The Psychology of Better Work: Why Remote Work, Rest, and Shorter Weeks Help Us Thrive
Revolutionizing Work: Psychology's Role in Shaping the Future
In 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 Leslie explains how outdated work models are being challenged by new data and psychological insights, emphasizing that autonomy, flexibility, and psychological safety are key to higher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 Work
01:02 The Benefits of Remote Work
03:00 The Push for Office Return
06:37 AI and Workforce Changes
08:24 The Four-Day Work Week
10:56 Universal Basic Income Experiments
13:13 The Importance of Rest
18:16 Psychological Safety and Team Dynamics
20:50 Rethinking Work Structures
23:12 Conclusion: Life First, Work Second
Resources:
American Psychological Association. (2021). 2021 Work and Well-being Survey.
In 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 Leslie explains how outdated work models are being challenged by new data and psychological insights, emphasizing that autonomy, flexibility, and psychological safety are key to higher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 Work
01:02 The Benefits of Remote Work
03:00 The Push for Office Return
06:37 AI and Workforce Changes
08:24 The Four-Day Work Week
10:56 Universal Basic Income Experiments
13:13 The Importance of Rest
18:16 Psychological Safety and Team Dynamics
20:50 Rethinking Work Structures
23:12 Conclusion: Life First, Work Second
Resources:
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.
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CNBC. (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.html
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-capabilities
CNBC. (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.html
CNBC. (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.html
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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/
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/
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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.pdf
World 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
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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.pdf
World 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
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