Microsoft’s Head of People Analytics Dawn Klinghoffer leverages data to help leaders understand and improve employee experience. She isn’t just trying to track productivity—she wants to know if employees are genuinely thriving and embracing a growth mindset. She’s here to talk about the human energy crisis. What boosts employee energy? What drains it? What’s the connection between thriving employees and organizational success? And how did “generating energy” become a leadership principle at Microsoft? 

WorkLab 

Versha Sharma, editor in chief of Teen Vogue, provides her unique insights into what Gen Z wants from their employers, and Hannah McConnaughey, a communications manager at Microsoft, breaks down common work-related buzzwords her generation is using today. Sharma is the fourth guest of Season 3 of the WorkLab podcast, in which hosts Elise Hu and Tonya Mosley have conversations with economists, technologists, and researchers who explore the data and insights into why and how work is changing. 

WorkLab 

Microsoft corporate vice president of Xbox Sarah Bond explains what games can teach us about the future of work. Today, 3 billion people on the planet play video games—which have a unique and powerful ability to enable collaboration, break down language and geographic barriers, build rapport, spark imagination, and create empathy. As companies explore new ways to enable teamwork, including forays into the metaverse, they can learn a lot about how to best proceed from games.  

WorkLab 

Nela Richardson is the chief economist at ADP, a global provider of human capital management solutions. In this episode, she breaks down how the economy is affecting the labor market, the importance of skilling a new workforce, and why leaders should invest in their people above all else. Richardson is the second guest of Season 3 of the WorkLab podcast, in which hosts Elise Hu and Tonya Mosley have conversations with economists, technologists, and researchers who share insights on how work is changing. 

WorkLab 

Microsoft leader Jared Spataro unpacks the key findings from the latest Work Trend Index report. In a nutshell: creating the culture and employee experience to meet the needs of today’s distributed workforce requires a new leadership approach. Spataro is the first guest of Season 3 of the WorkLab podcast, in which hosts Elise Hu and Tonya Mosley have conversations with economists, technologists, and researchers who explore the data and insights into why and how work is changing. 

WorkLab 

We’re living out the biggest shift in work in a hundred years. In Season 3 of the WorkLab podcast from Microsoft, we’ll explore what all this change means for leaders—and learn how energized, empowered employees can give organizations a competitive edge. Join hosts Elise Hu and Tonya Mosley for big conversations with leading thinkers on the future of work.

Season 3 of the WorkLab podcast debuts on Sept. 22. You can follow the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. 

A few years back, Accenture worked with Microsoft to build a virtual campus called the “Nth Floor.” After the pandemic hit, the Nth Floor became a crucial digital tool in helping Accenture onboard new employees—and an early example of the potential of the enterprise metaverse. What works best in this new virtual universe? What kinks still need to be worked out? To answer these questions, the WorkLab podcast checked in with Paul Daugherty, who leads Accenture’s technology business.

WorkLab

Episode transcript

Two founders of mentorship platforms, Janice Omadeke and Sarah Haggard, discuss why prioritizing mutually beneficial relationships at work is integral to employee success, and share what business leaders can do to facilitate meaningful connections in the age of hybrid work. Omadeke is the sixth guest of Season 2 of the WorkLab podcast, in which host Elise Hu has conversations with economists, technologists, and researchers who explore the data and insights into why and how work is changing.  

WorkLab

Episode transcript

What motivates people to do their best work? It helps to understand how their contributions fit into their organizations’ greater goals or purpose. Vetri Vellore, a Microsoft corporate vice president, explains how objectives and key results, or OKRs, can help forge that sense of connection—especially in hybrid work.   

WorkLab Episode link

WorkLab

Microsoft 365 blog post

Microsoft Viva goals

As a high-performance psychologist, Dr. Michael Gervais has worked with NFL players and Olympic athletes, along with musicians, artists, and Fortune 100 CEOs, to help them improve their mindsets. What insights can he share with business leaders on guiding teams through moments of uncertainty? The psychologist, who spent a decade with the Seattle Seahawks, spoke to the WorkLab podcast about the secret power of cultivating mindsets to drive real impact on any team.