Steve Cadigan: "just because people are staying less time it doesn't mean you can't build a great business or culture"

The future of work has generated debate and curiosity. If, on the one hand, new technologies can help us improve tasks and procedures, there are also those who fear that these advances could lead to humans being replaced by machines. Madalena Borges de Sousa, Executive Director for Community Engagement & Alumni Relations at Nova SBE, and Steve Cadigan, Future of Work Keynote Speaker, delved into this controversial topic in the sixth episode of Futurecast, a school podcast about future trends in various business areas.

"How will AI transform the future of work? Will robots take our jobs or will we find new ways of working with them? How will we adapt to new technologies and demands?" Madalena Borges de Sousa began by asking.

The expert on the future of work said that there is still a lot of uncertainty about the role that AI will play, but that he "would like to change the conversation", "because right now I think technology is making us feel like we're behind, stressed, and overworked. Let's take back ownership of creating a more human future".

As far as human skills are concerned, Steve Cadigan says: "I think that in the next ten years we're going to start seeing people being hired not for what they know, but for what they can learn". "With new technologies, we need new skills" and careers are no longer linear.

Among the most frequently mentioned trends in Human Resources, there was also debate around the "change in the mentality of the workforce" that has come about as a result of the pandemic - and which many call "great resignation". And how do you combat the difficulty in retaining talent? For Steve Cadigan, the answer is simple:

"One thing companies try to do is keep people for a long time. However, all the data shows that people are staying less and less. So I'm trying to get companies to say: 'just because you're staying less time it doesn't mean you can't build a great business or a great culture'. But you think that for this model to work people have to stay longer and here are 40 companies where people don't stay long and they're great. So stop thinking that's the only measurement for building a good business.

Madalena Borges de Sousa added: "It's not so much about retention, it's about looking after people while they're there, but preparing them to leave."

The debate also covered topics such as company "Alumni", how to network effectively and the idea of reverse mentoring. Watch the full episode: