Last week in London, we gathered with a small group of Kadence customers and supporters for an intimate dinner. The food was fantastic. The conversation? Even better.
We weren’t there to rehash the same old debate about returning to the office. We were there to explore what comes next, and what it really means to design work around people, not places.
Here’s what stood out.
1. London’s Workplace Story Is Different, and It’s Telling
I kicked off the evening with a few thoughts on London—my hometown and one of the world’s most fascinating workplace labs.
Unlike other major cities, London is still catching up. Office occupancy averages just 2.7 days per week, trailing cities like New York and Paris. But what’s even more fascinating is who is coming in: in London, it’s the younger workforce driving office attendance, not older employees, which flips the trend we’re seeing elsewhere.
And in case you hadn’t noticed, Thursday is the new Friday. Why? Simple: beer. Kadence data shows Thursday now outpaces Wednesday as the city’s peak in-office day, and the flow into London pubs might just be leading the charge.
London is a city in motion. The question is, where’s it heading?
2. “Work From Anywhere” Isn’t a Tagline. It’s a Life Experiment.
Dave Cairns brought this to life with three stories—his own.
- First, as a professional poker player, Dave moved fluidly between virtual and real-world spaces long before “hybrid” was a buzzword.
- Then as a commercial broker, he learned the value of leaving the office behind to think, to move, to be human.
- And finally, as a father, Dave relocated his family across Canada to Prince Edward Island. Why? Because his work allowed it. His life allowed it.
Dave reminded us that mobility isn’t a perk. It’s power. And in a world where top companies are hiring 57% of talent remotely (up from just 15% in 2019), the central office must be reimagined, not just reopened.
3. Prithwiraj Choudhury: “Work From Anywhere Is a Talent Strategy”
Prithwiraj Choudhury, now at the London School of Economics, closed the evening with a masterclass on what work from anywhere really means—and what it doesn’t.
- Remote work is stable, not shrinking. It’s holding steady at around 25% of workdays across Western economies—five times pre-pandemic levels.
- RTO mandates aren’t working. They have no positive impact on financial performance and disproportionately drive out high-performing women with other options.
- Work from anywhere is not the same as work from home. It means giving people the freedom to choose their city, lifestyle, and way of working. It opens access for dual-career couples, military spouses, neurodiverse professionals, and those caring for family.
- It’s a talent strategy. You can’t say you want to hire the best if your policies limit where the best can live.
Prithwiraj laid out three “flavors” of hybrid:
- Weekly hybrid: commuting every week. Familiar, but limited.
- Monthly hybrid: live across the country, meet once a month.
- Quarterly hybrid: work from anywhere in Europe, gather each quarter.
And here’s the kicker. This isn’t just for tech companies. The European Central Bank does it. Elite law firms like Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP do it. Even power plants in Turkey and ICUs in New York are embracing digital twins to operate remotely, with engineers and doctors working from afar.
This is the redefinition of “in the field.” And it’s already here.
So Where Do We Go From Here?
As Prithwiraj Choudhury put it, the point of gathering is no longer just productivity. It’s connection. Ritual. Collaboration. Belonging. That’s why real estate won’t die. It will evolve.
Cities will shift. Smaller towns will rise. And the future of work won’t be defined by returning to something old but by building something new.
If you’re designing for presence, you’re behind. If you’re designing for possibility, you’re leading.
Want to join one of our next dinners? We’re hosting more gatherings in cities around the world and we’d love to meet you.
Book a demo with our hybrid experts to start the conversation.
