20 Experts share their views on the current state of work

“It seems clear that, at this stage, the world is shifting towards people-centric work practices. Whether we’re talking about the necessity of well-being initiatives, mental health support, or workplace flexibility — all of this falls into the concept of focusing on people’s needs. It’s a major shift from the industrial people-management approach. I’m not a fortune teller, but I definitely rely on statistics that prove that outdated working patterns are being modified on a global scale.”

“Well, we’re certainly in a state of transition, aren’t we? Interesting times! While no one has a crystal ball and can truly predict the future, there are a few trends that will likely persist into the foreseeable future.”

“The current state of work is in transition. Employers and employees are exploring how to play nice again. The status quo has been completely dismantled, and the expectations and possible realities are still aligning. Things that won’t go away: employees expecting more from employers and a gig economy.”

“Work (aka ‘labor’) is in a state of flux in terms of how it is organized, who it is performed for, where it is performed, and the terms of the deal. 

British management scholar and author, Charles Handy, suggests that, in the main, those organizations we’ve long known as ‘employers’ are now better thought of as ‘organizers of work’, suggesting that the bond between employer and employee has become far more transactional than relational. He’s onto something.”

“Ten years ago, if you asked a limo/sedan driver who they worked for, they might have responded that they were employed by Boston Coach in Manhattan. Today, they might respond to the effect that they drive for Uber, Lyft, Yellow Cab, and Boston Coach simultaneously, depending on location and the time of day. 

Similarly, an aircraft pilot who ten years ago would have responded that they were a Boeing 757 pilot for United might be more inclined to reply to the effect that they are a pilot, with no tip of the cap to the organization whatsoever.”

“We’re deconstructing the traditional working relationship at a rapid rate.”

“Paid work is in a state of flux, following the enforced shift to remote and hybrid work in response to the global pandemic in 2020. 

The large-scale shift in the location and timing of work has resulted in a widespread rethinking of the workplace and driven debates around the future of work — including experiments in the application of a 4-day working week, remote and hybrid working, and highly flexible forms of employment including gig working.”

“These changes pose several opportunities and challenges for the future of work, providing a platform for paid work to be revisited and flexibility and employee well-being to be put at the center of a healthy and successful workplace.” 

“I think we’re in a pivotal time when it comes to the state of work. The last 2 years have shown that the traditional rule book of 9–5 and 5 days a week in the office is not necessary for success.  Especially the new generation wants both flexibility and companies that truly care about the greater good — which means DEI is more crucial than ever.” 

“The current state of work is still being impacted by the fallout of COVID-19 and the Great Resignation. Recent news about workers refusing to RTO at various companies is causing friction. I think that certain trends will keep up for the foreseeable future.”

“The current state of work is rapidly evolving, a trend that COVID-19 boosted as more and more companies look into adapting hybrid or remote work as part of their work policies. The current state of work is here to stay, whether it is remote first companies, 4-day work weeks, mental health support, or paid mental health days. Both employers and employees benefit from this as technological advances, internet penetration, and automation helps businesses free themselves from the logistics of a physical location.” 

“The current state of work is nothing less than wonky. A fundamental shift in how we work and the priorities of employees has been largely impacted by outside forces versus internal direction. A pandemic, labor shortages, the Great Resignation, Quiet Quitting, and now a looming recession are all impacting what we call work.“

“Remote is the default! I actually am surprised when I see a job that’s listed as solely on-site now. 

I also think that, with transparency of pay, we’re going to start seeing some interesting discussions around remote pay models. Companies like Buffer (that have a pay calculator) will lead the way in a lot of these discussions as examples. There are also some, like Gumroad, that pay the same regardless of location. There’s going to be a lot of debate about this.”

“I coach and develop leaders and see that they struggle with talking about their own purpose and how to support their own team members in living theirs. 

There’s even more pressure on organizations and leaders to help support employee goals, motivators, and careers to help employees feel more fulfilled and engaged. And, while the perks may be nice, it seems like people can overlook some of these aspects and hit the office if they feel like their manager cares or if they feel like they are living in alignment with their own values and goals.”

