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We recently did an interview with Edie Goldberg on trends in the workforce and how the current environment is changing. Goldberg is the founder of E.L. Goldberg & Associates and focuses on talent management and organization effectiveness. She recognizes that organizations need to shift how they are operating due to the evolving nature of work. It’s becoming even more important that workers have access to the kind of flexibility and schedule customization that MyWorkChoice can offer.
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Speakers: Edie L. Goldberg, Ph.D., President, E. L. Goldberg & Associates
1. Tell us a little about yourself and how you became so passionate about modern day workforces.
Edie L. Goldberg, Ph.D.: Hi everyone. I am a talent management and organization effectiveness consultant and I’ve been working in this space for over 30 years. And about 18 years ago before I started my own firm, I was a global thought leader in the human capital management practice of Towers Perrin. I have a PhD in industrial and organizational psychology, which means that I get to apply my knowledge of the science behind employee motivation, performance, development, and organization effectiveness and then leverage that knowledge of the science to help individuals and organizations achieve their maximum outcome. I’m a past Chair of HR People and Strategy, as well as the California HR Strategy Forum and I’m currently on the board of the SHRM Foundation.
So how did I become a passionate about modern work, modern day workforces? In about 2014 I started working with a group of the CHROs (Chief HR Officers) and other HR thought leaders to really think deeply about the future of work. What were the factors that were impacting how work was changing, and how do we need to kind of step up to help organizations shift how they operate, given the changing nature of work? And through this we really worked to develop a variety of tools and processes to help business leaders anticipate change and then help their companies help change work, their ideas about work, workers, and the workplace, so that companies can thrive in the future of work. And all of that work led up to me writing a book called The Inside Gig, which is really about how we take the concepts from the external gig economy and apply it within an organization. And it’s a new approach to work that really helps organizations match the talents that they have within their company with the work that has to get done and it’s an approach to work that lets people really play to their passions and their interests and unleash the hidden talent within an organization. This makes me very excited because I think it’s a real win-win for both individuals as well as organizations.
2. What interested you most about MyWorkChoice?
Edie L. Goldberg, Ph.D.: I love the idea that individuals get to choose a schedule that works for them and the flow of their own life, whether they have childcare issues, elder care issues, personal challenges, or simply passions that kind of get in the way of a normal 9-5 job, MyWorkChoice let’s them choose the schedule that works for their own life and I think that that is really novel and important. In an earlier conversation that I had with Tana, she’s told me that the customers of MyWorkChoice have experienced a decrease in turnover with the employees that they are bringing on and that’s exactly what I would expect because when you choose your own shift, your own schedule, you show up with the idea of, “I’m glad to be here because I made that choice. It wasn’t assigned to me, but I made the conscious choice to be here.” So I think the innovation around the app and giving people that freedom and flexibility is really where we’re going with the future of work, and I think they’ve done a great job.
