
16:30 – Belonging Without Buildings: What Leaders Need to Learn
17:25 – The Future of Management Is About Curation, Not Control
19:00 – Building a Sense of Belonging20:10 – The Manchester United Test: Are You Building a Real Community?
21:55 – Predicting the Future of Work
23:10 – Offices Will Become As-A-Service Like Hotels
25:40 – On-Demand Offices Empower Startups and Solo Workers
27:10 – 2030: AI Chooses Your Best Place to Work
28:40 – Hybrid-Only Companies Are Already the Norm
30:20 – The Office Is an HR Issue, Not a Real Estate One
31:15 – The One Question Every Leader Should Ask About Work

How will AI affect hiring—and what does it mean for the future of talent?

In this episode of The Future of Less Work, Michael Kienle, Global VP of Talent Acquisition at L’Oréal, joins host Nirit Cohen to explore how global companies are navigating the shifting world of work. From AI’s role in recruitment to the growing importance of soft skills and human potential, Michael shares how L’Oréal is adapting its talent strategy in response to changing expectations, evolving technology, and a new generation of workers. Together, they dive into why companies that invest equally in people and tech will lead the future—and how candidate experience, flexibility, and internal mobility are becoming essential to staying competitive.

https://youtu.be/rvCYO-cRJHE

Guest Information:

Michael Kienle is the Global Vice President of Talent Acquisition at L'Oréal, bringing over two decades of experience in human resources. He began his career with L'Oréal in Germany in 1999 as a Junior Product Manager before transitioning to the HR department in 2001. His early roles included positions in Recruitment and Employer Branding at L'Oréal Germany, followed by a move to the Learning department within L'Oréal's Active Cosmetics Division in Paris in 2003.

Chapters:

00:00 — L’Oréal’s Five Human Potential Criteria?03:15 — How Gen Z Is Redefining Work and Success05:40 — Why L’Oréal Didn’t Go Fully Remote After COVID08:10 — How AI Is Used in the Hiring Process10:20 — Will AI Replace Recruiters?12:05 — How AI Improves Decision-Making With Better Data13:55 — What New Roles Are Emerging in the Talent Market?15:50 — Soft Skills Matter More in the Age of AI17:55 — How to Measure Potential19:45 —The Power Dynamic Has Shifted Toward Candidates21:35 — AI Won’t Reverse the Talent Shortage23:15 — Candidate Experience Impacts Brand Loyalty25:00 — Internal Mobility Resonates With Gen Z27:15 — How to Support Boomerang Employees30:15 — Why Companies Must Invest Equally in People and Tech

How do you attract a new generation of workers to an industry often seen as old-fashioned?

In this episode of The Future of Less Work, Gregory Tink, Digital Transformation Director at Schneider Electric, joins host Nirit Cohen to explore how technology, innovation, and culture shifts are reshaping the future of manufacturing. Together, they dive into how AI, automation, and digitalization are not just modernizing operations, but also making manufacturing careers appealing to Gen Z—a generation looking for impact, technology-driven roles, and meaningful work. From changing perceptions to rethinking leadership and building new pipelines through universities, this conversation unpacks how the manufacturing sector can design a future that works for the next generation.

https://youtu.be/GKPTzyFUV84

Guest Information:

Gregory Tink, Digital Transformation Director at Schneider Electric

Gregory Tink is an Operations Transformation and Technology specialist with over 20 years of industry and leadership experience primarily in oil and gas and mining. Over his career, Gregory has owned 4 businesses focused on operational excellence, technology enablement, and organizational transformation. In these businesses, he worked with a variety of clients to transform operations digitally. This included standing up operations and control centers, the implementation of operations, asset optimization, and maintenance platforms, the rollout of cyber security and risk strategies, the integration of OT/IT, and the integration of business functions supporting value chain alignment and the digital thread across the asset lifecycle.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregtink/

Chapters:

00:00 – How Industry 5.0 Redefines the Factory of the Future
01:28 – What Is Manufacturing’s Role in the Future of Work?
03:36 – Breaking Old Perceptions About Factory Jobs
04:48 – Does Technology Replace or Redefine Jobs?
06:54 – How Is Automation Changing Factory Roles?08:29 – Gen Z Demands Tech-Driven Workplaces
09:53 – Building Talent Pipelines Through University Partnerships
11:34 – Why Leadership in Manufacturing Must Change
15:36 – Balancing Innovation and Standardization in Factories
19:05 –Flexibility in Factory Careers
21:23 – Creating Career Mobility In Manufacturing
23:40 – How COVID-19 Changed Manufacturing Work Forever
25:49 – Redesigning Factory Jobs
27:00 – AI Will Revolutionize Factory Operations
28:57 – Preparing for the Rise of AI-Driven Manufacturing

In this episode of The Future of Less Work, host Nirit Cohen is joined by Colette Stallbaumer, General Manager of Microsoft 365 Copilot and Co-Founder of WorkLab, for a timely conversation about how AI is reshaping the very language we use to talk about work.

Together, they unpack Microsoft’s 2025 Work Trend Index, a report that doesn’t just offer predictions—it reframes how we define organizations, teams, and careers in the age of AI. From the rise of Frontier Firms and Agent Bosses, to the shift from org charts to Work Charts, to the idea of Intelligence on Tap as a new kind of workplace capacity, this episode explores the bold new vocabulary that will shape the future of work.

If you’ve ever wondered how AI will change not just how we work—but how we manage, lead, and grow—this is the episode for you.

 Want to dive deeper into this topic? Read Nirit’s Forbes article, “Microsoft Just Rewrote Work—Here’s The New Language“, to explore these ideas further.

https://youtu.be/q6fMIsRo2ow

Guest Information:

Colette Stallbaumer is Co-Founder of Microsoft WorkLab and General Manager of Microsoft 365 Copilot. She leads the team behind the Microsoft Work Trend Index, driving research to help predict and shape a more fulfilling future of work for all. Her team is focused on helping every customer adapt and thrive as they become AI-first businesses. For the latest data and insights on how work is changing, visit WorkLab and the 2025 Annual Work Trend Index.

Chapters:

00:00 – How AI Is Redefining the Future of Work
01:09 – Why 2025 Is a Turning Point for Work and Technology
02:27 – What Does 'Intelligence on Tap' Really Mean?
04:18 – Leaders Are Now Driving AI Adoption
05:58 – How to Become an 'Agent Boss' in the Age of AI
07:55 – Real Examples of Using Agents to Boost Productivity
09:25 – Junior Employees Can Do Senior-Level Work
11:08 – Daily AI Use Is the Real Competitive Edge
13:19 – From Org Charts to Work Charts: Restructuring for AI
15:02 – AI Is Breaking Down Silos Across Functions
16:14 – Why Humans Still Matter in an AI-Driven Workplace
18:29 – What Is the Right Human-Agent Ratio?
20:30 – AI Agents Will Join Teams in Three Phases
21:51 – What Makes a Company a 'Frontier Firm'?
23:53 – Inside the Microsoft 2025 Work Trends Index25:50 – The One Piece of Advice for Thriving in the AI Era
28:43 – Why Everyone Needs to Become the AI-Human Bridge
32:09 – Work Only Works When It Works for People

In this episode of The Future of Less Work, host Nirit Cohen is joined by Delphine Donné, General Manager of Personal Workspace Solutions at Logitech, for a powerful conversation about redesigning work to fit people—not the other way around.

Together, they explore what happens when organizations move beyond one-size-fits-all models and co-create work environments that prioritize flexibility, wellbeing, and inclusion. From designing organizations with wellbeing in mind, to embracing flexible work as a strategic advantage, to the impact of ergonomic tools and diverse teams, this episode unpacks the small shifts that can make a big difference—and why the future of work must be personal, adaptable, and human-centered.

