New office trends that will shake up the return-to-work narrative for HR and leaders

The office: Two words that conjure up a million different images, all varying depending on who you are, the role you work in and of course the industry you work in, too. Now, if memes of David Brent and Michael Gary Scott (the US office) are in your mind, that’s the parody of the ‘office’ as a workspace. Grey, dull, structured, with desks as the main feature, and perhaps the odd, sad, forgotten plant near a once inspirational quote on the wall and a selection of bean bags by a disused coffee machine.

Office is a word synonymous with workplace, but the office is just one of the many places we do our work. Even pre-pandemic, when working from home wasn’t so much the norm, people worked everywhere from offices, shops, front desks to reception desks, factories and open-plan workspaces.