What We’re Keeping & Leaving Behind: Work(place) Edition
New year, new me. Now that we're nearly a full month into the new year, a reflection: what features of the work(place) are we keeping for 2026 and what antiquated things are we relegating to the dustbin of history (do people still say that)? Here’s my list.
We’re keeping flexibility.
Flexibility has many meanings
Visual concept by Brendan Gregory
We’re leaving behind rigidity.
We’re keeping flexible arrangements and adaptable environments. This calls for favoring spaces that can evolve as teams, headcount, and ways of working change. We’re leaving behind rigid walls, fixed workstations, and layouts designed for a 9-to-5, five-days-a-week workforce that no longer exists. Just because you're growing headcount by 20%, doesn't mean you automatically need 20% more space—today's work is "smarter" and more data driven, so too should be the work(place).
We’re keeping outcomes.
Thanks for the lukewarm coffee, gotta blast
Visual concept by Brendan Gregory
We’re leaving behind attendance theater.
We’re keeping a focus on outcomes that actually matter: productivity, employee retention, engagement, and happiness. We’re leaving behind badge swipes, desk counts, and “coffee badging” — especially when attendance is tracked mainly to justify expensive real estate instead of better work. Your people have a choice and they choose to vote with their feet so listen to them.
We’re keeping choice.
Where work works best
Visual concept by Brendan Gregory
We’re leaving behind one-size-fits-all HQ mandates.
We’re keeping employee choice over where work happens. That might look like a mix of HQ, neighborhood-scale offices, and coworking spaces — closer to where life actually happens: schools, doctors’ offices, and T-ball fields.
We’re leaving behind the idea that work only counts if it happens in one centrally designated building chosen by someone far removed from daily routines. Work works best when it fits into life, not the other way around.
We’re keeping hospitality.
Meaningful gathering
Visual concept by Brendan Gregory
We’re leaving behind DIY workplace experience.
We’re keeping hospitality-driven workplace experiences — spaces people genuinely want to show up to. We’re leaving behind the assumption that every company should be great at designing, operating, and programming offices themselves.
If you’re great at making beverages, software, or financial products, you don’t also need to be great at running workplaces. It’s okay (smart, even) to buy that expertise from people who specialize in it.
The real shift
What we’re keeping isn’t about trends. What we’re leaving behind isn’t about nostalgia. It’s about intention. The future workplace isn’t about forcing presence — it’s about earning it.
Designing spaces people choose, not comply with. Measuring what matters, not what’s convenient. And letting companies focus on what they do best — while trusting experts to handle the rest.
That’s what I’m carrying forward this year. Everything else? I’m comfortable leaving behind. Meet you at the 𝗐̶𝖺̶𝗍̶𝖾̶𝗋̶ ̶𝖼̶𝗈̶𝗈̶𝗅̶𝖾̶𝗋̶ curated happy hour on the rooftop amenity terrace.
