research on flexible working

Americans are embracing flexible work—and they want more of it

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July 10, 2024

In the time since we first published this article, McKinsey has continued to explore the topic. Read on for a summary of our latest insights.

“How often do you go into the office?” Today, this question typifies the postpandemic era, just as the phrases “social distancing” and “PCR test” did in 2020. The answer? Probably more than you did during those early days of reentry after the pandemic’s peak, but probably less than you did in 2019.

Our research shows that hybrid work is here to stay . Office attendance remains roughly 30 percent lower than it was before the pandemic. Attendance is especially low in metropolitan areas like London, New York, and San Francisco with large shares of knowledge-economy workers and expensive housing. In these markets, when employees do go into the office, the primary reason is to connect with their teams.

But can remote work be productive work? That depends on whom you ask. Eighty-three percent of employees we surveyed cite the ability to work more efficiently and productively as a primary benefit of working remotely. Our research indicates that even fully remote companies   with the right operating models can outperform their in-person peers  on organizational health. But many companies see this quite differently : only half of HR leaders say employee productivity is a primary benefit of working remotely.

According to Nicholas Bloom, the William Eberle Professor of Economics at Stanford University and a senior fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, there is a productivity benefit from what he calls “ well-organized hybrid ” work environments. In this scenario, everybody comes into the office on the same days, allowing employees to maximize their time together. When you factor in the time saved from not having to commute, as well as the benefit of working in a quieter and more controlled home environment, the result, says Bloom, is a productivity improvement of up to 5 percent . (Of course, some homes are quieter and more controlled than others.)

Who values workplace flexibility the most? The majority of employees say that the opportunity to work remotely is a top company benefit. Both women and men cite less fatigue and burnout as a benefit of hybrid and remote work. But women, particularly those with childcare duties, continue to prize it more. In fact, 38 percent  of mothers with young children say that without workplace flexibility they would have had to reduce their work hours or leave their companies.

Many organizations are still trying to find the right balance as they attempt to create true hybrid work models. This may be because they are hesitant to expend the financial and leadership resources necessary to create magnetic and inclusive work environments. But the potential upsides—including real estate savings, a more diverse and inclusive workforce, and improved employee satisfaction and performance—may be well worth the effort .

Articles referenced include:

• Women in the Workplace 2023 , October 2023
• How hybrid work has changed the way people work, live, and shop , July 2023
• Is your workplace ready for flexible work? A survey offers clues , June 2023
• Forward Thinking on how to get remote working right with Nicholas Bloom , February 2023

When the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered workplaces nationwide, society was plunged into an unplanned experiment in work from home. Nearly two-and-a-half years on, organizations worldwide have created new working norms  that acknowledge that flexible work is no longer a temporary pandemic response but an enduring feature of the modern working world.

About the survey

This article is based on a 25-minute, online-only Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of McKinsey between March 15 and April 18, 2022. A sample of 25,062 adults aged 18 and older from the continental United States, Alaska, and Hawaii was interviewed online in English and Spanish. To better reflect the population of the United States as a whole, post hoc weights were made to the population characteristics on gender, age, race/ethnicity, education, region, and metropolitan status. Given the limitations of online surveys, 1 “Internet surveys,” Pew Research Center. it is possible that biases were introduced because of undercoverage or nonresponse. People with lower incomes, less education, people living in rural areas, or people aged 65 and older are underrepresented among internet users and those with high-speed internet access.

The third edition of McKinsey’s American Opportunity Survey  provides us with data on how flexible work fits into the lives of a representative cross section of workers in the United States. McKinsey worked alongside the market-research firm Ipsos to query 25,000 Americans in spring 2022 (see sidebar, “About the survey”).

The most striking figure to emerge from this research is 58 percent. That’s the number of Americans who reported having the opportunity to work from home at least one day a week. 1 Many of the survey questions asked respondents about their ability or desire to “work from home.” “Work from home” is sometimes called “remote work,” while arrangements that allow for both remote and in-office work are often interchangeably labeled “hybrid” or “flexible” arrangements. We prefer the term flexible, which acknowledges that home is only one of the places where work can be accomplished and because it encompasses a variety of arrangements, whereas hybrid implies an even split between office and remote work. Thirty-five percent of respondents report having the option to work from home five days a week. What makes these numbers particularly notable is that respondents work in all kinds of jobs, in every part of the country and sector of the economy, including traditionally labeled “blue collar” jobs that might be expected to demand on-site labor as well as “white collar” professions.

