Revolutionizing Work: Psychology's Role in Shaping the FutureIn this episode of PsyberSpace, host Leslie Poston digs into the psychology and future of work. The discussion highlights the benefits of remote and flexible work, shorter work weeks, universal basic income, and the importance of rest in creating healthy and productive work environments. Leslie explains how outdated work models are being challenged by new data and psychological insights, emphasizing that autonomy, flexibility, and psychological safety are key to higher productivity and well-being. The episode also critiques the motivations behind return-to-office mandates and the misuse of AI for layoffs, advocating for a shift toward work models that prioritize human flourishing.00:00 Introduction: The Future of Work01:02 The Benefits of Remote Work03:00 The Push for Office Return06:37 AI and Workforce Changes08:24 The Four-Day Work Week10:56 Universal Basic Income Experiments13:13 The Importance of Rest18:16 Psychological Safety and Team Dynamics20:50 Rethinking Work Structures23:12 Conclusion: Life First, Work SecondResources:American Psychological Association. (2021). 2021 Work and Well-being Survey. Bloom, N., Han, R., & Liang, J. (2024). Hybrid working from home improves retention without damaging performance. Nature, 630(8018), 920–925. Bloom, N., Liang, J., Roberts, J., & Ying, Z. J. (2015). Does working from home work? Evidence from a Chinese experiment. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 130(1), 165–218. Boston Consulting Group. (2025, February 4). GenAI doesn't just increase productivity. It expands capabilities. https://www.bcg.com/publications/2024/gen-ai-increases-productivity-and-expands-capabilitiesCNBC. (2025, July 22). In recent layoffs, AI's role may be bigger than companies are letting on. https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/20/in-job-losses-ais-role-may-be-bigger-than-companies-say.htmlCNBC. (2025, October 19). Companies are blaming AI for job cuts. Critics say it's a 'good excuse' https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/19/firms-are-blaming-ai-for-job-cuts-critics-say-its-a-good-excuse.htmlDeci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. Plenum Press.Duhigg, C. (2016, February 25). What Google learned from its quest to build the perfect team. The New York Times Magazine.Edmondson, A. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), 350–383. Fortune. (2025, August 8). AI-driven layoffs are on the rise as the job market shrinks for recent grads. https://fortune.com/2025/08/08/ai-layoffs-jobs-market-shrinks-entry-level/Guðmundsson, H. J. (2021). Going public: Iceland's journey to a shorter working week. Autonomy & Alda. Haraldsson, G., Kellam, J., & Trickett, R. (2024). On firmer ground: Iceland's ongoing experience of shorter working weeks. Autonomy & Alda. Hersey, T. (2022). Rest is resistance: A manifesto. Little, Brown Spark.Kangas, O., Jauhiainen, S., Simanainen, M., & Ylikännö, M. (Eds.). (2020). The basic income experiment 2017–2018 in Finland: Preliminary results. Reports and Memorandums of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health 2019:9. Lee, D.-W., & Ko, I.-S. (2023). Association of long commute time with mental health: A cross-sectional study using Korea Working Conditions Survey. Journal of Transport & Health, 32, 101659. Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370–396. Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68–78Sandow, E. (2011). On the road: Social aspects of commuting long distances to work [Doctoral dissertation, Umeå University]. DiVA.Schor, J., Gu, G., Naidu, S., Rooney, R., Rodenhiser-Hill, J., West, K., Hocquet, L., Hunt, K., Shaughnessy, T., & Gursoz, E. (2023). The results are in: The UK's four-day week pilot. Autonomy.Walker, M. (2017). Why we sleep: Unlocking the power of sleep and dreams. Scribner.West, S., Castro Baker, A., Samra, S., & Coltrera, E. (2021). Preliminary analysis: SEED's first year. Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration. World Economic Forum & PwC. (2024, November). Leveraging generative AI for job augmentation and workforce productivity. https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/issues/artificial-intelligence/wef-leveraging-generative-ai-for-job-augmentation-and-workforce-productivity-2024.pdfWorld Economic Forum. (2025). The Future of Jobs Report 2025. https://www.weforum.org/publications/the-future-of-jobs-report-2025/Xiang, L., Peng, S., Mitchell, M., & Bernstein, M. S. (2025). Future of work with AI agents: Auditing automation and augmentation potential across the U.S. workforce. arXiv preprint arXiv:2506.06576 ★ Support this podcast ★