The HRLocker Room Episode 2: Designing the Future of Work

Exploring how organisations can design meaningful, flexible and future-ready work environments with Barry Winkless, Chief Strategy Officer and Head of the Future of Work Institute at CPL Group. 

Episode Overview

What if everything we think we know about work is already out of date?

In this episode of The HRLocker Room, Barry Winkless, Chief Strategy Officer and Head of the Future of Work Institute at CPL Group, joins us to explore the forces reshaping how people work, lead and create value.

Barry has spent more than 25 years working globally with some of the world’s most respected organisations. He leads the award‑winning Future of Work Institute, a team dedicated to questioning, exploring and designing future work solutions with organisations around the world.

A recognised expert in his field, Barry was named one of the Top 50 Global Influencers on the Future of Work by Onalytica. He also heads the Future Work World Network and hosts the Future Work World podcast.

His new book, Future Work World, is a strategic companion for leaders navigating the next era of work. It takes readers through four key stages: mindset, meta wave, model and move, offering a practical, user‑friendly journey for designing work worlds that excite, entice and engage.

In this episode, Barry argues that the future of work isn’t defined by AI or hybrid policies alone. It’s shaped by shifting expectations, new workforce models and a fundamental rethinking of how organisations create value. In this conversation, he breaks down the trends leaders need to understand — and the opportunities SMEs are uniquely positioned to seize.

Key topics we explore

• What the future of work really means and how to think strategically about the 3Ws
• The workplace
• The workforce
• The work itself
• How the rise of the workforce salad, including permanent, contract, gig, and project-based workers, is becoming the new normal.
• Why individuals (and their expectations) are becoming the most important organisation in the world
• The importance of culture in a multi-modal workforce and how a narrative blueprint helps build culture consistently
• How using AI only for efficiency creates a mindset gap, but a human-centred approach supports creativity, inclusivity and collective intelligence.
• How the next era of leadership is shifting to facilitation, psychological safety and shared responsibility.
• How SMEs' ability to move fast, design flexible work models and access global talent in ways that large enterprises can’t presents a unique opportunity.

Tune in to hear Barry’s insights on designing future‑ready organisations, embracing new workforce models and leading in a world where technology and human expectations are evolving at speed.