“Post-pandemic, this is going to be a demand placing more pressure on managers to address and organizations to ensure they’re better aligned with their people as people and not just ‘employees’.”

“I think that the current state of work is much better and more favorable than before. While before it was unthinkable for someone to work from home and have meetings online, today it has become normal. I believe that many companies see the benefits of such work and will try to make it possible for their employees in the future.”

“The 2020 pandemic created a new perspective on many things, one of them definitely being the way we organize ourselves when it comes to working. The best option that came out from that was giving employees the opportunity to have a say in which setting they wish to work in.” 

“We have an incredible opportunity right now to shift the way we work — we will see some companies struggle, lag behind, and lose viability. Others will take this chance to reassess and rejuvenate their entire approach so that the focus is human-centered, planet-friendly, sustainable at the micro and macro level, and longtermist.”

“The 4-day week (at the same pay) is proving to be a powerful tool for this change. Additionally, the focus will shift from mental health support to preventing workplace issues, which cause mental health issues in the first place.“

“I believe work is something people will do even when everything will be automated, taken care of by algorithms, AIs, robots, and (some) countries will pay out Universal Base Income to their citizens. Because we, humans, have an innate need for self-actualization, belonging, and meaning — and those needs often get expressed through what we call work.”

“Work (or the way we traditionally thought of it) is making people miserable — it’s broken and in need of a reinvention, which is currently underway. The 4-day workweek, remote-first companies, mental health support, and more are part of that reinvention.”

“The current state of online work is very exciting. The pandemic forced many companies to reimagine the way their employees work, including working fully in the cloud with collaboration tools, project management tools, cloud storage services, and VoIP apps. Even though some companies are trying to return to in-person work, more are taking this opportunity to question how we all can work smarter, rather than harder.” 

“The current state of work can be summed up in one word: ‘dynamic’. Employers across the globe are throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks, and it’s never been a more exciting time! Remote work is *definitely* here to stay. So is the hybrid model. 4-day workweeks? Absolutely. And, you know what? So are all the traditional models. 

We are seeing unprecedented levels of bifurcation as each and every employer is discovering what uniquely works for them.”

“Hybrid, remote-first, and office-only cultures will all continue to exist. I don’t believe the entire world will adopt one model or another. I think that 4-day work weeks will become more and more prevalent, as it may end up providing balance for companies that want to have an office-only work model and their employees looking for remote or hybrid work.”

“It’s hard to say now that so many companies are trying to figure out a return to work or even attempting to mandate in-office days. 

But I think, on average, we’re going to see a lot more hybrid teams than we’ve seen pre-pandemic. You’re going to have a mix of people that work remotely all the time, some that may stay in the office all the time, and those that do both. 

And I think you’ll find every scenario in the same company. (I know that’s true for us at The Kevin Eikenberry Group.)”

“The 4-day work week hopefully gets us to a point where the 40-hour work week isn’t the default anymore, but a 32 (or less) hour work week is “good enough”. If we can combine this with the flexibility to work these 32 hours, not necessarily on 4 specific days, that would make life so much easier for everyone.” 

“First, the primacy of the physical office has been challenged and, in most cases, severely diminished. We’ve proven that work can happen everywhere there’s a WiFi connection, and employees will continue to expect work-from-anywhere options. We’ll see more and more remote-friendly companies catering to this expectation.” 

“As a result, the collaboration will be fluid, constantly moving in and out of different modes and workstyles — sometimes all remote, sometimes mixed (e.g., half in-person, half remote). Working in pure digital formats, even when in-person, will be key to making this fluidity happen.“

“The crisis has revealed the importance of culture and its influence on employees. 

For example, I know companies that found the remote work experience during the pandemic so productive that they decided to keep working remotely. They managed to keep the culture alive through constant communication. 

I’ve recently spoken with two CEOs who say that it was their people who asked to come back to the office because physical closeness to their colleagues sparks their creativity. This too is a story of satisfied employees, because they were listened to.”

“There are companies that insist on prioritizing control over results, causing employees to work around the clock and eventually burn out. 

Factors like this lack of trust in employees’ intentions, together with toxic culture and disrespect, are now related to the trends known as the Great Resignation and Quiet Quitting. People don’t want to settle for bad conditions at work, they say “NO” to protect their mental health.”

