#hybrid-work

#hybrid-work

It was a phenomenon that Nilles, a U.S. Air Force veteran turned NASA consultant, dubbed the "telecommunications-transportation tradeoff." Viewing remote work as a potential substitute for commuting, Nilles sought to gauge telework's effectiveness by partnering with a major national insurance company (whose name he still can't divulge for legal reasons). A group of employees worked from local centers equipped with "minicomputers" that transferred data to the company's mainframe. In the 1974 pilot study, Nilles concluded that this approach resulted in higher productivity and reduced turnover.

As Joburg shifts towards hybrid work and suburban hubs start buzzing like mini city centres, we might finally be heading towards something better: the rise of the 15-minute city. The idea, popularised by French urbanist Carlos Moreno, is simple: everything you need (work, food, fitness, childcare, errands, downtime) should be within a 15-minute walk of home. Paris made it famous. But Joburg, with its scattered nodes and endless commute culture, might be the city that needs it most.

Glassdoor's latest numbers show something many leaders might not expect: Confidence is rising among those at the beginning and middle of their careers. Entry-level confidence ticked up 1.9 points and mid-level roles rose 2.3. After several years defined by layoffs, volatility, and reorganization, you'd think this group would be the most anxious. But instead, they're slowly stabilizing-and in many cases, feeling more empowered.

Trust. Without it, every relationship disintegrates into dust. Today's workplace is being reshaped by forces that make trust harder to build and easier than ever to lose. Artificial intelligence is accelerating decision cycles. Hybrid work has reduced organic connection. And after years of economic volatility, employees are more skeptical of leadership notices and more sensitive to signs of inconsistency. We've become obsessed with automation without connection and conversations without intention. The result is reactive behavior that breeds short-term thinking and corrodes long-term reputation.

Have you ever misinterpreted a colleague's tone on a Teams chat? Or wondered what Mike meant by his face-without-a-mouth emoji in response to your carefully worded idea? A new book by University of Auckland Business School Associate Professor Barbara Plester explores how communication, fun, humor and happiness are evolving in the age of hybrid work. "Hybrid Happiness: Fun and Freedom in Flexible Work" investigates the social and emotional effects of flexible work.

In a series of articles, we'll explore how these methods have evolved beyond novelty and are now shaping the way people actually learn on the job. From microlearning in hybrid work, to gamification that drives application, to embedding learning into the flow of work, and finally balancing campaigns with journeys for lasting impact, we'll look at how L&D teams can design learning that fits seamlessly into daily routines and business priorities.

Have you ever turned up to the work and thought...where is everyone?! Empty offices and flexible work is part of the reason why so many people are experiencing work loneliness, but it's not the whole picture.

Gen Z is quietly rewriting the rules at work by letting AI take their meetings. An October study from Software Finder, a software discovery platform and database, found that three in ten survey respondents admitted to skipping a meeting, banking on AI to "have their back" by taking notes. The survey also found that 19% of full-time worker respondents use AI tools to automatically generate meeting notes. The strategy is paying off for some: According to the research, employees that use AI regularly to take meeting notes were 28% more likely to be promoted, compared to 15% otherwise, and earned nearly $20,000 more annually.

More than five years into the homeworking revolution, a narrative seems to have emerged - of employees being hauled back to the office against their will. This contrasts with what COVID taught us: that people can work flexibly, benefit from not commuting, and even work for employers based far from their home - expanding the labour pool for employers. In fact, both of these arguments are oversimplifications.

The browser has quietly become the nerve centre of modern business. It's where we access our CRM, collaborate on documents, check financial dashboards, and run customer calls. Yet while companies spend millions securing networks and devices, the browser, the window through which almost every work app is opened, is often left unguarded. That oversight is proving costly. The more we rely on cloud software, the greater the risk of session hijacks, data leaks, and compromised credentials.

The traditional five-day commute into a central office hub is no longer the default for millions of UK workers. That change gives people more freedom. But it also creates a deep problem for commercial property owners and the city itself. Empty floors, shrinking tenancies and new demands for flexibility force companies to rethink their physical space. This piece explains how a lasting shift to hybrid schedules is remaking London's business map, pushing office conversions, and building a new market around short-term and on-demand services.

I sought outside counsel from recruiters or others in managerial positions. I also tried out three résumé-writing services, spending hundreds of dollars on them with no results. I also used ChatGPT, but I really didn't like what I read from it. My résumé got to the point where it just sort of felt like some random keywords that were hopefully going to be caught by the ATS system.

In 2022, Zillow found listings that mentioned a home office or "Zoom room" sold for 1.6% above asking price and six days faster than those without.

In 2025 through August, 85% of UK job postings mentioned a hybrid schedule requiring at least two days a week in the office, compared with 65% in 2022, according to Indeed. The number of in-office days in hybrid roles shifted significantly between 2022 and 2025. One-day requirements fell from 35% in 2022, to 15% in 2025. Two days rose from 48% in 2022, to 56% in 2025.

With hybrid work now a common policy for organizations across the world, more focus is being put on the companies providing the tools to ensure workers stay productive, wherever they are. Speaking at the company's Logi Work event in London, Hanneke Faber outlined its aim of supporting, "the future of work - working smarter, living better, growing faster." Part of this is through the latest products, including its

Then comes the pause-that slight hesitation before things turn official. Soon the updates are moving, action items are ticked off, and by 9:31 the call is over. That's it. Productive? Absolutely. The efficiency is impressive. But what's notably missing are the small but meaningful interactions that have been squeezed out as efficiency was gained -the side conversations, the shared laughs, the inside jokes that remind people they belong.

Brooklyn's office market is carving out its own identity as companies and workers move away from Manhattan's pricier spaces, according to new data from JLL. Average asking rents in Brooklyn dropped 5.1% over the past year, now at $53.33 per square foot. But the report shows a sharp divide between high-end and mid-tier offices. Class A buildings, the newest spaces with modern amenities, are facing vacancies close to 25%.

Quiet Cracking: Silent Burnout in the Office Unlike " the great detachment", quiet cracking occurs when individuals continue to perform while silently burning out. They attend meetings, meet deadlines, and carry on, but under the surface, stress and exhaustion are eroding their well-being. The numbers tell the story: 90% of workers say their stress is the same or worse than last year. 47% worry about job stability. The average daily commute is now 62 minutes.

A report from Owl Labs found a large majority (93%) of UK workers agreed they would take action (such as resign) if remote or hybrid options were removed entirely. Despite companies' best efforts to update policies to reflect more in-person working, employees simply don't want it. The number of candidates rejecting jobs without flexible hours has actually risen five percentage points from 39% to 44% in the past year.

Millennials and Gen Z are poised to rise in the ranks, however much of the business canon and available literature offers advice from an irrelevant world-a world before hybrid offices, social media, and kiss cams at Coldplay concerts. Leaders are navigating digital and IRL (in real life) challenges where the older generations' leadership styles are incongruous with the current moment's needs.