In today’s ever-changing workplace, fostering connection, inclusivity, and purpose has become indispensable.
In this edition of our Quick 5 Interview series, we spoke with Rachele Focardi, Founder at XYZ@Work. Drawing from her own journey of resilience and self-reliance, she shares how her personal life taught her the universal need to be seen, recognized, and appreciated.
Her belief that belonging is built through connection, not through proximity, is highly relevant in today’s workplaces, where employees work in varied arrangements and across geographies. For her, technology is a powerful tool for reducing noise so leaders can focus on building trust and human connection. She envisions a future-ready workforce where generations don’t just coexist but actively collaborate, recognition becomes continuous, and is surely not to be missed.
Here is the excerpt from the candid conversation with Rachele Focardi, a leading global voice on Generational Diversity, Multigenerational Workforce Dynamics, and the Future of Work. She has spent over two decades helping organizations harness the power of cross-generational collaboration to drive innovation, inclusion, and long-term growth. As Founder of XYZ@Work and Chair of the Multigenerational Workforce Committee at the ASEAN Human Development Organization, she has advised Fortune 500 companies, governments, and universities across Europe, the U.S., and Asia.
She is also a winner of AdvantageClub.ai’s Most Admired Women Award 2025 in the Pioneer category.
Read below
Q1. In your career, you’ve likely faced challenges that tested your resolve. What’s one life lesson that has helped you overcome difficult moments?
A1. One of my biggest challenges, both as an employee in my earlier days and as a leader, was having no one to guide me. It’s always been sink or swim or hit the ground running for me. I had to rely entirely on myself. And because I succeeded, I was mostly taken for granted. And that left me feeling unseen. What kept me going was my fire, my passion, my intensity. Yet the very same qualities that kept me going were also those that were labeled as “too much”, often by the very people who benefit from them.
And so this paradox taught me two important lessons. First, that everyone needs to feel seen, recognized, and appreciated, even when they don’t show it, and especially when they don’t show it. And second, what others criticize us often points to our greatest strength. Perhaps it’s just the unrefined edge of what makes us powerful. We just need to embrace it, lean into it, and use it as the fullest expression of who we are in the world.
Embracing what was once considered “too much” allowed me to transform my voice into a force for impact. And this also profoundly impacted me as a leader. It made me a lot more aware of what people around me need. It gave me the ability to develop empathy, to understand that, after all, we’re all going through the same things. And one of the things I love most is helping people accept the peculiarities of their personalities and transform them into something great.
So being able to be more empathetic and to help people discover something about themselves that perhaps has always been there but they’ve always seen negatively, or something that wouldn’t really help them move forward, and transform it into something incredible.
Q2. The nature of work is constantly changing. What innovative approaches are you taking to keep employees engaged and maintain a sense of belonging, especially in a hybrid or remote environment?
A2. Well, I think obviously the biggest risk in hybrid and remote work is disconnection. So when people are behind the screen, it’s easy to feel reduced to tasks rather than feel part of a team. And obviously, in a multi-generational workforce, that disconnection often creates silos between age groups, which only deepens this sense of isolation and disengagement. I know firsthand how damaging it can be when people aren’t allowed to contribute or, even more, when their contributions go unrecognized.
And so that’s why my work is really about making sure others don’t feel that way by breaking down those barriers and building spaces where generations connect, learn from each other, and create together. I do this in many ways. I do it through awareness sessions that help people see and understand each other’s contexts, through leadership transformation programs, through two-way exchanges where younger and older employees swap perspectives rather than mentoring the other, and through intergenerational task forces that unite people across age groups to co-create solutions on equal footing.
I think that when those connections are made, appreciation and respect naturally follow, and people no longer feel like lonely workers behind a screen but rather valued members of a community. So I think what we must remember as we think of the future of work is that belonging is built through connection and appreciation, not through proximity.
Q3. As AI redefines industries, how do you see it revolutionizing employee engagement and recognition?
A3. Well, I don’t see AI as replacing human connection, but as strengthening it. For years, I think technology has been one of the biggest barriers between generations and different levels of comfort. But I think AI has the potential to flip that on its head. It can power platforms that help people communicate, learn about each other, and work together more effectively across age, across culture, across geography.
