PBS’ ‘Future of Work’ series shows what work could become

• A new PBS mini-series about work airs on Wednesday night at 10 p.m. EST.
• “Future of Work” explores everything from new technological advancements to mental health awareness.
• You can join the social-media conversation at #futureofworkpbs.

Are you ready to work with robots?

Amid the ever-changing workplace due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a new series shines a light on the accelerated pace of change in the workplace and what the future holds for workers, employers, educators and communities across the country.

PBS will air its new three-part series, “Future of Work,” which explores this new normal we’re all trapped in and what it means looking ahead. The show will begin at 10 p.m. EST starting Wednesday, September 1.

There’s also a six-part digital series on Youtube that explores several buzzing topics that workers today are asking themselves. One person quit their job to build tiny homes, others explain why they’ll never set foot in the office again, and a recovery addict explains why he lives and works full-time out of his car.

PBS teamed up with GBH, a multiplatform creator for public media, to deliver the broadcast.

“Future of Work raises critical questions and explores compelling diverse individual experiences,” GBH executive producer and series creator Denise DiIanni said in a press release. “We provide expert perspectives to help us understand what the future holds for the U.S. workforce and why that matters in today’s world.”

Here’s a glimpse at what to expect from the three episodes, according to GBH:

In the first episode, The New Industrial Revolution, Washington, D.C.-based producer Graham Townsley sets the stage, outlining the technological and global factors upending work today. “The more we talked to people, COVID has not so much changed the equation in the ways that work is transforming, but it has accelerated it,” he said.

Futureproof, the second episode directed by Llew Smith of New Orleans and produced by Kelly Thomson in Massachusetts, explores what it takes to not become obsolete as the world of work ricochets around us. “Even if technology creates more jobs than we lose, there are still going to be people who are not going to be part of that transformation,” he said. “There seems to be a consensus among experts that continual learning, continual re-careering, is part of our future,” Thomson added.

Episode Three, Changing Work, Changing Workers, directed by Los Angeles-based filmmaker Laurens Grant, takes a psychological and sociological look at the meaning of work. “Workers need and should have a lot more flexibility,” Grant said. “In an interesting way, mental health has taken on a greater importance,” she said.

The show doesn’t just stick to coastal cities; it explores from New York City to Kentucky, to Stockton, California and Fargo, North Dakota, and many other stops in an effort to show all the work of Americans.

“Future of Work” will air on Wed. Sept 1; Wed., Sept. 8; and Wed. Sept. 15.