SHRM, IOE and Seyfarth Host Convening on the Future of Work

GENEVA, Switzerland (July 7, 2023) – SHRM, the International Organisation of Employers (IOE) and Seyfarth Shaw LLP today convened experts, researchers, global leaders and workers in Geneva to discuss how global business leaders, civic organizations and policymakers can work together to secure the lives and livelihoods of the workers of today and tomorrow.  

 SHRM used the convening to announce its new Global Worker Project, which will focus on building a shared, human-centered understanding of the future of the workplace to inform policymakers worldwide through policy recommendations and best practices on how workers and employers can thrive.  

 “I am thrilled to be here in Geneva with thought leaders who share our goal of improving the lives and livelihoods of all workers through a human-centered approach,” said, Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., President and CEO of SHRM. “SHRM understands the future of the work is intrinsically linked to human potential. Empowering workers will enable employers to thrive and compete globally for the next 75 years.”  

 Seyfarth partners Camille A. Olson and Richard B. Lapp co-lead Seyfarth’s thought leadership with SHRM on the Global Worker Project and other global workplace policy issues.  

 “I am thrilled to convene with other thought leaders in Geneva to discuss and build on SHRM’s Global Worker Research that has just been completed and to use it and the insights of global leaders to build a more inclusive set of modern policies and initiatives that embrace and support the diverse workers in today’s global workplace,” Olson said.  

 During today’s event, SHRM provided a preview of results from recent research on the needs and desires of different worker types in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom and the United States. The worker types include full-time salaried employees, full-time hourly employees, part-time employees, temporary employees, and independent contractors/self-employed business owners.  

Key findings include:  

• More than 80% of all workers rate fair compensation, job security, workload manageability and flexibility to manage work and life issues as very or extremely important. 
• Many workers of all types hold down more than one job. This ranges from the predictable – 57% of independent workers – to the unexpected – 29% of full-time salaried employees work more than one job.  
• There are wide “satisfaction gaps” between the importance workers assign to key job features and their current level of satisfaction in those areas. A sampling: 

• Part-time employees experience a 52 percent point gap on fair compensation/pay.  
• Independent workers experience a 39 percent gap in their sense of job security/stability at work.  

• Full-time hourly employees experience a 35 percent point gap on their flexibility to manage work and life issues.  
• Full-time salaried employees experience a 34 percent point gap on their workload manageability.  
• Temporary employees experience a 27 percent point gap on their opportunity to do meaningful work.  

Keynote presenters at today’s convening included Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., President and CEO of SHRM; Roberto Suárez Santos, Secretary-General of the IOE; and Camille Olson, Partner at Seyfarth Shaw, LLP.  

Additional speakers and presenters included Emily M. Dickens, Chief of Staff and Head of Public Affairs at SHRM; Fabien Siguier, Executive Vice President of Human Resources for Adisseo; Denis Pennel, Managing Director of the World Employment Confederation; Laura Thompson, Assistant Director General for External & Corporate Relations at the ILO;  Michael Frosch, Senior Statistician at the ILO; Dr. Ivan Ivanov, Cross-Cutting Lead for Occupation and Workplace Health at the World Health Organization; and Luis Rodrigo Morales-Velez, Director for Industrial Relations at the IOE. Virtual remarks were provided by Gilbert F. Houngbo, Director-General of the ILO. 

“Since 2022, SHRM and Seyfarth Shaw have partnered to develop and build a shared, human-centered strategy for the future of the workplace to inform policymakers through research-based policy recommendations and proven practices on how workers and employers can grow and excel today and into the future,” Taylor said. “SHRM’s position as a global leader on all things work fits within the larger ‘lives and livelihoods’ and ‘human-centered approach’ narrative, to realize SHRM’s vision of a world of work that works for all.”  

In addition to releasing the full research report, the SHRM Global Worker Project plans to issue data-driven policy recommendations for employers and policymakers on a regular basis, and the project will make a presentation at the B20 Summit in India this August. Planning is also underway for a potential U.S. event later this year.  

SHRM creates better workplaces where employers and employees thrive together. As the voice of all things work, workers and the workplace, SHRM is the foremost expert, convener and thought leader on issues impacting today’s evolving workplaces. With nearly 325,000 members in 165 countries, SHRM impacts the lives of more than 235 million workers and families globally.  

The International Organisation of Employers (IOE) is the largest private sector network in the world, encompassing more than 50 million companies through 150 national employer organisations in over 140 countries. IOE is the sole representative of business in social and employment policy debates taking place at the International Labour Organization (ILO), the United Nations, G20 and other global forums.  

Seyfarth is a global law firm with more than 900 lawyers across 17 offices worldwide. Seyfarth has earned a reputation as a leader in labor and employment law, real estate, litigation and transactional legal services.