If you are curious to understand how small changes at work can make a big impact on wellbeing and why one-size-fits-all work doesn’t work anymore, this is the episode for you.

Want to dive deeper into this topic? Read Nirit’s Forbes article, “Your Flexible Work Strategy Will Show Up In Your Products And Earnings“, to explore these ideas further.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZL70EFHtRI

Guest Information:

Delphine Donné, VP & General Manager of Personal Workspace Solutions at Logitech:

Delphine is a people-first leader and executive with over 25 years of experience in consumer electronics. Lived and worked in China, North America, and Europe she has transformed many global businesses leading innovation and forming cross-functional global teams. Today, she leads Logitech’s biggest business group, Personal Workspace Solutions (over 2.5bn$).
Her mission is to impact people’s lives by creating simple and delightful experiences. A mission that is greatly influenced by her international journey exposing her to different western and eastern mindsets, e.g. China, audience-focused, diverse & inclusive design and innovation, and environmental sustainability are at the center of this mission and are rooted in how she builds any new vision, strategies, organizations and talents. Her current organization is 50/50 women/men (vs. 26% global average) and hosts 30+ different nationalities. The product portfolio she manages is entirely carbon neutral with 2 in 3 products using PCR plastics. She believes that technology must drive more sustainable and inclusive innovation. Fully committed to realizing the company's pledge to being carbon positive by 2030, she leads the way inspiring others through her organization. In her opinion, innovation brings change, and any change leads to exciting, new opportunities.
Delphine is one of only 19%* of women in the tech industry that reach the executive level, and she is a mother of two children. She finds herself in the position of a role model, which she views as a serious and integral responsibility, and as such devotes herself to driving action for a more equal and better future for generations to come.

Chapters:

00:00 – Why RTO Mandates Are Failing
06:30 – How To Design Work Around People?
08:30 – How Do We Support Work from Anywhere?
10:20 – Why Flexibility Attracts Top Talent
12:00 – Why One-Size-Fits-All Work Doesn’t Work
14:00 – Can Ergonomics Improve Wellbeing?
17:30 – How Inclusion Drives Better Products
19:30 – Where Will We Work in the Future?
21:30 – How Can AI Help Us Work Smarter?
24:30 – What Does Modern Leadership Require?
27:50 – Why Wellbeing Is the Future of Work
30:00 – Are You Happy With How You Work?

Can AI make work more human?

What happens when the work your people used to find value in is no longer the work you need them to do?

In this episode of The Future of Less Work, host Nirit Cohen sits down with Kelly Jones, Chief People Officer at Cisco, to discuss how AI is changing work and HR.

Together they explore what it really takes to lead through a time when work is being redefined—by AI, by shifting values, and by the demand for flexibility and meaning.

From rethinking leadership beyond physical office spaces to using AI for personalized learning and well-being, Kelly offers a grounded, practical view of the path forward.

And she leaves us with one powerful challenge: Are we involving the right voices—creatives, ethicists, humanists—in shaping what comes next?

Want to dive deeper into this topic? Read Nirit’s Forbes article, “Why AI At Work Needs Humans At The Wheel “, to explore these ideas further.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2nhGBb8JN4

Guest Information:

Kelly Jones is Chief People Officer at Cisco, where she steers the people strategies, functions, policies, and operations that empower 84,000+ employees to achieve extraordinary results and thrive. She leads the People Team, directing the design and implementation of data-driven, people-first solutions critical to Cisco’s business transformation, enterprisegoals, and company vision.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellykjones

Chapters:

00:00 – How Do We Guide Humans Through AI Disruption?
03:25 – What Changed in the Workplace Five Years After COVID?
05:30 – Why Return-to-Office Mandates Miss the Point?
07:40 – How Do You Lead Distributed Teams Effectively?
09:40 –Well-Being Is Now a Performance Strategy
11:50 – Will AI Replace Humans or Elevate Work?
13:30 – What Is ‘Humans at the Wheel’ Leadership?
15:00 – The Rise of Power Skills
17:20 – Hire for Skills Instead of Roles
19:25 – Will People Trust AI as Their Coach?
21:25 – What Keeps CHROs Up at Night in the Age of AI?
23:40 – Who Should Shape the Future of Work?

