The Future of Work Is Grey - by Dan Pontefract Hardcover

Book Synopsis

An age revolution is reshaping your workforce. Are you ready to lead it?

A massive demographic shift is reshaping the world, one that is permanently altering how we work. People are healthier, living longer, and redefining the concept of retirement. The Future of Work Is Grey, by award-winning author Dan Pontefract, reveals the critical ways we must rethink work in an era of demographic, economic, and productivity upheaval.
For decades, leaders have clung to outdated models that assume younger workers will always outnumber older generations, that retirement at sixty-five is an unshakable norm, and that older employees have little left to offer. This mindset has left us working and leading in a period of "age debt"--the workplace equivalent of the climate crisis. It is the cumulative burden organizations face as our populations age, birth rates plummet, middle-aged workers become overwhelmed, internal skills gaps widen, multi-generational issues intensify, and various economic structures fail to keep pace.
In this robust exploration, Pontefract uncovers how we reached this tipping point of age debt and what organizations and leaders need to do next. He also reveals how leaders must seize the most significant opportunity of our time, the "experience dividend"--the value gained by integrating the skills, insights, and mentorship of employees across all age spectrums into a revised workforce strategy. Central to this vision is his framework of Rivers, Rocks, and Rubies--three age archetypes that reflect the evolving strengths of workers at every stage of life.
An emergency siren to future-proof your organization's success and security, The Future of Work Is Grey gives you the imperative actions leaders need to take NOW. By reframing age as a powerful asset, leaders can avert a growing crisis, redefining work and--equally important--what it means to work. The future of work will most definitely be grey, yet it can also become a future of resilience, innovation, and hope.

Review Quotes

"Dan Pontefract's witty and engaging writing brings complex ideas to life, making The Future of Work Is Grey as fun to read as it is insightful and important for anyone serious about building organizations where every generation can thrive." --Amy C. Edmondson, Novartis Professor of Leadership at Harvard Business School and author of Right Kind of Wrong

"We're living longer, healthier lives--but in the workplace, ageism still rules. In this insightful and timely book, Dan Pontefract explores this paradox and shows how leaders can build cultures that value, engage, and celebrate the power of experience." --Lynda Gratton, London Business School professor and co-author of The 100-Year Life

"The Future of Work Is Grey sheds powerful new light on one of the most pressing talent issues of our age. Experience it to think differently." --Stuart Crainer, co-founder of Thinkers50

"The Future of Work Is Grey shows leaders how to confidently navigate the upcoming demographic shift: design work and teams for longer careers, keep wisdom flowing, and build a culture people are proud to be part of." --Chip Conley, founder of Modern Elder Academy and New York Times-bestselling author of Learning to Love Midlife

"With rich insight, practical guidance, and a light touch, Dan Pontefract shows how to design workplaces where everyone can thrive--at every age." --Carl Honoré, international bestselling author of Bolder

"The Future of Work Is Grey reveals pragmatic, forward-looking strategies for doing better business in our aging society. Insightful, energizing, and unexpectedly fun--complete with pop-music references that tie it all together--this book is an excellent guide to find opportunity in our changing world." --Leanne Clark-Shirley, PhD, president and CEO of the American Society on Aging

"Dan Pontefract masterfully shows how longer lives can lead to better work. He provides clear practices for age-diverse teams. A needed guide for leaders ready to ride the age wave." --Ken Dychtwald, PhD, bestselling author of 19 books, including Radical Curiosity and What Retirees Want

"Dan Pontefract brilliantly shows how broadening our longevity lens to the twenty-first-century's new talent and market realities can contribute to innovation, resilience, and growth. This is a playbook for any leader ready to build a truly all-age, all-stage workforce and market. Plus, it's a great read." --Avivah Wittenberg-Cox, longevity strategist, speaker, and podcast host of 4-Quarter Lives

"This is not a dry exercise in age-related data and workforce planning, rather it is a timely call to harness the wisdom and intelligence inherent in every demographic now present in our workplaces." --Tony Bingham, president and CEO of the Association for Talent Development

"The Future of Work Is Grey is a powerful call to recognize age as an asset. Dan Pontefract brilliantly shows how wisdom and experience can fuel innovation and resilience." --Faisal Hoque, founder of Shadoka and NextChapter and #1 Wall Street Journal-bestselling author of Reinvent and Transcend

"A lucid, provocative exploration of the 'grey zone' in the future of work. Dan Pontefract reveals how this new reality, the massive demographic age shift amid the disruption of AI blurring roles, skills, and value, is fundamentally rewriting the code of the global economy." --Hamilton Mann, AI researcher and bestselling author of Artificial Integrity

"This is not a book about retirement or nostalgia; it is a call for leaders to balance curiosity, flexibility, and humility across every stage of working life. A timely and necessary guide for anyone serious about leading with both head and heart." --Dr. Kirstin Ferguson AM, bestselling author of Blindspotting and Thinkers50 Ranking and Thinkers50 Leadership Award recipient

About the Author

Dan Pontefract is a leadership and corporate culture strategist and an award-winning author with over two decades of senior executive experience at SAP, TELUS, and Business Objects. Since launching Pontefract Group in 2018, he has worked with organizations worldwide, including Salesforce, Amgen, Nestlé, Autodesk, Manulife, BMO, Nutrien, and Virgin Media O2. He has presented at four TED events and delivered over 600 keynote talks in Australia, the Middle East, Europe, the US, and Canada. He is the author of Work-Life Bloom (winner of the 2024 Thinkers50 Best New Management Book and the Axiom Business Book Awards Gold Medal), Lead. Care. Win., Open to Think, The Purpose Effect, and Flat Army. He writes for Forbes and Harvard Business Review and is an adjunct professor at the University of Victoria's Gustavson School of Business. Named as one of the Thinkers50 Radar Class of 2018, HR Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in HR, and Inc. Magazine's Top 100 Leadership Speakers, Dan lives in Victoria, BC.