The big question: has hybrid work broken knowledge work?

For years, the workplace conversation has centred on flexibility. Workplace experts across the field have explored how work is becoming untethered from traditional, rigid structures of location and time. Markus Albers, author, researcher and keynote speaker at the latest WORKTECH Berlin conference, was one of the earliest advocates of this future.

In his 2008 book Morgen komm ich später rein (‘Tomorrow I’ll Come In Later’), he championed a model where we wouldn’t have to go into the office every day. A vision that has since become reality for millions of knowledge workers. But in his latest reflections, Albers sounds the alarm. Rather than liberating us, the digital transformation of work may have created a new kind of confinement built on endless digital processes. While we may have escaped the rigidity of the office, we are now trapped online.

In an exclusive interview with WORKTECH Academy, Albers explores how hybrid work, despite its many benefits, has intensified rather than reduced the demands on workers. Calendars are now packed with virtual meetings, collaboration tools keep us in constant communication, and the boundary between work and life grows ever more porous.

The downfall of creativity

The result is a crisis of creativity and innovation. ‘We’re organising and communicating more and more, but we’re creating less and less,’ he explains. Global studies show that time spent on communication tools has overtaken time spent on actual creation. Meanwhile, managers report a visible decline in strategic thinking and breakthrough ideas.

Albers argues that the root of the problem lies in what he calls ‘process-ism’, which is an overreliance on tools, templates and workflows that leave little room for focused thinking. ‘To be creative,’ he says, ‘we need alternating phases of contemplation and engagement. But today, contemplation is nearly impossible.’

AI: a help or hindrance?

AI is now champion, by some tech leaders, as a cure to the creativity dip. Ai can be leveraged as a way to offload low-value tasks, reduce information overload, and restore human focus. Albers acknowledges the potential but remains cautious stating that while AI could help, we need to use it wisely, to support human potential rather than overwhelm it with more systems and processes.

In the interview, he introduces the idea of Applied Adhocracy which is a new model for work built on fluid teams, decentralised structures and intelligent automation. It’s a hopeful vision, but one that requires more than just new tech. It demands a cultural shift and a move away from ‘hustle-culture’ and towards meaning.

Read the full interview with Markus Albers, available exclusively to WORKTECH Academy members in our Innovation Zone.

Markus Albers has a new book Die Optimierungslüge (The Optimisation Lie) which uncovers some of the concepts and ideologies discussed in this interview.

Markus Albers lives in Berlin as an author, consultant, and entrepreneur. As a journalist, he has worked for Brand Eins, Monocle, Vanity Fair, Welt am Sonntag, and SZ Magazin. He is the author of several nonfiction books, including Morgen komm ich später rein, Meconomy, Rethinking Luxury, and Digitale Erschöpfung.