In this episode of The Future of Less Work, Deputy CEO Silvija Martincevic joins host Nirit Cohen to explore the forces reshaping the future of work for hourly and shift work. What the Next Generation of Shift Work Really Looks Like? Why More People Are Working Two Jobs – And What It Means for the Future? How microshifts are redefining flexibility, and what Gen Z really wants from work?

This is a deep dive into the next generation of shift work—and why it matters for all of us.

Want to dive deeper into this topic? Read Nirit’s Forbes article, "Why Micro Shifts Are The New Trend In Flexible Work", to explore these ideas further.

#FutureOfWork #ShiftWork #PolyEmployment #Microshifts #GenZatWork #FlexibleWork #HourlyJobs #WorkforceTrends #AIatWork #SilvijaMartincevic #DeputyApp #NiritCohen #PodcastInterview #WorkplaceInnovation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRkgkhzNPgY

Guest Information:

Silvija Martincevic is the CEO of Deputy, the world’s leading workforce management platform, revolutionizing hourly work for over 1.5 million workers and 375,000 workplaces across over 100 countries. Before Deputy, Silvija was Chief Commercial Officer at Affirm, a Silicon Valley-based fintech, where she scaled the company from 6,500 to 200,000 customers and grew revenue from $100 million to $1.3 billion. She also built industry-leading partnerships with industry giants like Shopify, Walmart, and Amazon. Earlier in her career, Silvija was the Chief Operating Officer at Groupon, overseeing operations in Europe, Australia, and Asia. She also co-founded Zenna Financial Services, focusing on impact investing. Silvija holds an MBA in Econometrics and Statistics from the University of Chicago and serves on the board of Kiva, promoting financial access for underserved communities. Silvija’s career is driven by a commitment to leveraging technology for social good and serving underserved communities.

https://www.deputy.com/ 

Deputy’s Report: The Big Shift: How Gen Z is Rewriting the Rules of Hourly Work

https://news.deputy.com/new-deputy-report-reveals-key-workforce-trends-for-2025-the-rise-of-micro-shifts-ais-growing-role-and-hourly-workers-evolving-priorities

Chapters:

00:00 – What Is Poly-Employment and Why Is It Growing in Shift Work?
01:40 –Flexible Work Isn’t Just for Office Jobs
03:20 – What Does Flexibility Mean for Hourly Workers?
05:00 – What Are Microshifts and Why Do Workers Want Them?
07:40 – Gen Z Is Changing How Shift Work Gets Done
09:00 – How Employers Are Adapting to Keep Shift Workers
10:30 – Poly-Employment allows Workers to Stitch Together Income
12:00 – How Technology Is Modernizing Shift Work Scheduling
13:40 – How Digital Tools Are Empowering Hourly Workers
15:10 – Gen Z is Driving the Shift Toward Work-Life Balance
16:45 – How Full Employment and Demographics Are Reshaping Labor Markets
18:00 – Will AI Replace Shift Jobs or Make Them Better?
20:00 – Why Shift Workers Are Becoming More Positive About AI?
22:00 – Can AI Create Dignity and Opportunity in Hourly Work?
24:10 – Is Gigification of Shift Work a Good Thing?
25:45 – How to Make Flexible Work Also Predictable and Secure

In this episode of The Future of Less Work, host Nirit Cohen sits down with Giorgio Benassi, Global Talent Acquisition Director at Sephora, to unpack what it really takes to attract and retain talent in the evolving world of retail.

