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Between the rise of quiet quitting, the evolution of hybrid work, and concerns about artificial intelligence, we live in tumultuous times. In order to retain talent, its important for leaders to adapt to the changing needs of their employee population. This is a particularly large challenge at the moment since it requires understanding and supporting very different groups. There are currently five different generations from all walks of life in the workplace. They have a wide range of preferences when it comes to money management, lifestyle, and retirement goals. Finding ways to better understand and engage with the needs of unique employee segments can enhance recruitment and retainment efforts. In fact, our research shows that 91% of employees would be interested in changing jobs and 89% interested in keeping their jobs to gain access to the financial benefits they need. Below are three ways to increase engagement through workplace benefits while fostering a workplace culture that addresses various employee financial goals and needs. 1. Make sure your benefits meet your employees’ specific needs Fair pay, retirement income, and financial guidance may seem like universal demands, but employees come to the table with varying exposure to workplace benefits or financial planning, not to mention different goalsand thus may require different support. For example, Generation Z officially outnumbered the baby boomer generation in 2024. Many Gen Zers are likely experiencing benefits for the very first time. Meanwhile, the sandwich generationemployees caring for both aging parents and growing childrenis the fastest growing employee segment and likely needs additional support. Additionally, women with children (35%) are about twice as likely as men with children (18%) to say they declined or delayed a promotion due to family obligations. Look for opportunities to provide support for their range of financial needs. For example, student loan repayment programs can help finance an education, emergency savings accounts can prepare your employees for an unexpected expense, and retirement savings vehicles like 401(k) can help your employees reach long-term financial goals. For complex issues, consider connecting your employees with a financial coach or advisor. Our research at Morgan Stanley shows that only about four in 10 diverse high earners use a financial advisor or wealth manager, yet those who do feel more positive about their finances. At the end of the day, keeping pace with the needs and experiences of all employee segments can support a more financially healthy and engaged workforce. 2. Use equity compensation as a retention tool According to our research, equity compensation is growing in popularity: three in four HR leaders (76%) reported that their companies are offering some form of equity compensation, up four percentage points year-over-year, and 12% since 2021. Offering equity compensation can help strengthen teams, attract talent, and keep companies competitive in todays dynamic environment. It gives employees the opportunity to benefit from the company’s success and potentially increase their net worth. Additionally, it motivates employees to adopt a collective mindset and invest in the success of the companyemphasizing the shared purpose of your organization and uniting all employers behind a common goal and culture. The benefits of equity compensation reach beyond the employee: Equity can help you better reach business goals like recruiting top executives to hit a specific target or promoting company values. Our research shows that most HR leaders (95%) and employees (80%) agree that equity compensation is the most effective way to keep employees engaged. 3. Ensure your benefits education program meets different groups where they are Benefits are no use to employees if they dont know about them. Consider diversifying your communication strategy by using multiple channels to meet participants where they are: Data shows that baby boomers tend to prefer to learn about benefits through in-person conversations, Gen X employees through online resources, millennial employees through video and podcast content, and Gen Z employees through social media. Our research shows that most employees (80%) believe their company needs to do a better job helping them understand how to maximize the financial benefits offered. Maintain a thoughtful cadence of communication throughout the year. Use various channels such as SMS text, chats, webinars, conference calls, and virtual meetings. Create a library of educational content such as articles, on-demand videos, and virtual classes on your employee intranet, so that employees can easily locate whats relevant to them. Financial education can help employees connect the dots between their workplace benefits and their individual financial needs.
