Name: The Surprising Cost of Unfinished Business
Start: 2023-08-10T17:00:00Z
End: 2023-08-10T17:00:56.000Z
Location: BrightTALK
Rating: 5

Explore breakthrough ideas, effective tactics, and provocative trends related to flexible and remote hiring that will accelerate your business’s growth and uncover new opportunities for advancement.

The barriers from the old ways of work have crumbled. No longer are we bound by traditional office walls or geography. The hiring process is flexible, unleashing boundless possibilities for you to reimagine every outdated process and maximize every new opportunity.

It’s no longer about where and when we work, but how.

Today’s workforce is undergoing a rapid transformation, with freelancing emerging as a significant player in shaping its dynamics and the economy.

Recent research by the Upwork Research Institute reveals that 38% of the U.S. workforce, totaling 64 million professionals, engaged in freelance work last year, showcasing a notable increase. As skilled professionals increasingly opt for freelancing to gain flexibility and control over their careers, businesses are also adapting by incorporating freelancers into their talent strategies for agility, competitiveness, and cost-efficiency.

Join Dr. Kelly Monahan, managing director of the Upwork Research Institute, in a session exploring the impact of freelancing on the future of work and its implications for businesses. Gain insights into why professionals are turning to freelancing, discover the most sought-after skills in today’s labor market, and explore strategies for businesses to future-proof their workforce through flexible work models.

In this session you'll learn:

The latest data and trends on why professionals are reevaluating their priorities and seeking alternatives to traditional 9-to-5 work arrangements.
The most in-demand skills in today's labor market and how freelancers are filling talent gaps and solving businesses’ most pressing needs in 2024.
How businesses can future-proof their workforce through a flexible work model that can help build a sustainable, agile and efficient workforce.

Beyond the 9-to-5: Growth and Impact of Freelancers in Today’s Workforce

Generative AI is more than industry jargon; it has become a leading change maker in today’s business ecosystem. While a wealth of information about Generative AI is available, you may wonder how the most innovative companies are taking advantage of this technology.

Join Upwork’s shining stars, VP of HR Client Strategy, Tony Buffum, and VP of Client Strategy, Tim Sanders, for a lively discussion about how talent, tech, and Generative AI influence how enterprises design and deploy talent. Global HR leader Tony Buffum will share the trends in the technology-driven talent market that make now a pivotal time to embrace change. Internet pioneer Tim Sanders will bring the latest research on how Generative AI and Machine Learning will revolutionize the business world as we know it. Make sure to tune in to learn more from these two incredible minds, including:

- Actionable ways leaders can innovate their immediate and long-term talent strategies using an AI and Workforce Ecosystem approach
- How to leverage AI to enhance risk management programs across the enterprise.
- See examples of how AI can complement talent and improve engagement, productivity, and organizational agility

Generative AI: The Latest Force in Talent and Tech

Conversations around Generative AI have been focused on the effect it will have on processes and productivity, but what is the human impact in the workplace? As a future of work expert with her finger on the pulse of how emerging technologies are transforming the workplace experience, Kelly Monahan, Managing Director of The Upwork Research Institute, will dive into the evolution of artificial intelligence technologies and their impact on the workforce.
Join this session where Kelly dispels the hype and myths surrounding ChatGPT, Midjourney, and other Generative AI technologies, and, instead, anchors the conversation on the organizational behavior research that is emerging as a result of these technological advancements. She draws from her leading-edge research, which has been published in Harvard Business Review, to present an actionable framework for how organizations can incorporate AI alongside their workforces. In particular, she points to the latest data on AI adoption rates, required skills for implementation, and some of the most common challenges for adopting new technologies in the workplace.

Closing the Generative AI Gap in the Workplace

Upwork's VP of Customer Insights, Tim Sanders, will be hosting professor Ajay Agrawal, author of Power and Prediction on Thursday, September 28 at 10am PST, for an insightful conversation on the sweeping power of machine learning and generative AI. He’s one of the world’s leading experts on AI and how it will create breathtaking opportunities for companies. 

 In this talk you will learn: 

- Why AI lowers the cost of prediction, and what that means for your business
 -How to use “Prediction Problems” to build a business case for AI
 -Why most companies that talk about AI will never actually implement it to scale
 -How to lead change management around AI funding, adoption and application

"AI may be to the twenty-first century what electricity was to the twentieth. This is the best book yet that considers what it will mean for all who participate in our economy." — Lawrence Summers, former president, Harvard University  and former chief economist, World Bank

Power and Prediction

In the midst of never-ending economic uncertainties, an unprecedented talent market, and high-speed advancements of technology, opportunity awaits. Because when disruption hits, flexible organizations bend, shift, pivot, and reemerge stronger than ever. This session unpacks labor market trends and macroeconomic dynamics that prove the necessity of refining your work operating model. Learn how your organization can effectively leverage flexible, nontraditional approaches to talent, workforce solutions, and working arrangements to drive agility and impact for 2023 and beyond.

Survival of the Strategist: A Game Plan for Evolving Talent Strategy

The challenges enterprises face today can seem endless: building operational resiliency, battling a bias for the status quo, fostering innovation, navigating a changing and unpredictable business landscape. But they’re not insurmountable. Learn how Upwork is giving customers the tools they need to solve these and other pressing issues to grow revenue and gain market share.

