The changing nature of work and workers is a topic that has excited substantial interest and discussion across academic disciplines, organizations, and the popular press. To the degree that statements and proposals "due to the changing nature of work/workers" are supported and, therefore, the nature of work/workers has changed, then the approaches commonly used by organizations for attracting, retaining, and rewarding talent must also change in order to maintain a competitive advantage. Similarly, to the extent that work has changed, workers will need to adapt to a workplace that requires different skills, is differently organized, and where the assumptions of the past may no longer hold. This chapter introduces the topic of the changing nature of work and workers, describes common methods used to analyze change, offers a conceptual model of the changing nature of work, and summarizes the major themes covered in this handbook.

Discussions of the changing nature of work would be incomplete without a consideration of the changing role of the private sector in sustainable development, which affects what companies are working toward and how they are accomplishing their aims. This chapter considers and illustrates how the private sector can contribute to the accomplishment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Opportunities for impact extend beyond traditional forms of Corporate Social Responsibility. Enabling companies to embed people-friendly, planet-sensitive policies and practices in ways that are good for business can propel the positive transformation needed to achieve the SDGs. This leads to questions of how to create such enabling environments. Answers require a keen understanding not only of businesses, but of the people who lead, comprise, and support them. As such, the behavioral and organizational sciences are key to facilitating the kinds of private sector contributions necessary to accomplish the SDGs.