In Conversation with... James Davies

01/10/23 • 28 min

In the first episode of our ‘In Conversation with...’ podcast series for 2023, Lucy speaks to James Davies, Partner at Lewis Silkin LLP. James is a leading expert in employment law and speaks widely on issues relating to the future of work. He published his latest report on the future of work, “Eight drivers of change: 2022 and beyond” in November last year.

In this episode, James and Lucy explore the impact generational attitudes, particularly those of younger generations, are having on work and society more broadly and how that will influence the world of work in the years ahead.

Key takeaways from the conversation:

Generational attitudes and values are having a profound impact on the world of work

Generational attitudes, particularly those of younger generations, are impacting employer decision-making around the world. Employers, particularly in the US, must consider their stance on social and political issues as part of their value proposition.

Shifting generational values will lead to political change

Shifting attitudes are predicted to drive significant political change in the UK which could, in turn, dramatically influence the employment landscape, including in areas such as tax, immigration and labour relations.

Employers must act now to navigate the road ahead

To attract and retain the best people, employers will need to look outside traditional demographic and geographic recruitment pools and review their recruitment models. Employers need to recognise the importance of connecting organisational and employee sense of purpose.

Focus will shift to climate change and growing inequality

Climate change and inequality are likely to emerge as dominant societal and business critical issues in the years ahead and garner the attention and action they deserve from society, governments and employers.

You can read James’ report here.

Key takeaways from the conversation:

Generational attitudes and values are having a profound impact on the world of work

Shifting generational values will lead to political change

Employers must act now to navigate the road ahead

Focus will shift to climate change and growing inequality

You can read James’ report here.

Previous Episode

In Conversation with... Reflections on 2022

In our 2022 ‘In Conversation with...’ podcast series Lucy Lewis asked ten leading experts and thinkers to share their insights into what the future of work could hold.
In this final episode of 2022, Lucy reflects on the conversations she has had this year and draws together many of the insightful perspectives shared by her guests.
Lucy explores the key themes that emerged across her conversations. These touched on the role of trust in the workplace, the impact of shifting employee values across generations at work, the Great Resignation and the employee value proposition, the significant challenges of building skills for the future, and the continuing importance of diversity and inclusion.
Importantly Lucy considers what we’ve learned from these insights and explores what action we, collectively and as individuals, need to take as societies and businesses adjust to the rapidly changing world.
Finally, Lucy reflects on some of the fascinating responses she received to the question we asked all of our podcast guests this year: ‘If you had the power to ensure one change for the workplace of 2032, what would this be?’ Tune in to hear what they had to say!

Next Episode

In Conversation with... Penelope Mantzaris

In the second episode of our “In Conversation with...” podcast series for 2023, Partner Lucy Lewis speaks to Penelope Mantzaris, Senior Vice President at Edelman Data & Intelligence about trust and how it is evolving.

“Trust is the foundation that allows an organisation to take responsible risk and to innovate and, if it makes mistakes, to rebound from them”.

With the 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer hot off the press, Penelope and Lucy consider the role that trust has to play in an increasingly polarised society and what this means for employers.

Key takeaways from the conversation:

Factors such as distrust in the government, a lack of shared identity in communities and economic pessimism are leading to intense polarisation in society. However, trust in employers remains high.
Trust is local. People trust those that they have real interactions with like their neighbours, co-workers and the CEO of their own employer.
Consumers and employees are applying pressure to business, buying brands which match their values and choosing to work for companies that have a positive societal impact. CEO behaviour matters.
To build trust, leaders must place their trust in employees first, provide information about contentious issues and make employees feel comfortable voicing their opinions.
Businesses should use trusted voices at each level of the organisation, particularly if difficult decisions need to be taken.

For more on this topic, visit the Future of Work Hub.