There has been an unprecedented set of challenges and opportunities for businesses to navigate during the pandemic. These include rapid technological revolutions, shifting global product and labor markets, an aging workforce, and growing skills gaps. “The pandemic has only exacerbated these forces, which are shifting the ways that businesses compete with each other and engage workers,” said Harvard Business School Professor William “Bill” Kerr. He recently joined Haworth Connect to discuss key issues for business leaders and creatives on global talent, and what to expect as the world emerges from the pandemic. “Asking the right questions is becoming a lot more important,” Bill said. “Whether it’s about global talent flows, your optimal kind of spatial layout for your company, or what technology is going to do to your workforce, just start by trying to ask the right questions and get the organization moving.” Bill is the co-director of Harvard’s Managing the Future of Work project and the faculty chair of the Launching New Ventures program for executive education. His 2018 book, The Gift of Global Talent: How Migration Shapes Business, Economy & Society, explores the global race for talent and how countries and businesses compete for highly skilled migrants. Talent Migration The big picture for most talent migration is the search for jobs and opportunities, much like dating in the marriage market. Workers are looking for something that is attractive—an employer that is going to help them build their knowledge and skills, while offering a sense of stability and a pathway to the future. “What can you provide for them, or what assurance can you give to help them understand that this is a place where they’re going to be able to grow, mature, and be more?” asked Bill, adding, “Arguably the biggest thing that we’ve got to make sure we have in the United States—as well as elsewhere—is some underlying faith or certainty that this is a good place to make that investment to be able to lay down roots.” So how can employers be more attractive to global, innovative thinkers? What Every Leader Needs to Know about Reactivating Their Office Space Learn more by downloading the Work from Anywhere white paper. DOWNLOAD THE WHITE PAPER