Jennifer Moss

We’ve come through a crisis, and for better or worse – it changed us. We gained plenty of skills – pivoting on the fly, working from anywhere, adopting new tech, and building resiliency. We might be hopeful, but we have a long way to go – Gallup says that less than 1 in 4 people are thriving at work. If the dust is settling and our well-being is (re)booting in our personal lives, why does work still feel so “meh”? We feel less confident, less effective, and less connected – blame that on chronic stress but also hunger for purpose and meaning. We want to get the MAGIC back!

In her newest keynote offering, (re)Discovering Happiness at Work, award-winning author and journalist Jennifer Moss will engage audiences with novel ways to bring that lost sense of purpose back to work and life. With the latest behavioral and economic sciences research, Jennifer explains what makes us want to show up at work and how to tear down the psychological barriers holding us back. This is a high-energy, future-focused, entertaining, data-backed discussion. The audience will nod, “You get me,” and leave feeling confident that “I can do this!”

We’ve changed, and so has our relationship with work. To make it the best it can be, we must unite – leaders and teams – to (re)Discover Happiness at Work.

Takeaways Include:

• (re)Imagine the Future: How to turn our gaze back to the future and decide how we want to be and what we can accomplish when we do
• (re)Connect Our Diverse Workforce: How to think differently about the multigenerational workforces, Equity Deserving populations, and increasing diversity in our workforces
• (re)Prioritize Autonomy: Understand what flexibility means, why employees care so much about autonomy, and how to use it to create value
• (re)Build Belonging: How and Why to invest in Belonging, connection, and Friendships, which are more important than ever and more difficult to create in hybrid workplaces
• (re)Store Purpose and Meaning: How and why we need to connect our efforts to purpose and how to begin evolving our employee value propositions

A heightened state of urgency and rapid change caused burnout to soar in the pandemic. But it’s 2024 and burnout continues to surge. Brain fog – a symptom of burnout – is playing a terrible mental trick on our workforce and organizational success. It causes people to make more mistakes, they’re more distracted, and less agreeable, and simple tasks feel exhausting. They (and unfortunately others) start to question professional effectiveness, which leads to what Moss has identified as “The Underperformer Myth”. 
 

Jennifer Moss, globally recognized workplace strategist and author of The Burnout Epidemic, says it’s not underperformance – it’s burnout – and it’s preventable. To get the workforce back to health and high performance, this is the talk. Based on her award-winning book, published by Harvard Business Press, Moss shares novel, research-backed advice for individuals and leaders to identify chronic stress and the strategies to fix it. 
 

Considered “the burnout speaker of all burnout speakers”, Jennifer Moss is the go-to expert on workplace culture, well-being, and burnout prevention. Jennifer was the lead author of HBR’s Big Idea, Beyond Burned Out. Find Moss’ other HBR articles and books here. 

Takeaways Include:

Data and insights: 

• The myths and facts about burnout – explaining the “Underperformance Myth”
• The six root causes of burnout and how they show up at work

Practical applications: 

• Juggling organizational pressures while still managing burnout
• How to better support a team at risk for burnout
• Understanding toxic productivity – what is in and out of our control
• How to address specific burnout risks for a diverse workforce

Included Resources:

A dedicated resource page is available for this keynote, where slides can be downloaded, and links and citations to important research are available.

There's a post-pandemic phenomenon that people are experiencing but can't quite put their finger on. Work is evolving, and so are employees’ expectations of it. Most of us would agree, it still feels out of sync. Leaders have been tasked with navigating these changes in real time, without a playbook. Meanwhile, the workforce is in search of more purpose in their work, yet unsure of how or where to find it. You've likely found yourself pondering, "Why am I here?"

In her provocative new book, Why Are We Here, released by Harvard Business Press, Jennifer Moss pinpoints what is missing from work today. With her background as a global workplace strategist, researcher, and acclaimed journalist, Jennifer guides attendees to the forefront of this significant and historical change. Incorporating dialogues with leading academic researchers, interviews with CEOs from the most respected and admired companies worldwide, and discussions with employees across various industries and roles, Jennifer equips attendees with the understanding needed to answer the question for themselves and the people they lead: "Why are we here?"

