As 2024 Approaches, the Future of Work Feels Like It’s at a Tipping Point

Over three years, under the worst conceivable circumstances, we proved that there were new and different ways to work, shining light on the possibility of much-needed, long-overdue changes to the workplace. Yet over those three years, we saw a slow slide back into what felt like regressive behaviors, wiping away a lot of the progress that had been made.

Reasons to return to office have included everything from “it’s for the culture” to the more blunt, “we have a long-term lease and spent a lot of money on commercial real estate,” and then a smattering of generic statements, none of which addressed the heart of the matter or the employees it had impacted.

If it was working, why were we all but abandoning the progress we had made in favor of a return to something that wasn’t? Beyond the tactical choices lies a philosophical difference in how organizations are looking at their approach to how we work: progression or regression.

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Addressing the human in the room

Change is inevitable, that is a universal truth. In an effort to catch and control change like a butterfly in a net, we’re racing to solutions that create standardized policies.

What we need to do is focus on understanding the forces driving change and explore solutions that meaningfully move us forward. Four-day work week, flexible hours, work from anywhere. Everything can and should be on the table for discussion, because whether or not an organization is aligned to the idea that change can be for the better, change is happening.

Tensions are running high because how we work and how we live are intertwined. We’re all advocating for what we want, it’s human nature. We’re all different. We all work better in different ways, are motivated by different factors, value different things.

A way forward involves shifting our approach to human-centered design thinking anchored in an embrace of impermanence. We need to re-frame this as an opportunity to build for a new way of working where we haven’t even begun to scratch the surface.

Much of the frustration we may be feeling comes from this notion that decisions have been made and that they’re final, it’s open and shut. But the world has changed, and people have forever changed.

Regression vs. progression

There is safety in regression. Not that it’s a safe decision—there’s a lot of risk in knowingly doing something many employees have flagged as not for them, but there is comfort in feeling like you can retain control by returning back to something that once was. Whether or not it was working or a perfect system, there’s certainty in what that structure looks like and for those risk adverse or those comfortable in the known, this can feel like the more appealing option. It requires less effort because it’s pre-built, with a few tweaks at best. With change ever looming, regression provides the illusion of control.

Progression is a more risk-inherent decision, rooted in a belief that changes are necessary, and in order to make real change, we need to think about the type of progress and incremental improvements needed to get to a better future state. It’s a keenly open-minded belief that progress is not linear and taking two steps forward and one step back doesn’t mean you failed; it means you are leaning into the heart of what it means to experiment and grow as you progress towards a goal.

If we were to frame this like we were looking at a marketing plan or strategy, you might consider the difference as this: a brand that chooses to do the same thing over and over again because there is comfort in known factors vs. a brand that’s more exploratory and interested in doing things differently, a bit more off the beaten path and maybe even less proven. Each of those brands, just like any organization, have two critical decisions they need to make when deciding which path to take: what goals are they trying to achieve and how will they measure what success looks like?

If we apply that lens to reimagine how we work, change can feel less intimidating or less risky because the greater reward in the long term can pay off tenfold.

Putting progression into practice

Looking at the past 12 months, we’ve seen an influx of more regression-based behaviors and policies put into place. As we look ahead to the next 12 months, we have the opportunity to unlock the power of a more progression-based approach. For any organization, the first step in activating that direction is to acknowledge that the work has just started.

How do we begin to build with a progression-based approach?

The mindset required is that of patience and learning.

• It’s not a “set it and forget it” approach which means it’s going to require more diligence, observation and acceptance. If something doesn’t work, that doesn’t mean it’s a failure; it means it’s a data point to inform a future decision or next step.
• When we think about real systemic and structural change, we need to be open to listening to understand how people feel, why they feel the way they do and what we can do to resolve barriers, tensions and challenges that have made our current way of working ‘not workable’ for many.

Understand that people are inherently different, even when they may present as similar.

• One size fits all, while often the marker of consistent policy, inherently removes the people factor from decisions that squarely impact people. Creating policies and ways of working that are built to be more elastic provides greater flexibility in every meaning of the word.
• Two things can be true at the same time. People can enjoy time in person or feel the benefit of coming together in a physical space, but also not want to pay for a commute or live in a less expensive location. We need fewer binaries and more thoughtful design parameters across our solution sets.

While the path is forged in real time, transparency and clarity around goals and measurement are important to keep building and iteration on track.

• At every turn, ask the question “what is this in service of?” Are your choices pointing in the direction of the goal you’re trying to achieve? Are they aligned to the longer term ambition you’re working towards?
• KPIs will vary for every organization at different stages of the process. While fundamental principles apply, just like people, businesses have remarkable differences and what matters most and how that’s determined will and should impact how things are prioritized, measured and valued.

Looking ahead to 2024 and beyond

If you take anything from this article, it’s that we have everything to gain ahead of us. We’re not at an impasse, we’re at an inflection point.

• Change isn’t going away, but how we adapt to change will define our future.
• Building for the future is an exercise in patience and practice, not perfection.
• This is the time for organizations to reflect on their honest perspective about how they see people as a part of the business and bridge the gap between vision and reality. Decide the company you want to be, the type of talent you want to attract and the culture you aim to build. Like any brand exercise, knowing who you are, what you stand for and how you show up in the world is how you get to clarity. This exercise is no different.
• Focus on building with people in mind. Not in the superficial way, but in the human-centered design thinking way. A system and structure that supports new norms and prioritizes people can lead to a more equitable, more accessible, more integrated workforce that produces the best work possible under the best conditions possible.

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Nothing about this is easy. We’re working with a large and complicated set of variables. But progress doesn’t mean perfection. It means a commitment to change for the better. Better for women, parents, caretakers, people who are disabled, people who are neuro divergent and people who don’t live in one of the major urban markets.

The fact that the work is hard shouldn’t be enough of a detractor to push us towards regression. It’s time to acknowledge and embrace the challenge and approach this opportunity with a commitment to iterate along the way to building a new system, new policies and a new mindset for how to create a better future of work for everyone.