The Conversation - What’s the future of work?

Dear Engaged Reader,

When the pandemic struck and people started working from home, The Conversation’s newsroom didn’t miss a beat. Folks worked from home − and worked hard. We were covering what felt like the biggest story of our lives and didn’t have time to reflect on the huge change in our workplace. 

Now, four years later, we are a primarily remote organization, although we do have shared workspaces in Boston and New York. As it has for millions of others, the pandemic profoundly changed our working lives. But that’s really just one of the dramatic shifts we as a country are seeing – with the rise of generative AI, the pervasiveness of gig work and the comeback of labor unions. As one of our stories put it in a headline, “American workers feel alienated, helpless and overwhelmed.” 

If there’s one thing we do really well at The Conversation, it’s taking a topic, an issue, a theme, and examining it until our readers understand it through and through. So it was only natural that a few other editors and I wanted to explore what’s behind that sense of uncertainty and unease. How is work changing, and what does that mean for our economy? And on an individual level, how should we navigate these big disruptions? 

With these questions in mind, we published a series of stories on the theme of the future of work from a wide variety of experts, which we’re giving away to all donors as an e-book during this fundraising campaign that ends on June 30. 

The Conversation’s editorial model – pairing an academic with deep expertise with an experienced journalist editor – is unique in its ability to make sense of the complex topics of our day, such as the changing workplace.

Give any amount to receive this thoughtful and thought-provoking downloadable and printable e-book.
 

I hope that in a time when clarity and trusted analysis can feel like a luxury, The Conversation feels like a necessity, and you will partner with us to bring it to the wider public.

P.S. Those articles will be featured in a longer volume called “The Conversation on Work,” published by Johns Hopkins University Press, supplemented with many others, which will be available in August in both print and digital formats. It’s part of the “Critical Conversations” series of books, of which I’m the editor. All major donors making gifts of $1,000 or more will be sent a copy as soon as we have it in our hands.

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