As Mark Zuckerberg makes an AI version of himself... will your next boss be an avatar?

Chris Stokel-Walker

A recent article explores Mark Zuckerberg’s vision of AI-generated “boss avatars” that could communicate directly with employees and potentially reshape leadership inside large organizations. While the idea may sound futuristic, Jochen Menges, Professor of Human Resource Management and Leadership at the University of Zurich, argues that it reflects a real organizational challenge: leaders often struggle to connect consistently with large and dispersed workforces. At the same time, Menges warns that leadership is not only about transmitting information, but also about building trust, emotional connection, and credibility - qualities that AI still cannot fully replicate. The article ultimately raises broader questions about whether the future of leadership will be defined by technological efficiency or by the uniquely human aspects of influence and relationships.

6 pieces of popular career advice that you should ignore

Tim Paradis

Jochen Menges, Professor of Human Resource Management and Leadership at the University of Zurich, challenges the popular advice to “follow your passion,” calling it vague and ultimately unhelpful. Instead, he argues that people should focus on the emotions they want to experience at work, such as pride or fulfillment, and align their careers with those emotional needs. Doing so, he suggests, can lead to greater well-being and faster career development. Menges also highlights the growing importance of emotional judgment in an AI-driven workplace. As machines take over technical tasks, humans increasingly need to interpret, evaluate, and make sense of AI-generated outputs - processes that rely heavily on emotions. Overall, the article urges readers to question simplistic career slogans and consider adaptability, emotional clarity, and self-awareness as more sustainable guides to success.

Jobs you thought were AI-proof probably aren't

Tim Paradis

Experts say artificial intelligence is expected to reshape the majority of jobs - not by replacing them entirely, but by changing how tasks are performed. Roles that combine hands-on work with technical skills - so-called “gray-collar” jobs - may see growing demand, while even professions once considered safe from automation are being touched by AI. The future workplace will increasingly involve collaboration between humans and AI, with machines handling parts of processes and people providing oversight, problem-solving, and contextual understanding. Jochen Menges emphasizes that even when AI produces results, human judgment remains essential - people must interpret outputs, refine prompts, and apply context. “Jobs that will have an emotional element attached to them will likely be the ones that will be higher valued in the future,” he says.

Those Who Have a Family Work More Efficiently

Martin Fischer

Jochen Menges’ research shows that family and work do not have to compete; instead, they can reinforce one another. Family can be a powerful source of motivation, particularly in jobs with limited intrinsic satisfaction. People who work to support or set an example for loved ones often use their time more effectively and perform better - a dynamic that extends beyond parents to include partners, siblings, and extended family. Menges argues that whether family and work feel compatible begins with mindset: viewing them as mutually supportive reduces stress and increases fulfillment. He encourages employees to ask for flexibility and communicate openly about expectations. At the organizational level, he calls for family-friendly structures such as flexible hours, location autonomy, and childcare support, while cautioning that unchecked family-driven pressure can lead to burnout.

Generational Work Divides Don’t Have To Exist – Just Ask People Who Work With Their Grandparents

Monica Torres

Skip-generation work arrangements - where grandchildren and grandparents work together - offer rare opportunities for both personal and professional growth. Research on family motivation shows that employees driven by family responsibilities often perform better, motivated by the desire to support loved ones and set a positive example. This dynamic is illustrated by Emma Orfield Johnston, who collaborates with her grandfather at his design-research lab, balancing generational differences through mutual respect and creative tension. Such cases show how working across generations strengthens performance, deepens understanding of values, and preserves legacy. Beyond professional benefits, skip-generation work relationships foster pride, learning, and emotional connection, demonstrating how family motivation can meaningfully shape work outcomes.

Parents want to be admired by their children – and therefore make an effort at work

Isabelle Wachter

An NZZ article challenges the belief that starting a family hinders career success, highlighting research from the University of Zurich showing that children can motivate parents to perform better at work. A 2017 study of low-wage workers in Northern Mexico found that employees motivated by supporting their families performed better. Parents often strive to be role models, valuing not only income but the meaning of their work. Jochen Menges, who co-authored the study, argues that children recognize the non-monetary value of their parents’ jobs. He suggests companies should acknowledge this motivation by involving families in workplace events. However, the article also notes structural challenges, especially for women, due to “greedy jobs” that reward long hours. While part-time work may not accelerate careers, it can still provide meaning through role modeling and family alignment.

Why it might pay for CEOs to 'show humanity' on analyst conference calls

Jane Simms

Research from Cambridge Judge Business School, the University of Zurich, and the London School of Economics shows that CEOs’ expressions of human concern during earnings calls can positively influence share prices. Analyzing transcripts from 448 U.S. companies during the COVID-19 pandemic, the study found that even generic statements expressing care for employees or customers were associated with stronger stock performance and reduced volatility. About half of CEOs made such statements, most of which lacked concrete actions. Nonetheless, firms whose leaders communicated empathy performed better during and after the market crash. These findings suggest that care statements may signal stability and reduce uncertainty for investors. The results raise questions about why markets respond positively to symbolic expressions of concern and whether similar effects occur in other crises. As Jochen Menges notes, leadership requires balancing performance with visible care for people.

