What will work look like as we move into 2022? Do managers and employees agree when it comes to what they both want? Who will decide?

There are two distinct differences cropping up in what employees say they want and how management feels about it. In a Harvard Business Review article “What Your Future Employees Want Most” by Tim Minahan, research from a study that included 2,000 knowledge workers and 500 HR directors in U.S. businesses with at least 500 employees reveals two discrepancies.

First, employees are saying they want flexible options. What does that mean?

88% of knowledge workers say that when searching for a new position, they will look for one that offers complete flexibility in their hours and location.

83% think due to the global talent shortage, companies will devise flexible work models to attract promising candidates no matter where they live.

And what does management think?

Management had different ideas. Only 66% agreed with the flexibility idea. There were additional things managers heard and had to consider.

76% of the workers believed that employees will be more likely to prioritize lifestyle over proximity to work, and will pursue jobs in locations where they can focus on both — even if it means taking a pay cut.

83% of employees think that workers will be more likely to move out of cities and other urban locations if they can work remotely, creating new work hubs in rural areas.

Second, Minahan found employees want to re-imagine how productivity is measured.

86% of employees said they would prefer to work for a company that prioritizes outcomes over output. They want to work for a company that cares less about the work output they are able to produce, and more about the impact they can deliver to the business.

How does management feel?

Only 50% of HR directors polled said their organization would be more productive as a whole if employees felt that their employer/senior management team trusted them to get the job done without monitoring their progress.

Nobody has a crystal ball. The study Minahan sited suggests that work will be a product of collaboration between employees and management. Management and employees alike will need to focus on the interests of all involved before rolling out options that may or may not develop and retain talent and contribute to an organization's growth and success.

When called upon to “say a few words”, even the most experienced speakers must deal with a butterfly or two, when they are totally unprepared. However, the most experienced speakers are only rarely totally unprepared. They anticipate the possibility that they will be called on and have at least mentally formed a few thoughts, and often rehearsed a brief presentation. That is usually the reason that some people can stand up when called upon and deliver a smooth, flowing, intelligent, apparently spontaneous speech that makes its points clearly and memorably.

Follow these 5 tips for successful impromptu speeches.

1. A Few Words. A few words should be just that—a few words! Rarely should they be more than five or ten minutes of words.
2. Delivery Techniques. While impromptu speeches are not formally prepared, you can take the techniques learned in preparing a presentation and use them in an impromptu situation. Stand when possible, otherwise sit up straight. Make eye contact with your audience, increase your volume and vocal inflection, pause for emphasis and use supportive gestures.
3. Organization. Most likely any impromptu presentation will concern a subject with which you are familiar, so you need only organize information and ideas that you already possess. If there is any possibility, no matter how remote, that you may be asked to say a few words at a meeting or gathering, have your thoughts organized. It is better to be prepared and not be called on than not to be prepared. The worst thing that will happen is that you will spend a little preparation time on a speech and then not use it. It is far easier to make a two-hour speech without preparation than a five or ten minute presentation. The brief speech needs ample preparation, time to gather the ideas and organize them into as few words as possible.
4. Every presentation needs an opening and closing, no matter how short. The opening can be short or a little longer, depending on how much think time you need. Remember, you think faster than you speak. Buy yourself some time.
5. Know Your Audience. What is the occasion? Who will be there? What are the most probable subjects? Who are the scheduled speakers? Who might be asked to say a few words? What are they likely to say? What are the most likely questions? Are there any known biases or positions? What are the controversial issues? How do others view you? What might you be asked? Observe what is going on around you and respond to it. Can you comment on something another speaker has said? Can you compliment the audience?

Use these five tips to be good at speaking on your feet. One final tip: don’t apologize. Say a few words and then sit down.

"We have changed. Work has changed. The way we think about time and space has changed," says Tsedal Neeley, a professor at Harvard Business School and author of the book Remote Work Revolution: Succeeding From Anywhere. 

How can we make sure if a change will achieve for us what we really want?

Visualization and the power it plays in helping us achieve our goals is the key. Proponents of visualization say if we are clear about what we want to bring into our lives, and we create and positively reflect on the mental picture of that thing, we will attract it to us. Many people have used this technique successfully to help achieve business and personal goals. It can be as simple as deciding on a goal, writing it on a small piece of paper and carrying it in a place in your wallet where you will see it and reflect on it daily.

Tapping into the creative power of visualization assists you in achieving what matters most to you. How to do this? Follow these five steps.

Step 1: Find a time you can quietly reflect on your personal objectives. You may do this informally over a month, or devote a designated time for this task. It may be something you can get accomplished in one sitting. Or, it may take you more time to get exact and clear about what matters to you most.

Step 2: After you have identified your goal, clearly write out all the facets of it. Be as precise as possible about what it is.

Step 3: Find a pictorial representation of your goal. If it is a monetary goal, take a dollar bill, and write over the numerical marking with the number you are hoping to achieve. If it is a goal that will create a particular feeling or item for you, find a photo to represent it.

Step 4: Here is where the personal responsibility comes in. Each day, reflect on the words you wrote. Read them aloud to yourself and use your picture to visualize the end result. Put it away, and do everything you can that day to bring you closer to your goal. Stay completely positive in your thoughts about your goal and keep it to yourself.

Step 5: When you actualize your goal, give thanks! And begin reflecting on a new one.

The key to visualization lies in our personal responsibility to get really clear about what we want, give time daily to reflect on it, and stay positive in our thinking. Making an immediate change is not necessarily the first step in a change for the better. As Ben Stein said "The indispensable first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: decide what you want!"