  The disruption caused by the pandemic has called into question industrial
norms and created an opportunity to reimagine the future of work. We discuss
how this period of opportunity may be leveraged to bring about a future in
which the workforce thrives rather than survives. Any coherent plan of such
breadth must address the interaction of multiple technological, social,
economic, and environmental systems. A shared language that facilitates
communication across disciplinary boundaries can bring together stakeholders
and facilitate a considered response. The origin story of cybernetics and the
ideas posed therein serve to illustrate how we may better understand present
complex challenges, to create a future of work that places human values at its
core.
