Workquake (Hardcover)

Embracing the Aftershocks of COVID-19 to Create a Better Model of Working

The future has never been more uncertain for both employers and employees.

They face the same profoundly unsettling dilemma: neither knows what skills they need to develop for the future. Futurists and the media tell us that over 50 percent of jobs today will soon be replaced by automation and AI.

Turnover is higher than it has ever been. The percentage of the workforce that is actively disengaged has never been higher. The shelf lives of certain skills are diminishing rapidly. Longstanding industries and industry leaders are being disrupted. These staggering changes are challenging our concepts of what a career really looks like today and how we should build organizations going forward.

We are facing a Workquake.

It’s time we change the conversation. It’s time to talk about how being human has never been more critical and how we have more agency in applying our talents than at any other time in history. We need to have more real and honest conversations about how to build a better model of the future of work, one in which both employers and employees feel safe and energized.

COVID-19 has presented us the ideal opportunity to tackle this important challenge. Workquake is an attempt to articulate a compelling vision for the future of work through a number of stories, case studies, and author Steve Cadigan’s own experiences.

$24.95
ISBN: 978-1-64543-426-9
SKU: 08-684-01
Categories:Amplify Publishing, Business and Finance, Human Resources, Leadership and Management

“The shocks to the workplace from COVID-19 are just the latest example of an increasingly dynamic and ever-changing labor marketplace. Similar to what we see at Glassdoor, Workquake shows that the companies best set up to succeed in this environment are those that play the long game by investing and building positive relationships with their employees.”—Christian Sutherland-Wong, CEO, Glassdoor

“With the pace of change continuing to accelerate all around us, it's time to rip up the old playbooks and reconsider what attributes we'll need in order to thrive professionally. In Workquake, Steve blends his considerable personal experiences with relevant research and insightful stories to create highly compelling guidelines for navigating the future of work. Steve's style is engaging, and his advice hits the spot.”—Leela Srinivasan, Board Member, Upwork

“The old contract of work is dead. Workquake will challenge you to pursue learning agility over job security and to paradoxically build a company culture that prepares people to leave.”—Michelle Vitus, Founder and CEO, Slate Advisers

“Nothing is more essential in our lives than the terms and conditions of work, and nothing has been so profoundly disrupted over the last thirty years. Steve Cadigan begins with basic human motives—to prosper, grow, and explore—and offers sage advice to employees and employers. An empowering book for those seeking to understand how to navigate careers and life in a rapidly changing world.”—Charles Moses, Dean, School of Management, University of San Francisco

“In Workquake Steve Cadigan lays bare the obsolete social compact that has bound employees to employers since the Industrial Revolution. Using poignant examples from his own career and extensive quotes from enlightened CEOs, entrepreneurs, and other contemporary leaders, Cadigan offers the outline for a fundamental shift from a system based on loyalty and tenure to a more open system based on trust and a better understanding of the employment ‘long-game.’ The book is written in two parts one for employees, and one for employers—but Cadigan encourages everyone to read both. I would add one more category to his list: educators. The book is full of challenges to the way we teach and prepare students for the modern world of work. While he tackles an incredibly complex subject, Cadigan’s writing is clear, direct, and full of stories that make the message memorable. But perhaps most importantly, Cadigan is optimistic about the future of work when, as he puts it, ‘Most of the discussion about the future of work today tends to be dismal.’ The world of work is getting better, and in Workquake, Steve Cadigan clearly shows us how to accelerate that trend.”—John Haggerty, Sr. Lecturer, Cornell University ILR; Former VP Human Resources, General Electric

“An inspirational read about the future of work—at times of great uncertainty and change. Steve makes a compelling argument about how to understand and embrace change to get ready for the future that awaits us. Contrary to what you might think, it is less about technological advancement and more about leveraging values that make us humans.”—Tolga Kurtoglu, CEO, Xerox Parc

Steve Cadigan

Corporate Culture Expert and former CHRO, LinkedIn

stevecadigan.com

An expert in the future of work, Steve Cadigan is considered a corporate culture guru, bringing winning insights from over thirty years of HR experience with industry titans like Google, Salesforce, The Royal Bank of Scotland, McKinsey, and the BBC, as well as venture capital firms like Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia. Cadigan’s inspirational keynotes, seminars, and workshops at global conferences and major universities have garnered rave reviews.

Cadigan is renowned for leading LinkedIn’s first talent push and architecting its world-famous culture, now considered the gold-standard. Throughout his twenty-five-year career, he has led teams, cultures, and organizations that have been hailed as “world-class” performers by the Wall Street Journal, Fortune magazine, and more.

Steve graduated from Wesleyan University with a bachelor’s in history and received a master’s degree in HR and organizational development from the University of San Francisco. He lives in California with his family.