“People shouldn’t survive work. People should thrive at work. The key is listening to them and being genuinely interested in helping them do their jobs by giving them the conditions they need.”

“There are so many inspiring and balanced-geared trends out there that are helping employees on different levels. Yet, the one thing I see constantly is that, regardless of the perks, trends, or location (whether in the office or virtual), the future of work is going to depend even more on employees finding and fulfilling their purpose.”

“The trends that will stick will be those that bring more productivity. 

The trend that is here to stay is the enhanced, inspiring, enlightening employee experience. 

It’s getting more important to attract the right people and keep them inside the company, which can be achieved primarily through the creation and maintenance of a healthy culture that helps employees use their strengths at work, see the concrete impact that they make on the customer, and feel valued.”

“I’m also very curious about other experiments, such as tracking productivity from a 4-day workweek — study results indicate the same level of productivity and a better work-life balance for team members — although possibly more stress.

Additionally, as more companies shift to a more remote setup, I think many will be looking for ways to track their employees’ work and accomplishments — such as tools like Clockify.”

“So many companies are doing amazing things with video clips and audio clips in order to get messages across without necessarily calling for a meeting. 

I think we’re going to see more processes documented and training available via video, through services like Loom, to reduce time spent on repeated issues or situations. And, we’ll be looking to companies that are figuring out how to do that well for guidance.” 

“You might go through video training on how to set up your accounts vs. a support tech taking hours out of their day to do it.”

“In addition to adopting a digital-first mindset, teams need to leverage asynchronous collaboration. 

The default used to be that a synchronous meeting was needed to make progress — to brainstorm, prioritize, and make decisions as a team. This presents a challenge when you have team members distributed across multiple time zones. 

Now, teams can use the undistracted, focused time to work independently and get more done, shifting time spent together to address those things where they need group consensus.” 

“We’ll likely see more flexibility in when people work, as they win back more control over their time. Four-day work weeks and other flexible arrangements will be more common.“

“We used to commute to the same central location and then travel offsite for team events. With a more distributed workforce, we see the opposite: people working from home now coordinate to meet up in the office. 

We just experienced this at MURAL, where a large group of people in Product Development used the office for a first-ever in-person meet-up. They even barbecued together on the rooftop deck.”

“I believe that, when it comes to the future of work and jobs, the biggest shift will happen in benefits, which will have to be based on the individuals and what is important to them and that will come with reward and inclusion. Those things will be the reasons why an employee is going to choose one company over another.” 

“Organizations would be wise to concentrate on this issue, as it will be more and more challenging to connect teams. 

I predict offsites, retreats, and in-person team-building events will become more frequent, as we lose out on more spontaneous connections in the physical office. A focus on mental health will increase as well, as teams grapple with feelings of isolation and disconnection.” 

“Flexibility and a deeper focus on what is best for employees are here to stay in the short term. But, this is not guaranteed in the long term unless there is a significant internal employee-led focus to keep it going.”

“Many employees aren’t willing to give up on the freedoms they experienced during the past two years, opting for positions that promise work flexibility. Not everyone loves working from home, but research shows that most prefer a partially remote work position, with two to three days at home, and the other days in the office for important meetings. I expect this trend to stay, moving forward.” 

“Flexibility is the future — not exchanging one rigid structure for another rigid structure. 

Remote-first will become more important as more and more people expect their employers to allow for that flexibility. 

Mental health isn’t as much a trend as it’s a necessity, especially as we still grapple with the aftermath of the pandemic.”

“There’s a lot of research about how free time is only as good as the free time of those you like to spend time with. If you are off work on Wednesdays, and your partner is off Fridays — you won’t get as much joy and recovery out of it as if both of you get off on Fridays. 

And, at the same time, if you still have to work from 9–5 on four days and scramble for childcare for those last two hours every day — you still get a higher stress level than if you worked every day from 9–3 and then picked up your kid from kindergarten.”

“[The first category are] Those that will continue to try and go back to how things were before and refuse to offer these kinds of benefits [4-day workweek, remote-first companies, mental health support & more] or more progressive setups. 