About the authors

This article is a collaborative effort by André Dua , Kweilin Ellingrud , Phil Kirschner , Adrian Kwok, Ryan Luby, Rob Palter , and Sarah Pemberton as part of ongoing McKinsey research to understand the perceptions of and barriers to economic opportunity in America. The following represents the perspectives of McKinsey’s Real Estate and People & Organizational Performance Practices.

Another of the survey’s revelations: when people have the chance to work flexibly, 87 percent of them take it. This dynamic is widespread across demographics, occupations, and geographies. The flexible working world was born of a frenzied reaction to a sudden crisis but has remained as a desirable job feature for millions. This represents a tectonic shift in where, when, and how Americans want to work and are working.

The following six charts examine the following:

• the number of people offered flexible working arrangements either part- or full-time
• how many days a week employed people are offered and do work from home
• the gender, age, ethnicity, education level, and income of people working or desiring to work flexibly
• which occupations have the greatest number of remote workers and how many days a week they work remotely
• how highly employees rank flexible working arrangements as a reason to seek a new job
• impediments to working effectively for people who work remotely all the time, part of the time, or not at all

Flexible work’s implications for employees and employers—as well as for real estate, transit, and technology, to name a few sectors—are vast and nuanced and demand contemplation.

1. Thirty-five percent of job holders can work from home full-time, and 23 percent can do so part-time

A remarkable 58 percent of employed respondents—which, extrapolated from the representative sample, is equivalent to 92 million people from a cross section of jobs and employment types—report having the option to work from home for all or part of the week. After more than two years of observing remote work and predicting that flexible working would endure  after the acute phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, we view these data as a confirmation that there has been a major shift in the working world and in society itself.

We did not ask about flexible work in our American Opportunity Survey in past years, but an array of other studies indicate that flexible working has grown by anywhere from a third to tenfold since 2019. 1 Rachel Minkin et al., “How the coronavirus outbreak has—and hasn’t—changed the way Americans work,” Pew Research Center, December 9, 2020; “Telework during the COVID-19 pandemic: Estimates using the 2021 Business Response Survey,” US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Monthly Labor Review, March 2022.

Thirty-five percent of respondents say they can work from home full-time. Another 23 percent can work from home from one to four days a week. A mere 13 percent of employed respondents say they could work remotely at least some of the time but opt not to.

Forty-one percent of employed respondents don’t have the choice. This may be because not all work can be done remotely  or because employers simply demand on-site work. Given workers’ desire for flexibility, employers may have to explore ways to offer the flexibility employees want  to compete for talent effectively.

2. When offered, almost everyone takes the opportunity to work flexibly

The results of the survey showed that not only is flexible work popular, with 80 million Americans engaging in it (when the survey results are extrapolated to the wider population), but many want to work remotely for much of the week when given the choice.

Eighty-seven percent of workers offered at least some remote work embrace the opportunity and spend an average of three days a week working from home. People offered full-time flexible work spent a bit more time working remotely, on average, at 3.3 days a week. Interestingly, 12 percent of respondents whose employers only offer part-time or occasional remote work say that even they worked from home for five days a week. This contradiction appears indicative of a tension between how much flexibility employers offer and what employees demand .

3. Most employees want flexibility, but the averages hide the critical differences

There’s remarkable consistency among people of different genders, ethnicities, ages, and educational and income levels: the vast majority of those who can work from home do so. In fact, they just want more flexibility: although 58 percent of employed respondents say they can work from home at least part of the time, 65 percent of employed respondents say they would be willing to do so all the time.

However, the opportunity is not uniform: there was a large difference in the number of employed men who say they were offered remote-working opportunities (61 percent) and women (52 percent). At every income level, younger workers were more likely than older workers to report having work-from-home opportunities.

People who could but don’t work flexibly tend to be older (19 percent of 55- to 64-year-olds offered remote work didn’t take it, compared with 12 to 13 percent of younger workers) or have lower incomes (17 percent of those earning $25,000 to $74,999 per year who were offered remote work didn’t take it, compared with 10 percent of those earning over $75,000 a year). While some workers may choose to work on-site because they prefer the environment, others may feel compelled to because their home environments are not suitable, because they lack the skills and tools to work remotely productively, or because they believe there is an advantage to being on-site. Employers should be aware that different groups perceive and experience remote work differently and consider how flexible working fits with their diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies .

4. Most industries support some flexibility, but digital innovators demand it

The opportunity to work flexibly differs by industry and role within industries and has implications for companies competing for talent. For example, the vast majority of employed people in computer and mathematical occupations report having remote-work options, and 77 percent report being willing to work fully remotely. Because of rapid digital transformations across industries , even those with lower overall work-from-home patterns may find that the technologists they employ demand it.

A surprisingly broad array of professions offer remote-work arrangements. Half of respondents working in educational instruction and library occupations and 45 percent of healthcare practitioners and workers in technical occupations say they do some remote work, perhaps reflecting the rise of online education and telemedicine. Even food preparation and transportation professionals said they do some work from home.

5. Job seekers highly value having autonomy over where and when they work

The survey asked people if they had hunted for a job recently or were planning to hunt for one. Unsurprisingly, the most common rationale for a job hunt was a desire for greater pay or more hours, followed by a search for better career opportunities. The third-most-popular reason was looking for a flexible working arrangement.

Prior McKinsey research has shown that for those that left the workforce during the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, workplace flexibility was a top reason that they accepted new jobs . Employers should be aware that when a candidate is deciding between job offers with similar compensation, the opportunity to work flexibly can become the deciding factor.

6. Employees working flexibly report obstacles to peak performance

The survey asked respondents to identify what made it hard to perform their jobs effectively. Those working in a flexible model were most likely to report multiple obstacles, followed by those working fully remotely, and then by those working in the office. Our research doesn’t illuminate the cause and effect here: it could be that people who face barriers are more likely to spend some time working from home. It could also be that workers who experience both on-site and at-home work are exposed to the challenges of each and the costs of regularly switching contexts.

Some obstacles were reported at much higher rates by specific groups: for example, about 55 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds offered the option to work fully remotely say mental-health issues  impacted their ability to perform effectively, though only 17 percent of people aged 55 to 64 said the same. Workers with children at home  who were offered full-time remote-work options were far more likely than their peers without children to report that problems with physical health or a hostile work environment had a moderate or major impact on their job.

The results of the American Opportunity Survey reflect sweeping changes in the US workforce, including the equivalent of 92 million workers offered flexible work, 80 million workers engaged in flexible work, and a large number of respondents citing a search for flexible work as a major motivator to find a new job.

Competition for top performers and digital innovators demands that employers understand how much flexibility their talent pool is accustomed to and expects. Employers are wise to invest in technology, adapt policies, and train employees to create workplaces that integrate people working remotely and on-site (without overcompensating by requiring that workers spend too much time in video meetings ). The survey results identify obstacles to optimal performance that underscore a need for employers to support workers with issues that interfere with effective work. Companies will want to be thoughtful about which roles can be done partly or fully remotely—and be open to the idea that there could be more of these than is immediately apparent. Employers can define the right metrics and track them to make sure the new flexible model is working.

At a more macro level, a world in which millions of people no longer routinely commute has meaningful implications for the commercial core in big urban centers and for commercial real estate overall. Likewise, such a world implies a different calculus for where Americans will live and what types of homes they will occupy. As technology emerges that eliminates the residual barriers to more distributed and asynchronous work, it could become possible to move more types of jobs overseas, with potentially significant consequences.

In time, the full impact of flexible working will be revealed. Meanwhile, these data give us early insight into how the working world is evolving.

For more on the imperative for flexible work and how organizations can respond, please see McKinsey.com/featured-insights/ Future-of-the-workplace .

André Dua is a senior partner in McKinsey’s Miami office;  Kweilin Ellingrud is a senior partner in the Minneapolis office;  Phil Kirschner is a senior expert in the New York office, where Adrian Kwok is an associate partner and Ryan Luby is a senior expert; Rob Palter is a senior partner in the Toronto office; and Sarah Pemberton is a manager in the Hong Kong office.

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Research: Flexible Work Can Dampen Motivation

by Laura M. Giurge and Kaitlin Woolley

Summary .   