I think AI can also give leaders real-time insights into people’s efforts, the impact they’re making, even their preferences, and make recognition more timely, more personalized, and more meaningful. But to me, the greatest opportunity is this: I think AI can help us remove the noise so that leaders can focus less on managing data and more on building trust, on building belonging and purpose that truly engage people.
Because, at its best, I think technology should act as a bridge, helping people connect, collaborate, and feel recognized, not as a wall that divides them, which is what I think we’ve seen it as until now.
Q4. What is one legacy you hope to leave in your HR career, and how do you plan to build a sustainable future for both employees and the organization?
A4. That’s a great question. The legacy that I want to leave behind is a world where generations don’t just coexist. It’s a world where they collaborate to create something greater together. I feel my mission extends beyond the workplace. It’s also about politics and society; it’s about how we shape the future. What I see is that too often generations are divided, but real change really comes when we value every age and channel our strengths collectively.
Through my work, whether it be awareness programs, leadership transformation, two-way exchanges, intergenerational task forces, what I aim to do is to build cultures where employees feel valued at every stage of life and where organizations thrive by leveraging the full power of their multi-generational workforce. What I want is for every generation to feel understood and appreciated, as an invaluable time capsule of experience, knowledge, lessons, and mindsets that enrich today and guide tomorrow.
So that’s really the legacy I’m working towards because I believe the world belongs to every generation equally. And it’s only when we learn to carry the baton forward together that we can build a future that is truly sustainable, truly inclusive, and lasting.
Q5. What does the 'future-ready' workforce look like to you? How do you picture it? Will employees feel continuously recognized and motivated?
A5. That’s another great question. Well, to me, a future-ready workforce is agile, it’s inclusive, and it’s purpose-driven. It’s one where generations don’t work in silos but collaborate across age, across culture, and experience to solve big challenges together. It’s a kind of environment where recognition isn’t occasional; it’s continuous, because every effort and contribution is valued. It’s one where motivation doesn’t necessarily come from perks or titles, but from belonging, from shared purpose, and the knowledge that, no matter your age, you have a role in shaping what comes next.
And leadership will need to transform too for that to happen, moving from command-and-control to connection and collaboration, and empowering people across generations to step into their strengths and be recognized for them. And since we’re talking about the future, I especially look forward to seeing Gen Z step into leadership. I think their purpose-driven mindset, their collaborative spirit, and their natural inclusivity make them perfect orchestrators of collaboration. They’re going to be leaders who bring out the best of every generation and turn it into harmony.
This is because the “future-ready” workforce isn’t just one that adapts to change; it’s one that creates it. It’s a workplace where everyone belongs, where together we build a future that is stronger, fairer, and ultimately more human.
I think for me, growing up as a Gen X, we were inculcated with this idea that work is supposed to be separate from life, work is supposed to be separate from who you are, your professional self has to be different from your personal self. There’s no space for your personal self, for your personal life in the midst of this type of work.
And I think envisioning a world where we are who we are, where our passions remain our passions, where our personality remains our personality, where our needs as human beings remain our needs as human beings, and they’re fulfilled and we expect them to be fulfilled, as much as we do in our personal life.
I think that’s going to be a workplace where we can all bring our best selves, where we can really come together, and where we can find that shared purpose that allows us to hold hands, move forward, and shape a future that is better for everybody. So I think we should change this concept of work, which the Baby Boomers, Gen X, and previous generations thought of as a way to make a living, to one that is actually part of who we are, not just a way to make a living. And one where we can actually make a difference will be the key.
Conclusion
Our conversation with Rachele Focardi underlines a powerful truth: the future of work isn’t just about adapting to change, it’s about creating it together. From breaking silos in hybrid environments to envisioning a future-ready workforce where Gen Z leads with inclusivity and purpose, her vision of how organizations can thrive by embracing the collective strengths of every generation is truly inspiring and forward-looking.
We have many more such interesting conversations lined up for you. Stay tuned!