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E-Commerce
Theres a growing fear that artificial intelligence will soon replace human talent. While its undeniable that AI will impact the labor market, as with any disruptive technology, a closer look reveals a differentand far more empoweringfuture. Rather than displacing highly skilled professionals, AI is setting the stage for knowledge workers to transition from individual contributors into high-leverage managers, directing teams of AI agents that can execute tasks with breathtaking efficiency. Rather than consign the expertise and creativity of humans into irrelevance, AI will make it all the more essential, as humans direct and guide AI agents toward the ideal outcome. AI as High-Performing Team Members Todays AI systems are already demonstrating mastery in tasks ranging from data analysis and report generation to complex decision-making in finance, legal research, and the creative industries. In many of the sectors mentioned, this capability emerged only in the past few years, as generative AI became a viable and mature tool for businesses. Agentic AI is the next logical step, wherein AI isnt a tool that assists a human worker but one that acts alongside them with a degree of autonomy. In effect, digital agents are becoming the new breed of employees: competent, consistent, and ever-improving, with the ability to work around the clock and to ingest vast quantities of data in a matter of seconds. You can understand the fear this provokes. AI agents have the abilityat least, in their realm of operationsto be faster, better, and cheaper than humans. But even the best talent needs a manager. And managers with the most high-flying players on their team are the most effective in the organization. The future belongs to professionals who channel AIs capabilities into results that are exponentially better than what any one person could achieve alone. Leading AI Through Technical Management This begs the question: What does it mean to be a manager of AI agents? The truth is that effective management has always required a dual set of skills, whether were talking about people or, indeed, AI systems. On one hand, theres people managementthe art and science of understanding human behavior, motivation, and emotions. Although AI lacks that emotional depth, effective collaboration with AI agents requires certain soft skills, like the ability to set expectations and provide clear, unambiguous instruction. On the other hand, management also means organizing, delegating, and ensuring that systems are in place to execute a strategic vision. This isnt just about setting a direction; its about verifying that every task contributes toward delivering a shared goal. These abilities (tactical oversight, process optimization, and strategic judgment) are specialized skills that dont easily transfer among different domains. Its one reason why a stellar sales manager might struggle if suddenly tasked with running an engineering team, and why an esteemed product manager might struggle to motivate a sales team. In a world where AI agents work alongside us, these two facets of management become even more critical. While AI can execute many tasks with remarkable speed and precision, a manager guiding a team of AI agents must both understand the intricate mechanics of the technology and appreciate the human elements of collaboration to work with other human peers who are managing AI systems. The common notion that great managers need to be skilled only in people management, without truly grasping how the work is done, misses the mark entirely. Anyone whos experienced a manager disconnected from the practical realities of the job will tell you that true leadership demands a hands-on understanding combined with a clear vision. Revisiting the Job Displacement Myth Some worry that as AI becomes more capable, well need far fewer humans in the workforce, which will ultimately lead to mass unemployment. The counter-argument to this common claim is known as Jevons paradox: the idea that increases in efficiency can paradoxically lead to even greater overall demand. While AI might take over tasks that human beings currently do in the workplace, the gains in efficiency in certain tasks will increase the need for human operators (and the human touch) in other ways. The mistake people continually mistake is assuming that the demand for humans (and human skills) is elastic only in one directiondown. That weve reached a ceiling for the usefulness of the collective human race and, over time, that ceiling will get lower and lower. If we embrace the possibility that a single person managing AI could deliver outputs far beyond what we see today, we arent looking at a future with fewer opportunities. Similarly, the industrial revolution replaced countless manual jobs, particularly in sectors like garment manufacturing, but at the same time it led to a historic explosion of wealth that continues to this day, although, admittedly, unevenly shared. It led to lower prices for many staples of living, not to mention luxuries, which in turn raised our standard of living. The current wave of AI pessimism ignores previous historical trends. Its equally plausible that the productivity boost of AI will unlock entirely new opportunitiesnew markets, industries, and innovative productsthat we cant even imagine now. While some jobs might be displaced, others may emerge in the economy that offset that loss. AI agent managers are just one example. So, How Do We Get Ready for This Shift? Ive been careful not to minimize the pain that a transition to an AI-centered economy will bring. Just like the industrial revolution brought its own short-term displacement, the same will happen here, but with nowhere near the force and system shock that came with the full-blown mechanization of human labor. I believe AIs path will be slower and more deliberate, and that there are many steps we can take along the way to make the transition much smoother. First, lets talk about education. Universities are great at producing academics, but they dont necessarily provide vocational and professional skills. A computer science program will teach you about algorithms, but it might not cover things like GitHub and Docker. As we transition to an AI-powered workforce, its likely well need to shift the emphasis away from academics and toward practical, real-world skills. These are the skills that were, in many parts of the world, once provided by polytechnic institutes and are now offered by community colleges in the United States. I would argue that we need more of them, and to treat them with greater esteem. For the current workforce, companies need to make AI literacy part of their playbook, inculcating it within existing workers and incorporating it into their onboarding processes. Training should be provided evenly, from the most junior hires to the C-suite. The companies that start from the outset with an AI-enabled, AI-aware workforce will be those that thrive during this period. And for individuals, especially those in jobs most vulnerable to being disrupted by AI, this is the time to take action. The best thing you can do? Start learning. Not everyone needs to become a software engineer, but understanding AI tools, getting comfortable with digital workflows, and building problem-solving skills will make all the difference. But heres the catch: Its not just about knowing how to use AI. Its about knowing enough to question it. AI is powerful, but its not perfect. Blindly accepting AI-generated outputs without understanding the logic behind them, or the limitations of the models themselves, is a recipe for disaster. Its also, fundamentally, the definition of AI illiteracy. Ultimately, the role of an AI agent manager will be to push back against their employees from time to time. The professionals who thrive in this new era will be those who keep their critical thinking skills sharp and who can evaluate AIs suggestions, knowing when to trust it and when to override it. The good news? Theres no shortage of ways to level up: free courses, employer-led training, AI boot camps, and self-guided learning. The resources are there, but you have to take the first step. The future belongs to those who adaptand those who think critically.
