2025 in commentary: a year of plotting, promises and patchy progress
As the curtain comes down on 2025, we reflect on a year of challenge and change in work and workplace through the lens of 12 comment pieces written by the WORKTECH Academy team
2025 was a year in which the hybrid working continued to present stubborn challenges to organisations everywhere. Throughout the year, WORKTECH Academy’s writers offered a regular commentary on the unfolding drama of the return to office. Here we revisit 12 pieces that chart how 2025 played out:
January
How a lack of desks could hinder the great office return in 2025
Aggressive cuts to desk space by many large companies since the pandemic is now hampering the drive by business leaders to bring people back to the office on a more regular basis
February
Will we switch from activity-based to relationship-based working?
As organisations seek connection, collaboration and culture, a new concept in office planning places the emphasis on who people relate to at work rather than what they actually do
March
Where next for diversity and inclusion as companies reverse policies?
The recent rollback of DEI policies inside large US multinationals has been jaw-dropping to observe. But an underlying commitment to inclusive principles can still shape how we view the world
April
Has a false narrative been created around the return to office?
Work from home has stabilised and office attendance has flatlined over the past two years, according to Nick Bloom of Stanford University, a keynote speaker at WORKTECH Melbourne
May
Could mishandling middle managers be a counter-productive move?
Large firms are either slashing middle managers to create a leaner organisation – or leaving them to rot in challenging conditions. Neither approach is a recipe for success
June
Factory settings: why is the post-industrial workplace so popular?
Creative firms relocating to industrial heritage buildings is on the rise. Research from the Netherlands suggests that connections to the past provide workers with motivation and identity
July
Shapeshifter offices: what happens when our spaces start to feel us back?
From mood-sensitive materials to neuroadaptive lighting, workplaces are beginning to adapt not just to tasks – but to emotions, postures and personalities
August
Can ‘unreasonable hospitality’ be an antidote to employee switch-off?
As engagement levels continue to decline, organisations are looking to reconnect with employees. Could a trend transplanted from restaurant culture be the shift that makes the office desirable?
September
Post-perk culture: what really brings people back to the office?
As tax breaks on office snacks and coffee come to an end in the US, employers face a choice: cut back on the perks or invest in deeper forms of engagement and culture
October
Is misplaced faith in mandates making things worse for the RTO?
Company bosses are doubling down on the return to office but all the evidence on mandates suggests that they repel talent and wreck morale without really raising levels of performance
November
After the return: can the office really raise levels of performance?
Bringing people back to the office is one thing. Improving productivity once there is another. A new report looks at the evidence for and against in-office working as a lever for productivity
December
Nordic mindset: Scandinavia sets a blueprint for human-aligned workspaces
From Copenhagen to Stockholm, the Scandinavian WORKTECH events redefined workplace innovation around the mind, offering a clear vision of a truly human-aligned future
Season’s greetings to all WORKTECH Academy subscribers, members and partners. Thank you for your support in 2025. The Academy’s report, The World of Work in 2026, will be published in early January.
