2021 Global Human Capital Trends: Special report

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Four potential futures for the worker-employer relationship

In this special report, we explore several ways in which the worker-employer relationship could develop. Read the full report

Work as fashion

Employers are in constant motion as they chase worker sentiments, competitor actions, and marketplace dynamics. The relationship is REACTIVE: employers feel compelled to respond in the moment to workers’ expressed preferences and to competitor moves, without connecting those actions to a sustainable workforce strategy.

War between talent

Workers compete for limited jobs due to an oversupply of talent. This worker-employer relationship is IMPERSONAL: employers view workers as interchangeable and easily replaceable, and workers are more concerned with competing with each other for jobs than with the quality of their relationship with their employer.

Work is work

Workers and employers view organizational responsibility as largely separate from personal and social fulfillment. The relationship in this future is PROFESSIONAL: each depends on the other to fulfill work-related needs, but both expect that employees will find meaning and purpose outside work.

Purpose unleashed

Purpose is the dominant force driving the relationship between workers and employers. Their relationship is COMMUNAL: both workers and employers see shared purpose as the foundation of their relationship, viewing it as the most important tie that binds them together.

Charting your own course

We invite you to explore these future workplace scenarios to discover their potential risks, learn how to tell if you are in a particular one, and discover strategies for not only surviving but thriving no matter the relationship type. As you consider these potential futures, challenge yourself to avoid concluding that the coming years will accelerate the changes you already expect or believe are inevitable.