You’ll learn:

• Why fewer people want retail jobs—and what’s replacing them
• How flexibility can be offered without remote work
• What “gigification” of retail really looks like
• How alumni networks can help rehire better and faster
• Why we need to rethink short-term jobs as long-term talent strategies

This is a conversation about rethinking how we design work in industries where flexibility isn’t about location, but about time, autonomy, and identity. It’s a must-watch for HR leaders, retail executives, and anyone rethinking frontline work in the age of autonomy, gig work, and rapid change.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ey-zdqJ5-68

Guest Information:

Giorgio Benassi is a global leader in the Talent space, with experience living and working in Italy, the Netherlands, Hong Kong and Spain. He was the former Group Head of Talent at H&M Group and is currently leading Talent Acquisition globally for Sephora. He has a lot of experience in the retail and consumer world.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/giorgiobenassi/

Chapters:

00:00 Turning Retail High Turnover into a Talent Advantage

01:33 The Future of Work in Retail

02:51 How Did COVID Reshape Talent Expectations?

04:47 Why Fewer People Want to Work in Retail?

06:15 Retail’s New Competitors for Talent

10:11 How Can Retail Offer Flexibility Without Remote Work?

11:54 Retail Workers Want to Choose Their Own Schedules

13:53 Why Retail Turnover Increased Post-COVID

15:23 It’s Time to Normalize Short-Term Careers in Retail

17:41 How to Build a Skills-Based Talent Pool in Retail

19:15 Retail Should Create Alumni Networks for Rehiring

23:27 What Will Separate Retail Brands in the Next 2 Years?

25:11 Why Flexibility Is the Key to Attracting the Right Talent

26:19 Could the Future of Retail Be Uberized?

27:31 What Human Needs Should We Solve for in Retail Work?

In this episode of The Future of Less Work, host Nirit Cohen sits down with Jenny Wood, former Google executive and author of Wild Courage, to explore what it really takes to grow your career in the evolving workplace.

You’ll learn:

• Why being bold, direct, and even “a bit much” can be your biggest asset
• How to get promoted without waiting for permission
• What's non-promotable work—and why it’s holding your career back
• How to confidently self-promote and build lasting influence
• What traits you’ve been told to suppress that are actually superpowers

This is a must-watch for professionals navigating the future of work who are ready to take control of their careers and show up with confidence.

Want to dive deeper into this topic? Read Nirit’s Forbes article, “Being Nice Won’t Get You Promoted. Nosy, Bossy And Shameless Will.“, to explore these ideas further.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vM_OQeMkkew

Guest Information:

In her 18 years at Google, Jenny Wood grew from entry-level to executive, and she most recently led a large operations team that helped drive billions of revenue per year. In 2021, she started a passion project within Google called Own Your Career, which grew to one of the largest career development programs in Google’s history. Through the program she founded, she has trained tens of thousands of people on: acing a job search, building relationships, personal branding, effective email writing, landing the right mentor, maximizing workplace influence, and most importantly, increasing confidence. Jenny’s writing has been featured in Harvard Business Review, Entrepreneur, Inc., and Forbes. She is an FAA-licensed private pilot, a daily hiker, an improv student, a tap dancer, and a zucchini bread connoisseur. She lives in Boulder, Colorado with her two young children and her husband, Jon. She met Jon by chasing him off the NYC Subway, and the New York Times featured their story.

https://www.instagram.com/itsjennywood/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennyilles

https://itsjennywood.com/book

Chapters:

0:00 The Subway Moment That Changed Everything

1:33 How to Get Promoted at Work

3:10 From Google Executive to Career Coach

4:43 Wild Courage: Traits That Drive Career Growth

5:04 Why Being a Bit Much Is a Career Superpower

6:45 The Truth About Self-Promotion at Work

8:09 Your Power Assets: How to Talk About What You’re Good At

11:34 Translating Your Skills to New Roles

14:03 Get Promoted by Building Influence

18:18 Avoiding the Career Trap of NAP Work

22:34 How to Say No and Set Work-Life Boundaries

24:39 The Power of Brutal Honesty at Work

29:44 Handling Rejection and Bouncing Back

35:21 Know When to Flip Jobs Using the FLIP Framework

38:51 Final Thoughts: One Small Step of Wild Courage