Whether you’re balancing a day job with caregiving responsibilities, working on a side hustle, or just looking for more autonomy over your schedule, flexible work can be a boon for employees. However, recent research suggests that it can also come with a hidden cost: A series of studies with almost 2,000 employees and students found that working at non-standard times significantly reduced people’s intrinsic motivation, making work less motivating and enjoyable. The good news is, the authors also identified an effective intervention to enable workers to reap the benefits of flexible work without sacrificing their intrinsic motivation. By shifting their mindsets to normalize working during traditionally non-working hours, employees and students were able to stay motivated even when working on weekends or holidays. Based on these findings, the authors recommend tactics such as customizing your calendar display, installing an app to notify you when it’s work time, or simply reminding yourself to focus on the benefits of flexibility, to make working when you want to work more palatable — even if it goes against default social norms.

Flexible work is here to stay. A 2019 survey found that 80% of workers would prefer to work for a company that offers flexible work schedules — and the pandemic has only intensified this trend, with employees in every industry embracing the option to work when and where they want to. This has been hugely beneficial for many people, especially for those balancing work with caregiving responsibilities, side hustles, or even just a demanding personal life. However, our recent research suggests that alongside the benefits, there may also be a hidden downside to flexible work.

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Unmasking the other face of flexible working practices: a systematic literature review.

• • Only one-third of studies sampled reflect evidence of concerns with downsides.
• • FWP consists of remote, spatiotemporal, on-demand and self-directed work.
• • FWP poses multi-dimensional risks that are socio-cultural and socio-technical.
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Flexible and hybrid working practices in 2023

Our research explores employer and employee perspectives of flexible and hybrid working practices and asks whether organisations are doing enough to meet employee demand

While our research showed an increase in requests for flexible and hybrid working, and that three-fifths of employers already offer this, we also found that there’s unmet demand for varying types of flexible working. Considering that 6% of employees changed jobs last year due to a lack of options – and 12% left their profession/sector altogether – it is essential for employers to increase both formal and informal flexible working arrangements to improve staff retention and attract the best talent.

The UK Government’s proposal to make the right to request flexible working from day one, rather than after 26 weeks of employment, is likely to further escalate the amount of flexible working requests from employees. But our research shows 49% of organisations were unaware of the impending changes. 

While a myth persists that flexible and hybrid working is only suitable for certain industries, an increase in access to different forms of flexibility, including different start and finish times, compressed hours, job-shares, the ability to swap shifts, etc, will help organisations offer better options to their employees, regardless of their job role or sector they work in.

This report explores the current state of flexible and hybrid working practices from both an employer and employee perspective, providing insights into the wider impact on productivity, performance, employee engagement, wellbeing, organisational culture, and equality, diversity and inclusion. 

While these findings are based on UK data, the broader trends and implications should be of interest wherever you are based.

Key findings: Flexible working 

We’ve seen an increase in requests for flexible working .

• Two-fifths (40%) have seen an increase in requests for flexible working following the pandemic.
• A growing number of organisations (66% versus 56% in a similar CIPD survey in 2022) believe that it is important to provide flexible working as an option when advertising jobs. They see this as a key way of attracting staff and addressing skill or labour shortages. 
• A third (33%) say that most (76–100%) of their advertised jobs make it clear flexible working is an option. But a fifth (22%) say that none of their advertised roles do this.
• Around two-fifths (39%) say they will be more likely to grant requests for flexible working, besides working from home, compared with before the pandemic. 

A growing number of employers are offering a day one right to request flexible working

• Forty-nine per cent of organisations were not aware of the proposed UK Government change to make the right to request flexible working from day one rather than after 26 weeks of employment.
• However, 39% of organisations already offer a day one right to request flexible working (up from 36% in a similar CIPD survey last year) and 14% now plan to introduce this before the legislation change.

Three-fifths of employees have flexible working arrangements 

• Three-fifths (60%) say they have flexible working arrangements in their current role. This has jumped from 51% who said this in a similar CIPD survey last year. 

Job satisfaction is greater for those with both formal and informal flexible working arrangements 

• Almost half (44%) of employees with flexible working arrangements describe this as informal. More than a fifth (23%) describe it as formal, with a further 30% describing their arrangements as a combination of formal and informal. 
• Employees with a mixture of formal and informal flexible working arrangements are more satisfied with their job overall, their line manager and opportunities to progress. Those with only informal flexibility are more satisfied with their work–life balance and control over work. 
• Only around half of employees feel comfortable asking their employer for informal (53%) or formal working arrangements (47%). 

