The Changing Workplace. The Changing Us

Mike Kasdan reflects on how the pandemic has changed our relationship to work and way we move through the world

March 30, 2022 by Michael Kasdan Leave a Comment

“After pandemics throughout history, societies often take new and creative turns. The Renaissance followed the Black Plague. The 1960s and 1970s tech boom saw the invention of the Internet, the PC, and the underpinnings of DNA innovation.”

— New York Times Futurist, Michael Rogers

I don’t think we can underestimate the impact of these last two years on everyone. All of us. And our kids, especially.

I think a lot of people are going to continue to question the old ways of doing things and the conventional expected paths in life. People are reframing and redefining how we work and the relationship between us and our work.

I’m as conventional as they come, and even I am making massive changes in my life to be happier and more fulfilled and more aligned with my values.

I think it’s really healthy to pursue that.

I can’t and won’t unsee that or go back.

(To be clear, I am Team Kate all the way here!)

♦◊♦

We should all be there to help and support each other’s journeys.

Freeing each other from societal expectations and granting that permission freely makes what seemed impossible not only possible but easy.

—

Photo Credit: Author

This post was originally posted as a thread on the Twitter Feed of Lawyering While Human (@law_while_human)

About Michael Kasdan

Michael Kasdan is currently Director of Special Projects for The Good Men Project. He has held a number of leadership roles at the Good Men Project over time, including Senior Sports Editor, Lead Editor, and Executive Editor. He has helped to develop the Good Men Project's corporate Diversity and Inclusion workshops focused on allyship. Mike is father of two wonderful kids who lives in Maplewood, NJ. Mike's day job is intellectual property lawyer, but his interests and avocations are numerous. He is passionate about education, entrepreneurship and technology, and has served as a board member and advisor on strategic and legal issues to start-up for profit and non-profit companies throughout his career. In the rest of his ever-shrinking spare time, he enjoys focusing his energies on projects and causes that impact the world and our society.

Mike frequently speaks and writes on a variety of topics, including intellectual property, technology, business, social media, sports, mental health, parenting, education, and social justice. He has spoken on a variety of issues in major media networks, including CNN (Headline News), Al Jazeera America, National Public Radio (NPR), and The Canadian Broadcast Company (CBC), and his writings have appeared in well-known publications such as The Huffington Post, Salon, Yahoo! Parenting, Good Morning America, The Daily Dot, and Redbook.

His latest venture focuses on mental health and wellness and authentic leadership in the legal profession. It is called "Lawyering While Human." You can find more information about that on Twitter @law_while_human or on Instagram @zen.mayhem

He enjoys playing basketball, biking, fumbling around on the guitar, creating and singing parody songs, and an on-again-off-again relationship with running. Mike spends entirely too much time on Facebook and can be found (over)sharing and linking on a variety of topics on Twitter @michaelkasdan.