Key Takeaways: 
 

Data and Insights:

• The three unexpected shifts in worker behavior explained through behavioral science research reveals
• Moving beyond "the new normal" to "jumping the timeline," examining how rapid change impacts our attitudes and behaviors
• Implications of these shifts for talent management and organizational culture

Practical applications:

• Leadership development focusing on purpose, cognitive empathy, and hope to enhance team performance
• Techniques to boost intrinsic motivation and minimize turnover
• Initiatives to combat employee isolation and foster belonging
• Approaches to widen the pipeline for women in leadership roles
• Effective methods for transitioning from change fatigue to change readiness
• Guidance for integrating AI while ensuring a sustainable future workforce
• Leveraging key shifts to more effectively manage a multi-generational workforce

Included Resources:

A dedicated resource page is available for this keynote, where slides can be downloaded, and links and citations to important research are available.

Keynote Description:

Crises, climate change, sudden remote work, AI, generational displacement, and more – acted as catalysts that moved us out of our current trajectory and popped us into the multiverse of work. This has been jarring – in most part because of the speed at which the world changed. In the last three years, Gallup finds that younger workers’ FOBO (Fear of Becoming Obsolete) has doubled. Our brains naturally want to stick to old patterns and behaviors but on this new timeline, it’s an unworkable strategy. 

In this compelling new talk by globally renowned workplace culture strategist, Jennifer Moss leverages behavioral and neurosciences research to explain change resistance and how to shift that into a future readiness mindset. Award-winning author and journalist, Moss dives into new approaches to leadership to motivate and engage individuals and teams in a fundamentally different experience of work. 

Key Takeaways:

Data and insights: 

• Why does thinking about the future of work as “the new normal” actually hold us back?
• Understanding the future workforce through the lens of behavioral and neurosciences research. 
• What is FOBO and why does it matter?

Practical applications: 

• Future competitiveness in a poly-crisis – how to build and maintain a healthy and high-performing work culture while global uncertainty and instability persist
• Finding the Goldilocks zone between AI integration and workforce sustainability
• Tactics to help reduce fears of obsolescence across generations
• Finding compromise in the remote/hybrid/in-person debate by changing the narrative from flexibility to freedom
• Easy-to-operationalize tactics for better engagement of remote and hybrid teams
• How to lead in the era of personalization – what does the increasing adoption of niche benefits tell us – i.e. “Grandternity” leave, “paternity” leaves and pet bereavement leaves, baby bonuses, menopause friendly workplaces, wellness reimbursements, “radical flexibility”, employee concierges, and more

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Included Resources:

A dedicated resource page is available for this keynote, where slides can be downloaded, and links and citations to important research are available.

Keynote Description: 

Currently, five different generations are coming together at work. Traditionalists, Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and GenZ. Up soon? Alphas. The labels are less important than the characteristics that make these generations unique. Boomers are retiring at record rates, Millennials and Xers are working fewer hours, while Gen Zs are disinterested in traditional work roles. All generations are struggling with burnout and disengagement. As a talent shortage looms large, addressing the needs of each group will be critical. 

For leaders who want to bridge generational divides while ensuring that each group feels heard, award-winning journalist and author, Jennifer Moss, has the answers. Based on her insightful new book, Why Are We Here? Moss unpacks how to better relate to each generation's shifting motivations and mindsets while underlining the importance of belonging and friendships in this current era of loneliness and isolation.

Key Takeaways: 

Data and insights: 

• The economic and environmental drivers impacting generational attitudes and behaviors.
• The biggest generational trends changing work (e.g. social media rebellion, retiree exodus, millennial financial well-being, narrowing of executive pipelines for Gen X women, etc.) 

Practical applications: 

• Research-backed strategies to reduce ageism in the workplace
• How to personalize engagement and retention strategies based on age diversity
• Knowing the critical health and employee benefits each generation needs and wants
• How to build and foster belonging in an age-diverse workforce

Included Resources:

A dedicated resource page is available for this keynote, where slides can be downloaded, and links and citations to important research are available.