McMaster’s Erin Reid challenges the ‘ideal worker’ myth and urges investment in workforce skills
Erin Reid, Canada Research Chair in Work, Careers and Organizations at McMaster’s DeGroote School, argues that digitalization intensifies availability expectations and calls for upskilling and more inclusive workplaces to boost productivity.
Professor Erin Reid (DeGroote School of Business, McMaster) examines the ‘ideal worker’ norm and its effects today. Together with postdoctoral fellow Youngrong Lee, she finds that digital tools and AI heighten availability expectations, contributing to burnout and turnover. Reid advocates investing in upskilling and workforce training and recommends collaboration among government, industry and postsecondary institutions to align jobs with people’s skills. The research stresses inclusive workplace practices over outdated assumptions of constant availability, highlighting policy and organizational levers to sustain worker engagement and organizational performance.