For a while, they will survive because they’re usually well-established companies, and/or large corporations that count on legacy reputation and assets earned over many decades, where change happens rarely and slowly. They will generally no longer be able to reliably attract top, agile talent.”

“The second category of companies who will embrace the new realities of work and differentiate themselves, put themselves in pole position by offering benefits and setups like the aforementioned ones. They’ll be able to attract top talent and be more sustainable long-term due to reduced overheads, increased agility, and competitiveness, to name a few.”

“So the future, in many ways, is already here — it’s just not evenly distributed, and it, unfortunately, won’t be for a while, depending on industry, geography, and the type of company one engages with.”

“We now have companies offering variations of working models, from fully remote to in-office options. The best part is that employees have a chance to choose the model they prefer.”

“Other companies went one step ahead and shortened the working week to 4 days. This news was welcomed by employees, but we have to be careful not to get carried away. 

The 4-day workweek model proved to be efficient only in some industries, where the industry business model can allow that. In others, it has proven to increase after-work hours, shorten the break time employees take, and decrease overall socialization at work, as people are trying to achieve the same workload that was done in 5 days before the change to 4 days.” 

“I’m a massive fan of primarily-remote-with-periodic-in-person-gatherings. If you don’t *need* to be in the office, why force it?”

“I have run companies where everyone was at the office, 100% remote, and hybrid. 

By far the best results were 100% remote. Our ability to hire and retain talent while rapidly growing only seems to happen in a totally remote environment. 

Second place would be everyone in an office. Hybrid is the hardest model to execute successfully.“

“Since I was hired remotely and my first role involved working in shifts, I got used to working from home. 

After moving to another role, I kept the same working model, even though I did go to the office from time to time. 

I mostly work from home, as that gives me comfort that I never experienced before. Comfort in the sense of organizing my day and being able to achieve more things than when going to the office.” 

“I have been working remotely (from home, from the local library, and in a coworking space) for the past 10 years, so I do not remember what it was like to attend an office. 

I’d probably enjoy a weekly office day, IF AND ONLY IF that office happened to be less than 20 min walking from my home. Given that I live in a smallish town, that’s probably not going to happen. 

I do make sure that the companies I work with have yearly or quarterly get-togethers for a couple of days, so I do see my colleagues regularly.”

“This is a fantastic work model for finding talent no matter their location, as long as they have a solid WiFi connection. 

However, some people might struggle with the lack of a social connection with remote work. It’s hard to have team camaraderie and feel connected to people you might never have met in person. At Cloudwards.net, we put a lot of effort into building that team bond.”

“Personally, I prefer a full remote with quarterly opportunities to bring the team together. I think hybrid workplaces provide a lot of great flexibility — however, I think we’re going to see a lot of challenges in ensuring those who may not be in the office have an equal voice.”

“I’ve been working fully remotely for two and a half years now. There is no wasting time in commuting to and from work, nor stressing in such situations — worrying about parking, etc. About once a month I go to the office to see my colleagues and I truly enjoy it, but that’s when I’m least productive at work. I’m used to peace and quiet — I prefer to organize my work and time independently.”

“I am glad that the company recognized the value of remote work and realized that we may be more productive working remotely than in the office. It means a lot to me that there is a choice and I know that it is one of the biggest benefits today.”

“We started as a remote-only company, mainly out of necessity. The speed at which we need to work requires key stakeholders to be present in the office for collaborative sessions.”

“Some of the tasks that I do require me to be in the office, so I’ll never be able to be truly remote all the time. I do enjoy the deep work that I’m able to do by working remotely (usually from home), but there are times when that office environment can also be beneficial.”

“I think a hybrid workplace will be the norm, with people traveling to a physical office part of the time. 

As a result, a lot of real-time interactions will be mixed, with some in-person and others dialed in. In today’s hybrid workplace, if even one person is remote and dialing into a meeting, then everyone is remote. 

Work isn’t a place, it’s what a team accomplishes together. Collaboration should and will happen from anywhere.”

“I’m an extravert who needs a lot of time to myself, so I love the balance of being enlivened by in-person and online human contact, with the opportunity to retreat and do deep work with plenty of autonomy over my schedule. 

