I walk in to the hotel room. The room feels cold. I should probably adjust the thermostat, I tell myself. I wondered if I was feeling that way because I had just walked in from the scorching sun. I will do it soon, I told myself. I did not. I was cold all night. The lethargy of actively getting up to change. The default settings are hard to change despite the best intentions. And then the world around us also changes.
So many things have changed around us in the last few years. That means we need to update the data, opinions and assumptions. Here are a few shifts that stumped me. Can you guess the country with the highest proportion of women engineers? And while you are at it, guess which country has 55% women in the entire science & engineering workforce? In the next five years 1-2% of India’s total workforce (ie 23 MILLION people) will be gig workers. Women ages 15–35 make up approx 52% workforce in India. The workforce has changed. How we work, when and where we work has changed. (Answers at the end of the newsletter)
How are old assumptions even valid?
In the last five years, we had a pandemic, geopolitical balances have changed, the climate problems are showing up everywhere and yes the girl child is being welcomed in more societies. The Economist dated June 7-2025 says there are many reasons why that shift is happening. 93% of the jail inmates are men and in rich countries 54% of women are getting a tertiary education while only 41% men are studying that far. https://www. economist. com/briefing/2025/06/05/more-and-more-parents-around-the-world-prefer-girls-to-boys
1. Onboarding Content Still Frozen in the Past
What’s outdated: Many onboarding decks and e-learning modules still refer to COVID protocols, outdated office floor plans, or previous leadership teams. What’s missing: Current hybrid work norms, updated business priorities, and recent leadership transitions.
2. Performance Reviews Built for Another Era
What’s outdated: Annual reviews based on static goals, with outdated competency models. What’s missing: Real-time feedback loops, AI-assisted coaching nudges, recognition of gig/remote/contract work contributions, and team-based assessments.
3. Learning Content Is Stale or Irrelevant
What’s outdated: LMS platforms miss updating content that builds AI fluency or climate impact awareness. What’s missing: Speed of response. Content aligned to new leadership, updated company values, business strategy shifts, or emerging technologies like GenAI. And it is not built with velocity.
Why We Stick to the Default: Status Quo Bias and How It Shapes Talent Decisions
Now think about signing up for a newsletter. If the box is pre-checked to receive updates (opt-out), most people stay subscribed. If the box is empty and you have to tick it yourself (opt-in), far fewer people do. That’s the power of choice architecture: the way options are presented nudges our decisions.
In talent management, status quo bias shows up when companies reuse outdated performance forms or keep learning content unchanged for years. Managers stick with last year’s goals or ratings, simply because “that’s how we’ve always done it. ” New ideas get trapped behind optional links or voluntary workshops.
Like this cartoon? Pl download it and use it
To break this bias, design talent systems that default to progress. Make peer feedback a default step in reviews. Auto-enroll new hires into mentoring programs, with the option to opt out. The structure of the choice—not just the quality of the offer—can determine whether people grow or stay stuck. (I wrote about status quo bias here)
Will behavioral science be able to improve your workplace?
The Mary Meeker Report 2025 is Here – Key Implications for Jobs
xAI’s Colossus data center, went from an empty factory to a fully operational facility with 200,000 GPUs in just 122 days. For context, this is half the time it takes to build an average American house (234 days). The facility covers 750,000 square feet—equivalent to 418 average homes—yet was constructed in a fraction of the time needed for a single residence.
AI-related IT jobs have grown 448% since 2018, while non-AI IT jobs have declined 9%. This isn’t just a temporary shift—it represents a fundamental restructuring of the technology workforce. The message is clear: professionals who don’t integrate AI into their skill sets risk being left behind.
75% of global enterprises are using AI tools primarily for revenue growth and productivity enhancement rather than headcount reduction. This suggests opportunities for workers who can leverage AI to create value rather than simply replace human effort.
I took some notes in my diary and made some notes about how I believe the world of work will change. Read it https://abhijitbhaduri. com/2025/06/08/the-ai-revolution-what-mary-meekers-2025-report-means-for-your-future/
Mongolia has the highest proportion of women in STEM fields, with 57% of the workforce being female. Norway leads Europe with 55% of its science and engineering workforce being women.
Thomas Edison did a launch conference for the lightbulb
Technology is easy to build. Trust takes time. Adoption follows. Edison knew that. He did a launch conference – but at his home. Years later Steve Jobs took a leaf out of Edison’s book and did something similar.
I wrote about it in my column for Eco Times
That’s all for this week. Thanks for reading and helping me reach discerning and curious readers like you.