There’s unmet demand for types of flexible working

• Working from home on a regular basis (37%) and informal flexibility (31%) are the most common types of flexibility employees report. 
• However, when asked what arrangements people would use in their roles, the highest number would like a four-day week (46%), informal flexibility (40%), flexitime (39%) and working from home on a regular/ad hoc basis (39%). 

Flexibility for front-line roles is important

• Sixty-five per cent of organisations provide some kind of flexibility to their front-line workers. 
• The most popular type of flexibility is in start and finish times (46%), with a third providing flexibility in scheduling of shifts/rotas. Almost a third (31%) provide the ability to swap shifts with colleagues.

A lack of flexibility is prompting job and career changes for some

• Six per cent of employees say they have left a job in the last year specifically due to a lack of flexible working, and 12% have changed their careers/profession due to a lack of flexible working options within the sector. This represents almost 2 million and 4 million workers respectively (based on calculations: 32.95 million people are currently in employment in the UK. 6% = 1,977,000, 12% = 3,954,000.)
• This has jumped from 4% and 9% in a similar survey a year ago. 
• Employees with a disability or long-term health condition are significantly more likely to say this (21% and 32%).

Flexible working is pivotal when looking for new roles

• When thinking about a new role, 71% say being able to have a flexible working pattern is important to them and 69% say the ability to work remotely is important. 
• Employees also highlight flexible working (53%) and remote working (53%) as key when considering a new job, only overtaken in importance by pay and benefits (77%).

Key findings: Hybrid working

Organisations are taking varied approaches to hybrid .

• Eighty-three per cent of organisations have hybrid working in place. Forty-five per cent have a formal policy, 24% take an informal approach, and 13% are developing policies through learning/trialling.
• Over half (52%) require hybrid working employees to be in the workplace for a minimum number of days in the working week/month, while 46% do not.
• Employees are most likely to be required in the workplace for two (35%) or three (33%) days a week. 

There’s been an increase in demand for homeworking

• Almost half (46%) of employers say the number of people wanting to work from home has increased over the last 12 months. Just 5% say it has decreased.
• Around three-fifths (59%) say that they can easily support the number of people wanting to work from home, yet a fifth (21%) are struggling to support this. This is particularly the case in the public sector (28%) (private: 20%; voluntary: 12%).

Organisational productivity remains positive

• Almost two-fifths (38%) of organisations say that more home/hybrid working has increased their organisation’s productivity/efficiency. Just 13% say it has decreased their organisation’s productivity/efficiency. This shows an increase in the net satisfaction score (2023: +25; 2021: +23; 2020: +10).
• Employee productivity also remains positive, with almost half (46%) thinking that employees in their organisation are generally more productive when they are working from home/in a hybrid way. This has increased from 43% in a similar CIPD survey in 2021. 

Organisations continue to invest in hybrid working

• A fifth (20%) of organisations are seeking to put in place additional measures or investment to enable more hybrid or homeworking in the next six to 12 months. 
• Organisations are looking to implement a range of measures of support – most notably making their offices more collaborative spaces (44%), a greater investment in the quality (40%) and quantity (40%) of technology, and more line manager training (38%).

Wider impact of hybrid working

When looking at the wider impact of hybrid working, employers are most likely to say it has brought a positive impact for:

• attraction and retention of talent (+61) 
• ability to recruit from a wider geography in the UK (+62)
• ability to recruit a more diverse workforce (+53)
• employee financial wellbeing (+53).

They are most likely to say it has brought a negative impact for:

• employee connection to organisation purpose (−21)
• ability of managers to lead teams effectively (−18)
• the culture of the organisation (−3).

Employers are more concerned about inclusion risks than employees

• Thirty-nine per cent of employers are concerned about inclusion risks if employees move to home or hybrid working. 
• Just 20% of employees are concerned about being treated less favourably if they work from home/in a hybrid way, compared with colleagues always in the workplace. 