CEO's Human Concern Translates into Higher Stock Prices

Compassionate leadership has tangible benefits: CEOs’ expressions of empathy correlate with positive stock performance, a study led by the University of Zurich shows. During the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. companies experienced a significant decline in stock market value, surpassing even the 2008-2009 financial crisis. A study by Prof. Dr. Lauren Howe, Prof. Dr. Laura M. Giurge, Prof. Dr. Alexander Wagner, and Prof. Dr. Jochen Menges analyzed CEO conference calls during this period, finding that over half of CEOs expressed care for people. Despite these statements often lacking concrete actions, surprisingly, companies whose CEOs acknowledged the human impact of the pandemic saw better stock prices. Each additional human care statement was associated with a notable increase in cumulative returns, highlighting the importance of CEOs showing humanity in their communications, even in financial contexts.

Building blocks for leadership in the age of New Work

Maximilian Schenner

The SwissICT Working Worlds Conference in Zurich focused on emotion, self-organization, and leadership in modern work environments. Jochen Menges, Director of the Center for Leadership in the Future of Work at the University of Zurich, emphasized emotions as a defining human trait that distinguishes people from machines. He argued that productivity follows happiness rather than the other way around, challenging traditional efficiency-driven thinking. Despite widespread investment in wellness programs, many fail to prevent burnout or meaningfully improve engagement. Menges called for a shift toward adaptive, emotionally intelligent organizations and introduced the concept of “Emotional Fit”—the alignment between desired and actual emotions at work. Poor emotional fit, he noted, is linked to stress and lower well-being. As AI takes over routine tasks, emotional intelligence will become increasingly central to leadership and organizational success.

Of technocrats, heroines and sharers: In search of the CEO of the future

David Walgis

“What will leadership look like in the future? The Aargau Business Congress 2023 addressed this question, and a professor of leadership research has a possible answer: CEOs and managers should share their fears and concerns.” Research shows that the most successful leaders are not the ones who focus only on the positive, or who ignore emotions at all, but who share their own negative emotions with their employees. Becoming a sharer is often not that easy, as leaders often think that admitting negative emotions could be a sign of weakness. But sharing is often the opposite of weakness, as it helps leaders not only in building empathy with their employees but also in boosting organizational performance.

Why social skills are crucial in the modern workplace

Pamela Beltrame

The professional world demands not only technical skills but also social competencies. However, how can these be assessed? This article highlights insights from Prof. Dr. Jochen Menges’ extensive research: Social and emotional competencies are crucial beyond leadership. However there is a debate over evaluation methods. Prof. Dr. Jochen Menges recommends scientifically validated tests like GECO, which are affordable, fair, and standardized. Assessment centers are costly and time-consuming, limiting their use. Nonetheless, it's important for companies to take steps in this direction.

The future of corporate management - from rationalists and empiricists

SAP emphasizes that the future belongs to companies that know how to make their ecosystem profitable, resilient and sustainable. The SAP NOW Zurich event, held on April 25th-26th 2023, convened ecosystems players to address global challenges. This article highlights insights from Prof. Dr. Jochen Menges’ inspirational keynote address at the SAP NOW Leadership Day. He emphasized emotional intelligence as the core differentiating leadership competency to navigate digital transformation. He also highlighted the need for leaders to nurture company cultures allowing for the expression of emotions and promoting the systematic use of emotional intelligence.

Family bosses 'better than outsiders at inspiring enthusiasm'

Richard Tyler

Research on 497 German companies shows that family CEOs are more likely than non-family executives to foster positive emotions such as enthusiasm and excitement among employees. Despite often being viewed as outdated, family-led firms were found to emotionally bind teams more effectively around shared goals. Jochen Menges, a co-author of the study, explains that family CEOs’ dual role as business leaders and family members allows them to convey genuine positive emotions that spread throughout the organization. Family CEOs’ ability to authentically express commitment and pride creates high-energy workplaces that support performance and cohesion.

Leveraging passion and purpose for quality employee retention

Jateya Jones

Amid the pandemic there has been a major cultural shift within the workforce resulting in an increase in the number of U.S. workers resigning from their jobs and even more who are pushing back, refusing to go above and beyond without an increase in salary. An article published earlier this year in the Harvard Business Review suggested that employers who support the passions of their personnel have a higher rate of retention. The article ranks the most underrecognized characteristic of highly sought-after jobs as the flexibility to pursue their passions.

