For many leaders, the debate over remote work can feel like a tug-of-war between productivity and presence. But the truth is, the concept of the office has never been fixed. We often say we’ve always done things a certain way — but in reality, we never have. Even offices have been an ever-evolving thing, from the way we used the space to questioning the need for space at all.
And the office has never been merely function but place. What started as a few desks and a place to store paperwork became, over time, an entire infrastructure designed around the dominant needs of the moment — paperwork, hierarchy, collaboration, or creativity.
What’s been consistent isn’t the office, but the constant change of how we use it. It’s our ability to adapt.
Why We Needed Offices (and Still Might).
Offices began as a necessity. Even if there were only two or three people, you needed a physical space to hold files, keep records, and fit a desk. Eventually, you needed room for a typewriter, then a desktop computer. Offices were functional, because the tools of work lived there.
But something else happened alongside that. Just walking into the office shifted your mindset. You were at work now. We reinforced that with routines — the suit and tie, the nicer dress — and over time, the office became more than a room. It became the boundary between your personal life and your professional one.
Eventually, the office became a living, breathing thing. The layout, the lighting, the energy — all of it said something about who a company was. Offices reflected culture. And they created connection. Even in small teams, being in the same place bonded people. It built accountability and trust. You heard things in passing. You saw how people reacted. You picked up context without anyone spelling it out.
None of that means we can’t find new ways to work. But it does mean that as we rethink the office, we can’t ignore what it gave us — function, focus, culture, connection.
Which Workplace Isn’t the Problem — Stagnation Is.
In conversation with senior leaders, I often hear concerns about the pace and direction of workplace change. And they’re not wrong to pause.
The resistance often sounds like this: the change is untested, the status quo is working incredibly well, or the cost of transition is significant with no guaranteed ROI. All fair points. But it’s important to remember that humans are wired to resist change — and also wired to adapt. We don’t like it—and we’re pretty good at it.
And that’s the problem. We run to keep doing it the way we’ve always done it because it feels safe. And humans are hard wired for safety. But when we adapt, we thrive. Every major advancement by humans was achieved by accident or risk taking. And you can’t scale happy accidents in business.
Our need for workplace is real, but evolved.
Think about how much we’ve already let go of. We don’t need file cabinets anymore. Most of us get by with a second monitor and high-speed Wi-Fi. We store everything in the cloud and take our laptops to the beach. Fighting remote work on a functional argument is about as outdated as the equipment the office used to hold. It’s not true for everyone, but the pandemic showed just how much we could adapt — and fast.
If the function of office is the least critical part of workplace, then what’s really left? The psychological and emotional side. That’s not a small thing. It may be the most critical reason for some in-person work experiences to continue. And ironically, the adaptation itself is likely to promote productivity: in part because studies show that adaptive organisations are also seen as more equitable places. And the study went on to show that employees are more productive when they perceive organisational justice from management.
Think about it: changes to offices and work more generally tend to move toward more inclusiveness whether it’s designated parking spaces for people with mobility issues or diversity initiatives. Remote and hybrid work arrangements are similarly embraced because they can accommodate people who would be otherwise excluded.
Becoming a leader is about understanding people. That doesn’t always happen in a training — a lot of it comes from being in the room. You observe, you absorb, you learn the unspoken dynamics. Junior employees used to sit in meetings and take notes, but they also caught the small stuff: the tone before it started, the rushed prep, the debrief after. That was all part of the learning.
It doesn’t have to happen in person. But when it did, it was organic. And if we want to let go of the old structure, we need to be clear-eyed about what it gave us — and intentional about what replaces it.
Adaptability will beat thoughtless consistency.
The companies that succeed won’t be the ones who rush everyone back, or the ones who go fully remote. They’ll be the ones asking better questions. Not just ‘how do we get people back in the office?’ but ‘what is the office for now?’ and ‘how do we design work environments — physical or digital — that support both performance and belonging?’
Hybrid isn’t a compromise. It’s a new model. And like all models, it works best when it’s shaped on purpose.
Workplaces will keep playing a role, but they aren’t the whole story.
Work has never stood still. And the office has never been just one thing. Leaders should recognise that it’s easy to justify ‘going back to the office’ because going back is the status quo. Then they should take a hard look at what today’s teams really need – functionally and emotionally. And that is when they’ll create better workplaces — not just for now, but for whatever comes next. Until it’s time to adapt again.
In terms of my background and expertise, I have spent my entire career working as a trusted advisor to senior leaders wanting to improve the effectiveness of themselves, their teams and their companies. Prior to starting my own consulting firm, I led the global executive assessment and development team for Cisco. Earlier in my career I held leadership roles with RHR International, PepsiCo, Ashridge Executive Education, Hult International Business School and the Central European University, Budapest, Hungary.
