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In HR, we’ve spent years chasing the “next big thing.” Remote work. Hybrid policies. AI adoption. Four-day weeks. Skills-based hiring. The list keeps growing. But what if we’ve been asking the wrong question?
In a recent conversation with Barry Winkless, Head of the Future of Work Institute at Cpl and author of Future Work World, we explored a more grounded and actionable perspective: The future of work isn’t about trends. It’s about intentional design.
Stop Chasing Trends. Start Designing Work.
Too many organisations are reacting to headlines rather than shaping their own path forward. Whether it’s adopting AI tools or debating hybrid policies, leaders often fall into the trap of copying what others are doing instead of asking:
What kind of organisation are we trying to build?
Barry offers a simple but powerful framework to answer that question—one that HR leaders can actually use:
1. Workplace – This is the environment where work happens. Physical, digital, and cultural.
2. Workforce – The people, skills, mindsets, and expectations that shape how work gets done.
3. Worktasks – The actual activities and processes—what people do day-to-day.
When these three elements are aligned by design, organisations move faster, engage people more effectively, and create a clearer sense of purpose.
When they’re not? You get friction, confusion, and disengagement.
HR’s Big Opportunity: From Policy Owners to Designers
This shift has big implications for HR.
For years, HR has been positioned as the function responsible for policies, compliance, and process. But in a world shaped by AI, shifting expectations, and talent shortages, that’s no longer enough.
HR leaders now have an opportunity—arguably a responsibility—to become designers of organisations.
That means:
- Designing employee experiences, not just managing them
- Crafting compelling employee value propositions (EVPs) rooted in reality
- Building systems where people and technology complement each other
- Creating environments where performance is measured by outcomes, not presence
It’s a fundamentally different mindset.
And it’s where the most forward-thinking HR teams are already heading.
The Retention Myth: Leaders Are Still Getting It Wrong
One of the most interesting parts of our conversation was around retention.
Despite all the data available, many leadership teams still misunderstand what keeps people engaged.
They over-index on perks and under-invest in:
- Meaningful work
- Clear expectations
- Growth opportunities
- Trust and autonomy
In other words, they focus on surface-level fixes rather than structural design.
Barry argues that organisations need to become destinations for talent, not just employers of convenience. That requires clarity, consistency, and honesty about what it’s really like to work there.
Flexible Work Isn’t the Debate You Think It Is
The conversation around flexible and hybrid work often gets stuck in binaries: office vs remote, control vs freedom.
But the real issue is deeper.
It’s about how organisations define performance.
Too many businesses still rely on visibility as a proxy for productivity. If they can see you, they assume you’re working.
That model doesn’t hold up anymore.
Instead, organisations need to design work around outputs, outcomes, and accountability—not presenteeism.
Hybrid work isn’t a policy decision. It’s a design challenge.
AI: Replacement or Augmentation?
AI continues to dominate conversations about the future of work, and rightly so.
But Barry reframes the debate in a way that cuts through the noise:
- It’s not about humans vs machines.
- It’s about how humans and machines work together.
Organisations that treat AI as a cost-cutting tool will miss the bigger opportunity.
Those that design workflows where AI augments human capability—freeing people up for higher-value work—will create a real competitive advantage.
Again, it comes back to design.
Cooperative Leadership and Shared Accountability
Another shift gaining momentum is the move away from traditional, hierarchical leadership models.
In their place, we’re seeing more cooperative leadership—where accountability is shared, decision-making is more distributed, and teams are empowered to act.
This requires:
- Greater transparency
- Stronger alignment around purpose
- Leaders who facilitate rather than control
It’s not easier. But it is more effective in complex, fast-changing environments.
Designing the Future with “Future Objects”
One of the more creative ideas Barry shared was the concept of “future objects.”
Instead of abstract strategies and vague ambitions, organisations can create tangible representations of the future they want to build—whether that’s a prototype experience, a redesigned role, or a new way of working.
These “objects” make strategy real. They help leaders and teams:
- Visualise change
- Test ideas earlier\
- Align more quickly
In a world where change is constant, that kind of clarity is invaluable.
Final Thoughts: The Future of Work Is a Leadership Discipline
If there’s one takeaway from this conversation, it’s this: The future of work isn’t something that happens to organisations. It’s something they design.
For HR leaders, that’s both a challenge and an opportunity. It means stepping beyond policies and processes and into the role of architect—shaping how work happens, how people experience it, and how organisations create value.
Because in the end, the organisations that win won’t be the ones that followed the trends. They’ll be the ones that designed their own future.