Why admitting your flaws may earn your start-up more investment

Richard Tyler

When pitching an idea to investors, entrepreneurs might want to try and hide their weaknesses. However, research by Prof. Dr. Jochen Menges and Prof. Dr. Lauren Howe shows that in some situations, showing flaws and insecurities can help entrepreneurs secure more money from investors.

Why flaws can pay: entrepreneurs need not seem perfect in seeking investors

Entrepreneurs who expose flaws like insecurity can boost investment by attracting investors with similar flaws. The stereotype of an entrepreneur’s elevator pitch for investment calls for a perfect presentation by a polished and prepared performer. Yet some of the most successful company founders – think of Richard Branson and Bill Gates – have in fact come across as nervous and somewhat nerdy, and certainly far from flawless. A new study identifies how entrepreneurs who expose their own flaws can increase funding for their ventures by attracting similarly flawed investors.

Climbing the corporate ladder yields greater emotional benefits for men than women, study shows

Emma Hinchliffe

Getting a promotion is usually associated with strong positive feelings such as pride, excitement and happiness. But a new survey co-authored by Prof. Dr. Jochen Menges show that women experience less emotional benefits from receiving a promotion compared to men. The research team asked about 15,000 survey participants to rate how often they feel certain emotions at work, and their place in the corporate hierarchy. Results show that gender makes a difference for how employees feel, in the sense that women feel more stressed and less respected at work, and that men’s positive emotions increase more strongly than women’s when they are moving up the rank.

4 strategies for improving the employee experience and bringing in profits, too

Rhett Power

The key to retain talented employees is to focus on their needs. This article by Forbes highlights four strategies for leaders to meet employees' expectations. The article emphasizes the importance of giving employees more autonomy, citing research by Prof. Dr. Lauren Howe, Prof. Dr. Jochen Menges and Prof. Dr. Jon Jachimowicz, who put forth a call for organizations to expect—not just allow—employees to plan their schedules, causing a shift in attitude because workers begin to see that they’re supposed to follow their passions and balance their lives.

Embracing family motivation at work

In a study, Jochen Menges found that family motivation enhances job performance when intrinsic motivation is low — in part by providing energy, but not by reducing stress. This means that “you can do well in a job that is otherwise monotonous and boring, if you see the job as a conduit to something greater,” says Menges. And it’s not just about being a breadwinner: “a lot of [the workers] wanted to be a role model for their kids. They took pride in having a proper job and an honorable life”—like work is an extension of their caregiving. This also means that bosses could help motivate staff by letting them bring their family life into the workplace, he adds: letting employees display pictures of their kids; inviting family into work occasionally; or acknowledging family members when an employee is rewarded for her performance.

Horta-Osório case: When top managers put their careers at risk

Lorenz Honegger

Time and again, high decision-makers make reckless decisions. Psychologists say this is due to the reduced risk awareness that comes with additional power. The good news is that there are counter-strategies. In this article, Prof. Dr. Jochen Menges contributes reflections on the impact power can have on empathy and the ability to recognize risks.

Struggling to retain top talent? Try corporate empathy

Alain Dehaze, The Adecco Group

With 41% employees considering changing jobs this year, the COVID-19 pandemic has further brought human beings and their emotional experience at work to the center of attention. In this opinion piece, Alain Dehaze proposes to use corporate empathy to retain top talents. Prof. Dr. Jochen Menges contributes thoughts on the importance of embedding emotional intelligence in organizational systems.

Leaders should learn to open up, says study

Leaders who openly share negative emotions such as fear and stress are more successful than those who try to ignore their emotions. The following six ways can help leaders to embrace sharing emotions: • Self-reflect by tracking your emotions with a daily temperature check • Start small by admitting a minor frustration • Plan disclosures in advance instead of ‘aimless venting’ • Create dedicated time and space for sharing emotions • Model effective emotion regulation for employees • Share both the good and the bad

Be more productive: expert offers timely advice

Remote work saves us a lot of commuting time, however most people report that they are not using this extra time wisely. Prof. Dr. Jochen Menges offers the following advice for using spare time more productively: • establish a work-home boundary and switch off work at the end of the day; • use leisure time more actively for example by volunteering or socializing rather than passive activities like watching TV; • identify a ‘must win’ everyday instead of having long task lists; • block some time slots so you can get important work done effectively without being interrupted.

Beyond the 9-to-5: What's the best plan for a radical new workday?

Meredith Turits

Working remotely during most of the pandemic will have a lasting impact on the way we work. New work structures such as ‘hybrid’ work, a mix of office presence and remote, or four-day work weeks are gaining popularity. Instead of working 5 days in the office, Prof. Dr. Jochen Menges, Prof. Dr. Lauren Howe and Dr. Ashley Whillans propose 3 days in the office, two days remote and two days off (‘3-2-2’). This allows for more flexibility for employees and to increase work-life balance while still being able to have meetings in person. The article also discusses challenges associated with changes in work schedule.