Conversations is an exciting new session format aimed at bringing exposure to exciting and provoking ideas, along with showcasing existing work. Inspired by the format of Conversations with which CHIWORK first started, the track gives the CHIWORK community an opportunity to join a conversation highlighting key ideas, technologies or studies related to the future of work.
We solicit submissions that showcase already published work, either a single paper or a body of work, or original ideas/provocations that can stimulate a discussion and are related to the topic of the conference. Contribution types can range from a number of disciplines and perspectives, including the humanities, social sciences, computing, and engineering.
Selected conversation authors will be presenting at the conference (in-person) in a stimulating panel-like discussion format with the Conversations Chairs. At least one of the panelists must be present in person at the conference, while the other panelists may participate online.
All submissions in this track are Non-Archival, thus authors may re-use and re-submit the content from other peer-reviewed venues. Proposals will be selected by the chairs using a single decision meeting process.
Submissions should be submitted to via Email to: conversations@chiwork.org
Submissions should include a manuscript using the ACM Master Article Submission Template (single column). Here you can find the templates for LaTeX, Word, and Overleaf. If you use LaTeX, please use: documentclass [sigconf, review] {acmart}.
Submissions should be a maximum of two pages (excluding references), that includes a description of the proposed conversation topic + speaker(s) biography.
Please include the following in your submission:
- Topic of the conversation
- Why should this provocation or theme be part of the conversation?
- Examples of published work/ongoing work/open challenges related to your proposed topic (you can provide urls to past talks, related papers, blog posts, or other similar content).
- Who would be your intended audience? Researchers, practitioners, all.
- Questions for discussion.
Important dates
All times are in Anywhere on Earth (AoE) time zone. When the deadline is day D, the last time to submit is when D ends AoE. Navigate to the time.is website if you’re not sure.
- Submission deadline: Thursday, March 6th, 2025
- Decision notification: Thursday, March 27th, 2025
What is a CHIWORK Conversation?
The Conversations track is geared towards creating stimulating discussions at CHIWORK. This will follow a 45 minute panel-style format, where authors will be invited to discuss their works in depth with the Conversations Chairs. We encourage discussions that highlight real-world experiences of systems that enable new ways of working, discussions on work practices across settings and geographical boundaries, or discussions about different methods and approaches for studying future work practices.
Topics
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to
- Tools for remote work: working from home, working while commuting, and meetings with remote participants
- New ways of getting work done: techniques for interleaving work; easy resumption, engagement, and disengagement; and incorporating well-being needs in productivity tools
- Working and trust with AI and automation: techniques for cooperation and collaboration with AI agents, new tools for task automation, working in and with automated environments and entities including cars, drones, and robots; designing for fairness, transparency and dignity
- Technologies for the future of work: networking, augmented reality, virtual reality, wearable devices, and human-robot collaboration
- Supporting worker well-being and health: maintaining work-life boundaries, supporting physical movement, and facilitating work attachment and detachment, exploring how systems support or privilege well-being of workers in gendered, race-, caste- and class-informed ways
- Designing digital tools: preparing the ground for professional development and adaptation to and development of individual skills
- Matching and developing worker skills for job opportunities: assessing worker skills, matching existing skills to new job opportunities, platforms and peer-networks for learning new skills
- Inclusion and accessibility: technology that is built for equality and technology that supports all abilities
- Large language models at work: use in practice, risks, organizational and staff perspectives
- Security and privacy: protecting work infrastructure from malicious actors and maintaining privacy while providing personalized support for work and well-being
- Novel ways of measuring outcome: rewarding performance so that it takes into account an individual’s unique needs, incorporating well-being as an integral part of productivity, fostering and measuring creativity and innovation, and supporting self-reflection by workers
- Tools and platforms for hiring and managing workers: new models for hiring, onboarding, and management; understanding and supporting freelancing, on-demand, crowdwork, and gig work
- Societal impact: supporting decision-making for policy and regulation, integrating perspectives of workers, firms, governments, and communities; addressing the economics and resilience of individuals, communities, and society
- Sustainability and future of work: environmental impact of work, social sustainability at the workplace, designing greener work practices, sustainability impact of technologies for work, and assessment methods for sustainability
Selection Process
Submissions will be selected by the chairs using a single decision meeting process. Authors can expect to receive light feedback. The main criteria by which submissions will be judged against is their capacity to provoke discussion: Does this work present research contributions or ideas that will stimulate interesting conversation among CHIWORK attendees? To what extent will the presenters benefit from being able to discuss their work and receive feedback at this stage?
Conversations Chairs
Sowmya Somanath, University of Victoria, Canada
Himanshu Verma, TU Delft, Netherlands
For questions, please email conversations@chiwork.org