Ideally, workplaces will offer an array of options so that people can use a work model that works for them at this juncture of their lives.”

“I prefer the flexible hybrid model because it allows people to choose their work location and how they distribute their working hours — like the Twitter model of hybrid work. It’s empowering, it gives people the feeling of control of their own environment. They could choose to work from a place that stimulates their creativity, be it a park or a crowded bar; or if they need to focus, they will opt for a position with no distractions.”

“At the end of the day, what matters is the result, the output. This model is based on trust, which a good employee would only deeply appreciate and never break.”

“We started as a hybrid workplace, which has now evolved into a 100% remote working organization. 

Productivity has improved dramatically, while also helping us save on resources and time, e.g., work commutes, the nuts, and bolts of physical workplace meetings, etc.”

“Think of companies like Zapier, Doist, and GitLab. They give full CHOICE. Which is, I think, the main thing I prefer. 

If I want to go into a coworking space or a cafe or work from home or work on the beach, those are all available options.”

“I’m a part-time digital nomad because I have a place of residence, but I travel a lot. 

Needless to say, my preferred work model is remote. However, it doesn’t mean that I’m against the office! Absolutely not. 

I’m very much into building human connections, socializing, brainstorming, and just generally the experience of embracing special moments together. At the same time, I strongly believe that mandatory commuting and being stuck in one location simply limit our horizons as human beings. 

When I travel, I get the ability to touch, smell, and taste different food, meet inspiring people, learn about new cultures, and develop an unbiased view of today’s world. It’s been such a long time now since I’ve started doing it that I don’t know any other way anymore.”

“Employees should be honest with their employers, produce amazing results, and then be able to live their life the way they need to. 

They shouldn’t feel bad about going to the dentist, going to a school event, or stepping away for a mental health day. However, that flexibility will only work if honesty and excellence are in place and being executed.”

“Self-employed, I prefer a model where I work chiefly from a home office (with a 30-step commute), interspersed around engagements with clients at their place of business or some ‘third place.’ 

As a case in point, I recently conducted a 3-day session with clients from a Georgia beach-front AirBnB. Our follow-up meetings will likely be held at their offices or via Zoom.”

“For many years, Starbucks effectively branded itself as the ‘Third Place’ located between home and the office. Influenced by COVID-19 and digital alternatives, that option seems to be morphing into something else, to the chagrin of those who were accustomed to enjoying all-day free wireless and clean bathrooms for the price of a single ‘tall’ latte.”

“No single model of work is by definition better or preferred over another. Good work, and equally low-quality work, can take many forms and take place in different locations — including employer premises, remote locations including the home, client sites, and more. What creates good work is a complex combination of job characteristics including:

– The content of the job itself (i.e. whether one feels engaged in the job, or a sense of purpose and meaning), 

– The relative degree of autonomy and control over work, 

– Opportunities for career development and progression, 

– Levels of flexibility and balance between work and life, 

– Relationships with co-workers and leaders (including matters associated with equality, diversity, and inclusion), 

– The physical work environment (including health and safety), and 

– The remuneration received.“

“I’ve worked remotely in various capacities for over 10 years now. My team, my partner, and I have built quite a few things (some wildly successful) remote-first. 

On the other hand, we also run a physical coworking/shared-office hub, which is centered around human interaction. So, I see both sides of this conundrum.”

“The best work model is optimizing for remote-first, but allowing and encouraging people to co-work with others (from their own company or otherwise) if/when needed.”

“Working from home/remotely in general vs. from the office don’t exclude each other and aren’t necessarily opposed to each other. There are numerous flexible, in-between alternatives like:

– Working remotely from your own team/clients but from a coworking hub or shared office, where you meet other interesting humans and have meaningful interactions

– Working some days from home/remotely and some days from the office — the hybrid model, which is hard to get right management-wise, but it’s an option

– Working primarily remotely and meeting periodically for co-workations with your team to build context and connection”

“My answer to ‘Is the future remote or back to the office?’ is:

The future is choice and agency. It’s working from where you’re most inspired and productive and allowing your team to do the same.”