Boy oh boy, did I ever take a beating at the New Year’s party! The subject turned to “why won’t those damn kids come back to the office?” One manager proclaimed “They knew they’d have to commute for 2 hours a day when they took the job, why won’t they do it now?” Another chimed “They’re not learning anything when they’re not showing up at the office. They need
to learn from their managers if they’re going to get ahead.” By this time I was sipping glugging my drink and biting my tongue. 2023 hadn’t even begun but they might have been singing “The Way We Were.” The
nostalgia for a bustling office is understandable, but the path forward will definitely include a mix of yesteryear and tomorrow.
During the pandemic we learned that by driving less we could have clearer skies and less smog. We learned that a walk outside – or any other simple pleasure (yes, even sourdough) – was a gift. And we learned that perhaps there was another way to live
without painful commutes, expensive wardrobes, $14 salads and family deprivation. We learned new ways of getting our work done, being managed or managing, and new ways of collaborating on ideas.
The big question is whether the pandemic changed things forever or just until it becomes a faint memory. For me, the strides we’ve made in remote working, metaverse life, and AI during the height of the pandemic is a good indicator that we’ve entered the new normal, one where 9 to 5, 5 days a week seems so quaint. And one where learning takes many new forms. In the
early ’90s, architect Witold Rybczynski questioned the artificial construct of a weekend. We’re doing the same thing now, questioning the artificial construct of an office, with technology accelerating the conversation. |