‘Without labor, nothing prospers’ J |
| SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2025
2025
OUTLOOK Little binds us more to others than the act of clocking in to work in pursuit of common goals.
For that reason, this year’s Outlook takes a close look at work life in the Pioneer Valley. Ancient Greek thinkers knew how central labor is to being human. “Without labor, nothing prospers,” the playwright Sophocles observed. The quality and meaning of that work depends on the right and often elusive fit. “Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work,” the philosopher Aristotle is believed to have said. The stories in today’s four Outlook sections dive into the complexities of today’s work world. We examine a kaleidoscope of workforce trends, culture, politics and history.
There is a lot to report: The rise of artificial intelligence. Challenges to diversity, equity and inclusion programs. A call for workers to return to offices. Teachers combating burnout, while employers struggle to fill jobs. Risks that workers face simply by showing up. On the lighter side, we take readers into pet-friendly workplaces and introduce them to people with unusual jobs, from drag performance to oldschool auto repair. In columns, we hear from leaders and doers who push to keep their enterprises and communities at the forefront of innovation and resilience — against considerable headwinds.
We hope you find Outlook 2025 relentlessly interesting and thoroughly original.
– Larry Parnass executive editor
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Workforce trends and challenges
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Making and selling it here in the Valley
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Our lives at work
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Emerging technologies and workplace topics