Employers are split on whether there is pressure for employees to spend more time in the workplace

• Forty per cent of employers say there is a great deal/fair amount of pressure for employees to spend more time in the workplace, while 48% say there is not very much pressure or no pressure.
• For those experiencing pressure, the highest proportion (56%) say it is coming from senior leaders, and the main reasons are: thinking that being in the office improves connections and relationships (57%); people collaborate better in person (55%); and being in the office makes people more engaged (47%).

Read our 4 case studies to find out how other organisations are managing flexible and hybrid working:

• Zenith: Supporting and engaging leaders to balance the needs of the customer, team and colleagues
• Principality Building Society: Listen, learn and adapt
• Pearson: Embracing flexible working to future proof the business
• Scottish Water:  Promoting work-life balance through flexible working

Tackling barriers to work today whilst creating inclusive workplaces of tomorrow.

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FLEXIBLE WORKING ARRANGEMENTS - CURRENT CONDITIONS AND RESEARCH DIRECTIONS

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Insights / Human Resources / Article

The secret to productive employees a radical shift in work flexibility, radical flexibility — giving employees flexibility not just when and where they work, but also with whom, on what and how much — helps employees feel autonomous., it also fuels performance..

By Jordan Turner  |  4-Minute Read  |  April 20, 2023

Big Picture: Work Flexibility

Employees want to feel autonomous in their work — which happens when they’re provided radical flexibility not just over when and where they work, but also with whom, on what and how much they work. Radical flexibility also drives performance. The challenge for HR? Balancing the tension between ensuring employee productivity, while providing employees a choice of flexible work options.

Download Toolkit:   Get Ahead of the 2023 Future of Work Trends

Key Takeaways Impacting Employee Productivity

The desire for flexibility is here to stay.

Employees, white collar or not, want more flexibility than their organizations currently offer. They’re seeking what the best organizations provide: flexibility in who employees work with, what they work on and how much they work.

Sixty percent of employees expect to work remotely at least once a week, compared to only 38% who reported doing so before the pandemic.

Flexibility is not reserved for one type of job or industry. Both white-collar and non-white-collar employees want — and receive — proportionally similar rates of flexibility. But both groups want more flexibility than their organizations currently offer.

Download eBook : 3 Strategic Priorities for HR Leaders

Radical flexibility fuels performance

When HR leaders reframe flexibility around a whole person’s identity and life experience , they make employees feel understood, autonomous, valued, cared for and invested in their organizations. When you generate these emotions in employees, both the organization and the human beings that comprise them, win.

When organizations deliver radical flexibility, compared with delivering flexibility only around when and where employees work, the percentage of employees defined as high performers increases by 40%.

Performance improves in part because radical flexibility provides employees with a much-needed sense of autonomy, and in part because it dramatically reduces the risk of burnout.

HR must ensure productivity while providing choice

In offering radical flexibility, HR leaders must balance productivity with employee choice. When managed poorly, it can reduce the ability for team collaboration, lead to inequity and be an inconsistent experience.

The best organizations manage the natural tension between ensuring employee productivity and providing them a choice of flexible work options, with responsibilities. 

Set expectations, boundaries and team norms around how to be productive in a flexible environment when employees’ schedules, personal needs and home environments differ.

The Story Behind the Radical Flexibility Research

“HR leaders can make all dimensions of flexibility more inclusive — even the “when” and “where” — by focusing on the activities of a role, rather than the role itself. While most organizations provide opportunities for flexibility based on employees’ roles, focusing on activities that comprise a role instead can reveal hidden opportunities for flexibility in all roles, even those that are commonly considered ineligible.”

Emily Rose McRae

Senior Director in Gartner’s HR practice

Podcast: The Secrets to Implementing a Successful Hybrid Work Model

3 Things to Tell Your Peers

1.  To increase team alignment and collaboration, give employees choices about where, when and how they work within team-established boundaries.

2.  To increase inclusivity, break each role down into its respective activities, then determine the activities that can be flexible.

3.  Scale flexible work practices by providing a virtual space for managers of remote teams to share best practices and learn from one another.

Connect and Learn from Peers:   Join the Peer Insights Community

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Emily Rose McRae  leads the Future of Work and Talent Analytics research teams in Gartner's HR Practice. While McRae works across all issues that can lead to the future of work, her core areas of focus include emerging technologies and their impact on work and the workforce, new employment models, market and demographic shifts, and workforce planning to anticipate and prepare for these changes.

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