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E-Commerce
For decades, human organs, some of the most fragile cargo imaginable, have been transported on ice. Not because it was the best method, but because thats how it had always been done. A process with life-or-death consequences remained unchanged simply out of habit. I didnt fully grasp the flaws in this system until I experienced it firsthand. I saw the gaps in coordination, the last-minute scrambles, and the life-altering consequences of relying on outdated methods. But identifying a problem isnt the same as knowing how to fix it. Innovation happens when leaders refuse to accept the way its always been done. It happens when they show up, ask questions, and stay immersed in their industry long enough to see the gaps that others overlook. Research proves this: Founders with at least 3 years of industry experience are nearly twice as likely to succeed as those without it. What numbers dont show Before developing Paragonixs organ preservation technology, I spent years traveling with transplant teams, standing in operating rooms, and observing every step of the process. I experienced how outdated transport methods created uncertainty, how communication breakdowns led to preventable delays, and how every inefficiency had real consequences for patients. Numbers tell part of the story, but experience fills in the gaps. More than 103,000 people in the U.S. are waiting for an organ transplant, and every 8 minutes, another person is added to the list. A spreadsheet can track transplant success rates, but it wont capture a patients anxiety as they wait, unsure if a life-saving organ will arrive in time. Data can show transit times, but it wont reflect the pressure on a transplant team racing against the clock, knowing that every lost minute could mean losing a life. Many well-intentioned ideas fall apart because of this gap between analysis and reality. Harvard Business School professor Tom Eisenmann calls this pattern a false start when founders launch solutions before fully understanding the problems theyre trying to solve. His research shows that many entrepreneurs, eager to launch, skip the critical step of customer discovery and assume theyll figure out the details as they go. Turn immersion into innovation The most effective solutions come from understanding the problem in practiceseeing it, feeling it, and engaging with the people who experience it every day. That doesnt stop once a company is built. I travel with our sales reps, visit transplant centers, and speak directly with the people using our technology because thats the only way to understand whats working and whats not. Staying embedded in an industry provides the knowledge to innovate, but making a real impact requires persistence. Here are three things Ive learned: Expect resistance and keep going Even with overwhelming evidence, people still doubt new ideas. Research shows that controlled organ preservation improves outcomes, yet resistance remains. Some pushback strengthens a solution, but not all criticism is useful. The closer you are to the problem, the easier it is to separate valid concerns from reluctance to adapt. Staying in the field provides the conviction to push forward when others hesitate and the clarity to know what feedback is worth acting on. Listen for whats not being said People dont always voice their biggest frustrations. A transplant team might say a process works, but watching them tells a different story. For decades, organs packed in ice could only travel so far before becoming unusable, which forced teams to work within tight geographic boundaries. These limitations were simply accepted as part of the job. Real insights come from noticing inefficiencies and workarounds that shouldnt exist. Leaders who look beyond whats being said are the ones who recognize opportunities for real innovation. Identify patterns, not just problems Not every problem needs fixing, but when the same inefficiencies surface again and again, theyre worth a closer look. For years, transplant teams worked around unpredictable organ arrival times. They developed contingency plans, adjusted schedules at the last minute, and braced for delays. Real-time tracking wasnt the result of a single brainstorming sessionit came from recognizing a repeated problem. The best insights start with paying attention to the patterns others ignore. You cant spot a breakthrough from behind a desk. No matter the industry, meaningful innovation starts with questioning what others accept, seeing the problem firsthand, and refusing to look away. The Fast Company Impact Council is a private membership community of influential leaders, experts, executives, and entrepreneurs who share their insights with our audience. Members pay annual membership dues for access to peer learning and thought leadership opportunities, events and more.
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E-Commerce
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