Breaking Barriers to Boundless Enterprise Growth

In an ever evolving talent marketplace we know the traditional structure of work in organizations is no longer keeping up. Join Upwork Insights led by Upwork’s VP of HR Client Strategy Tony Buffum and authors of Work without Jobs, Ravin Jesuthasan and John W. Boudreau to hear these HR industry leaders discuss the world of work and why work without jobs is a valuable and impactful way to approach the talent market.

During this conversation, you’ll hear about:

- Leveraging flexible, non-traditional approaches to talent
- Navigating through the hype of AI and what it means for the way we work now, and in the future
- Understanding the “ice cube effect”: how talent’s skill set can be augmented to adapt to a company’s changing needs
- Approaching a workforce structure without the constraints of specific jobs
-Tapping into the current labor market and seamlessly adapting culture to access the best and brightest talent

See you there!

Upwork Insights Presents: Work without Jobs

Join us for an insightful and energizing conversation with VP of HR Client Strategy, Tony Buffum. 

The dynamics at play in today’s labor market and overall economy are unprecedented, making the old ways of thinking about talent acquisition insufficient. Identifying and deploying the right talent needs to evolve so that they are fast, easy, repeatable and scalable. As more companies adopt and adjust to these dramatic changes, they need to leverage flexible, non-traditional approaches to talent, workforce solutions and working arrangements.

In this webcast, Tony will reveal compelling research and insights into:
 
- Data and trends that reinforce what is truly unique about our current talent market and economic challenges
- Challenging conventional wisdom about talent acquisition and workforce design
- Meeting talent “where they are” (and where they’re headed)
- Shifting to skills-based talent alignment and outcome-based work design
- Leveraging a talent access/workforce ecosystem strategy while still empowering core talent

Hope to see you there!

Upwork Insights Presents: Talent 2.0

Opportunity. That's what the breakdown of the old rules of work means for companies today. In this session, Tim Sanders (Upwork VP of Client Strategy) explains how leaders have been given a once-in-a-generation opportunity to change work in a way that honors the demands of their workforce and safeguards their organization for the future. Using real-world examples, he shows how leading companies are redesigning the way teams are constructed, where and how they collaborate, and how work gets done. Act now, and unlock the opportunity. Wait, and the moment will pass you by.

The Grand Redesign

They say change is constant. Nowhere does this old adage ring truer than within a marketing organization today. Changing consumer preferences and expectations, new technologies, emerging cultural moments, and other factors mean that brands must innovate and move quickly to be heard and make an impact. Upwork CMO Melissa Waters will lead a panel discussion of her peers to discuss how accessing freelance talent brings new skills, ideas, and perspectives to their teams, allowing them to move quickly and creatively at a time when every moment matters.

Building Teams at the Speed of Change

When you hear PGA of America, the first thing that probably comes to mind is golf. So how does a 104-year-old non-profit organization become a forward-thinking technology company? They understood that digital transformation is about talent, not technology. Hear from PGA of America the why behind their strategy and how it’s reduced the complexity and expense of digital transformation while increasing productivity, innovation, and security.

Accelerating Digital Transformation Through People and Process

Innovation is measured in weeks, not months or years. Companies that can’t immediately respond to market changes and shifting customer expectations have little hope of surviving today. Companies need access to expertise and experience to ensure their teams are operating effectively and flexibly adjust to meet the changing work landscape. Learn how Amway has added agility to its operations by building blended teams that allow them to embrace change, scale quickly, and drive innovation.

How to Tap the True Potential of Blended Teams

Change is hard. You're motivated to help your organization redesign work, but how do you actually go about it? How do you champion your ideas internally and open others' eyes to the opportunity you see so clearly? Professor Jonah Berger (Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania) has the answer. He explains how driving change isn't about pushing harder. It's about removing barriers. And he gives us the tools to do just that.

Driving Change Within your Organization

The game has changed. The old ways of working simply aren't working anymore. Many of the existing rules and playbooks around work limit what's possible and hamper growth, whether it's stubbornly insisting that the office is the secret sauce to culture and performance or tapping the same tired talent sources and sticking to the status quo. In this session, Upwork President and CEO Hayden Brown will discuss why leaders must radically rethink their talent strategies and game plans in light of remote work arrangements, professionals’ growing desire for freedom and control, and other trends that will determine competitive advantage and mint new market makers.

New Rules for Work

Every organization has them - paused, delayed, and abandoned projects. It’s a widespread problem, but one that few executives try hard to solve. Sunk costs and inefficiencies seem unavoidable or easy to write off. But they’re just the tip of the iceberg. Learn about the actual cost of unfinished business and how to fortify your organization against this pitfall. Join us for an eye-opening conversation with VP of Customer Insights, Tim Sanders where you’ll learn: 

- How to understand the hidden costs of cancelled or postponed projects
- Why finishing projects during times of challenge and uncertainty will put you in prime position once headwinds subside and for years thereafter
- How product launch delays curb peak revenue 
- Proven strategies that ensure on-time launches
-How to leverage Upwork as your solution for finishing-during-tight-times

The Surprising Cost of Unfinished Business

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The Surprising Cost of Unfinished Business

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