with Dr. Laura Hambley Lovett

Work & Career Psychologist / Keynote Speaker / Author / Advocate / Podcast Host

As each podcast season of Where Work Meets Life™ comes to a close, I step back and reflect on the many fascinating topics that were explored. I also think about the important areas for humans and organizations that I plan to explore in the coming season.

I’m delighted to have produced three years of podcast episodes on topics around the intersection of work and life, 64 episodes in total. Themes of helping people and organizations thrive, inspiring people to find career fulfillment, and advocating for a better world drive this podcast.

Episode 65 | The Evolving Landscape of Work and Careers

In this blog, I explore some current themes in the evolving landscape of our work and careers. Enjoy!

Themes of helping people and organizations thrive, inspiring people to find career fulfillment, and advocating for a better world drive this podcast. 

Key Trends and Topics at the Intersection of Work and Life 

As a thought leader on the future of work, which is really the evolution of work and people’s lives, I’m always observing and following key trends. One of these is how AI (artificial intelligence) is growing and raising both fear and excitement. Based on my knowledge to date, the outlook I have on AI is a positive one. True, AI will make certain jobs obsolete, particularly those that are predictable and don’t require uniquely human capabilities. The good news is it seems to be a net positive and the new roles created will likely outnumber those that become obsolete. Further, AI can help us do aspects of our jobs more efficiently.  

My recent article: AI: Friend or Foe when it Comes to Future Career Opportunities? shares more about the latest trends and research.

I plan to explore this more in my interviews and utilize Chat GPT more often in certain aspects of my own work.  

Another theme is flexibility in our work lives. I’ve spoken and written a lot about remote and hybrid work. The bottom line is that humans want flexibility: they want to be trusted and to have autonomy to do their work. Yet there’s this constant push to have everyone come back to the office. This is a push for a “one-size-fits-all” way of working and is ultimately easier to manage but is not the best solution for human productivity and well-being (based on the data and evidence I’ve been collecting over two decades). The desire for flexibility won’t go away, as the pandemic opened many people’s eyes to new ways of working. I plan to explore topics around flexibility, such as the 4-day work week, which I’m excited to share with you.

Toxic workplace cultures and bad bosses are another topic that is, unfortunately, a widespread concern.  I want to dive into this more in Season 4. What are the types of bad bosses? What are early warning signs in the hiring process of a toxic leader? How do you navigate these at work and decide when it’s time to leave or exit? How can organizations avoid promoting people into leadership roles who are going to make bad bosses? I look forward to speaking more about this and interviewing experts globally around this topic area as no nation is exempt from having toxic workplaces.

The bottom line is that humans want flexibility: they want to be trusted and to have autonomy to do their work.

Creating meaning and fulfillment in our lives is also a key topic that will continue to be discussed. Through the Great Resignation and beyond, many people are re-evaluating their work lives, and I’ve seen first-hand through our Canada Career Counselling practice just how many are feeling unfulfilled, uncertain, and unsure.

It’s easy to get consumed by fear and worry, with our constant thoughts churning in our heads. In this tumultuous world, it can be difficult to ground and find purpose and meaning in our lives. I’m excited to bring elements of this into the podcast, including spirituality, whatever way that looks for people. I will continue using the broad lens of how we can thrive as human beings physically, mentally, emotionally, socially and spiritually. People are complex and nuanced, which is why I love the field of psychology, and despite almost 25 years in the field, I’m still learning all the time!

We focus a lot on our brains and minds, we need to also focus on our hearts and inner wisdom when it comes to making decisions and finding fulfillment and meaning in our work and lives. I believe that society has focused far too much on cognition, brain, intellect, and thinking to the detriment of also valuing our feelings, emotions, and intuition: these parts are more grey and difficult to measure but are equally if not more important.

I will continue using the broad lens of how we can thrive as human beings physically, mentally, emotionally, socially and spiritually.

Conclusion

I’m delighted to be starting Season 4 with you on this journey to improve people’s lives, work lives, careers, meaning and sense of purpose. The only thing I know for certain about the landscape of work and career is that it’s continually evolving. Let’s see how Season 4 of Where Work Meets Life™ unfolds. I promise to bring an interesting variety of guests to continue exploring the latest trends at the intersection of our work and lives.

A special shout out to the incredible team I work with to make the podcast, blogs, website, social media, and e-newsletter happen with such quality and reliability. Thank you for your support and talents Kira, Andrea, Steve, Been, Alex and Jackson!

About Dr. Laura Hambley Lovett:

Dr. Laura Hambley is a thought leader on Career and Workplace Psychology, passionate about career development. She founded Canada Career Counselling in 2009, however has specialized in career development since 1999 through her Master’s research and counselling in different settings, including outplacement and career transition firms in Alberta.

Dr. Laura learned early on that effective career planning enhances wellbeing, confidence, and clarity in one’s work and life. Combining the expertise of Psychology with Career Counselling is what she sought to do as she founded and evolved Canada Career Counselling from Calgary to Toronto, Victoria, and Halifax, providing Career Counselling and Career Coaching to thousands of clients over many years.

Dr. Laura enjoys her work as a Career Counsellor and Career Coach to professionals who are in mid- or senior stages of their career, helping them navigate complex career decisions and pivots. Her extensive experience as an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist, enables her to understand and address the challenges faced by individuals, leaders, teams, and organizational cultures.  Having consulted to a wide range of organizations since the late 1990s, and becoming a future of work thought leader, has enabled her to help individuals and organizations navigate the latest trends impacting today’s organizations.

Dr. Laura fulfilled her dream of having her own podcast in 2020, called Where Work Meets Life™, where she interviews experts globally on topics around career fulfillment and thriving humans and organizations. She is a sought-after keynote speaker for organizations, associations, conferences, and events.

In addition to her Master’s in Counselling Psychology (1999), Laura holds a Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology (2005) from the University of Calgary. She is a Registered Psychologist with the College of Alberta Psychologists, as well as a member of the Psychologists’ Association of Alberta and the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM). She also contributes to teaching, supervision, and research as an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at the University of Calgary.