Why The Office Is The Future of Work
There is a social revolution underway in the very nature of how we work, what work means, where we work and managing workforces. Today, it’s an utter mess. Some companies demanding a return to the office, some have gone fully remote, others a hybrid. And while it is a mess, this is just a phase and the outcome might actually be better for workers and businesses.
We are in the process of shifting the very nature of work, not just from where we work, but compensation, contract versus full-time, benefits packages and retirement contributions. Leadership styles and the rights of employees and contractors. What might the future of work look like?
I’ll look at where we are with digital work, knowledge work, and why, oddly enough, we all may end up back in the office. And why shaking hands is part of the reason.
The whole concept of working Monday to Friday from 9AM to 5PM comes out of the manufacturing world and the early days of industrialisation. As workers gained rights for days off, safer workplace conditions and benefits, knowledge industries modelled the manufacturing world. It worked fairly well. Now it doesn’t.
All of this arose mostly out of what is called Scientific Management, or Taylorism. It is a theory of management evolved from the ideas of Frederick Taylor in the late 19th century. It boils down…
