Author: Dave Cairns

I just got back from a CREtech conference, and a customer round table dinner in the city that NEVER sleeps, so let’s discuss…

This concrete jungle is a marvel of human innovation and culture—a place of duality (where contrasts like tradition and modernity coexist) and singularity (unmatched in its influence)—and the main battleground for Return-to-Office!

On the one hand, you’ve had power brokers, landlords, and big banks digging their heels in on remote work since March 2020. On the other, you’ve got bleeding-edge tech company outposts, a cross-section of our most ‘with it’ young people (L.O.L. I feel old!), and a Renaissance Movement that echoes an urban revival: bustling coffee shops and bars, work clubs and coworking spaces, with art and fashion leading the way.

But what’s not leading the way? The traditional office…

After stepping inside MANY office buildings on my trip, it’s clear that the champions of 2019 ways of working are still stuck hoping and praying, rather than evolving into anything meaningful.

But I digress… The reason for this newsletter is to share some insights with you all.

Last week, I:

• Attended CREtech
• Interviewed Annie Dean of Atlassian
• Hosted an incredible dinner with workplace execs and thought leaders
• Attended Workshape Labs by Brett Hautop

There are too many insights to share but here are a few…

CREtech

The conversation around the office is still somehow focused on amenities and the “flight to quality”.

But all of this is just a distraction from reality…

Most employees don’t care about fancy amenities, they care about removing friction to get their jobs done, having flexibility and clearly defined reasons for coming to the office. Another talk track seems to be that people are the new “amenity” which feels utterly lazy unless facilitating connection is actually happening and that has very little to do with space.

Then, there’s the “flight to quality”, which is grossly overstated as most leases signed in new office buildings were inked long-term and most happened LONGGG before the pandemic. For context, I am still working on a few trailing office lease deals from my former brokerage life and I can tell you that kicking off new office developments like we were pre-pandemic ain’t happening like it used to—by and large companies are seeking to do more with less. Our CEO, Dan went on stage to talk about exactly that, doing more with less.

I’m not saying new office buildings will never get built again but the “flight to quality” is just a narrative to distract from high vacancy levels and low occupancy levels across the board.

Interview with Annie

There aren’t a lot of Future of Work thought leaders I’d say I’m a fanboy of…but I will admit…I am when it comes to Annie Dean.

And it was amazing to sit down with her during the CREtech conference.

We talked about some of the negative perceptions that college students have about flexible working due to all the negative headlines around hybrid/remote working since COVID-19.

We talked about the challenges of navigating one’s career as the “shelf life” of the skills we possess get’s shorter and shorter.

And we talked about the opportunities that lie beyond hybrid (pun intended!) like the era of creativity and the ease of being able to invent instead of manage that is being brought on by AI.

PS: We also talked about building a personal brand (which Annie has done arguably better than ANYONE in the FoW space)

Check it out!

Kadence Dinner

If I’ve learned anything from hosting intimate dinners, it’s this: you simply CANNOT put a price tag on intentionally gathering together.

Meaningfully coming together, having hugs, and discussing REAL topics carries with it “exhaust” or “fumes” of trust and connection that carry forward for a significant amount of time!

We talked about:

• Acceptance of the challenges we’ve inherited because of Covid
• What Future of Work is worth inheriting for the next generations
• How hybrid work is a total distraction from more significant issues like “fake work”
• How things like gender roles are getting redefined by flexible working

We also talked about what we wanted to be when we grew up and our first email addresses!

Workshape Labs

If you care about the Future of Work and you don’t know Brett Hautop then finish reading this newsletter and go follow him on LinkedIn.

The man is a legend…he swears often (which I love!), he simultaneously accepts and rejects technology, and he’s focused on all of us experiencing the workplace as opposed to going to the workplace…

Brett and his lovely team led a group of about 25 of us through some very carefully curated collaboration exercises that got us to slow down and understand why coming together (at least sometimes…) is SOOO important and how different types of spaces can either help or hinder our ability to achieve what we set out to achieve.

A few things that stood out to me:

• Going to the office needs a facilitator
• Technology-free days at the office are KEY
• The workplace is at risk of being downsized without being reimagined

And guess what? Continuing to get all 3 of these things wrong ensures virtual work remains the preference!

So to conclude:

1. Despite its quirks, NYC is critical to humanity
2. The supply/services side of commercial real estate remains stuck in an amenity vortex…
3. Annie Dean is a legend
4. Leaders who care about people and care about the workplace are alive and well but executive leadership still doesn’t truly understand their value in this mandate/cost-cutting environment we remain stuck in…

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Dave is Kadence’s Future of Work Strategist. He foresees what’s unfolding in the world of work and advises our customers on how to prepare and adapt to the latest trends easily.

Alright… I continue to be bored and somewhat creatively stifled when it comes to this whole Future of Work debacle, in particular career journeys of individuals that are shaping the work of today.

As a creative, it’s times like these that I ask myself:

• How can I get in front of interesting people in the space to get their perspectives?
• How can I create the level of comfort needed to get someone’s deeper point of view?
• How can I fuse together the stories people tell me to find some meaning?

And here’s how I’ve been doing this:

1. Make content daily, leverage my network, and be persistent to get in front of people I’ve not met.
2. Articulate how the threads of my experiences as a pro-poker player, office leasing agent, and my cross-country to an island off the East Coast of Canada called PEI to inform my perspectives on the Future of Work in an attempt to open people up.
3. Write about what I learn…

Since joining Kadence, I’ve been doing this a LOT as I talked to real estate, workplace, and IT leaders from some of the biggest companies in the world.

And while there have been many epic chats…one with Tony Vargas, Director, Global Workplace at Sprinklr really stands out.

Tony is an incredibly interesting person with very deep, human-centered views on the Future of Work. His backstory is very compelling because he was never supposed to be in the world of the workplace…it happened by accident.

Tony was a theatre actor! Now somehow he’s shaping the Future of Work! Go figure… and I can sooo relate as I wasn’t supposed to be here either, never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d go from pro-poker to office leasing to workplace experience.

Tony's Background

Tony Vargas is a proud ambassador of a legacy of service, impact, and hospitality, modelled to him by his family throughout his upbringing and by role models and mentors throughout his career.

Throughout his professional experience in entertainment, hospitality, education, and events he has always focused on fulfilling his personal mission: to deliver joy at scale, be a model of kindness, and be of service to others, with optimism and enthusiasm (need this much in the workplace?!).

With that foundation, he leads the Global Workplace function at Sprinklr, to impact people’s daily lives, at a micro and macro level.

When he speaks of joy, it is easy to consider this to be happiness and laughter, and it is. But it is also creating the foundation to support people to let them know that they belong authentically as who they are, so they go through the range of emotions at any given time, be as creative as possible, and do their best and most impactful work. (Yes, Tony!).

Tony's Workplace Philosophies

Based on his experience across industries, Tony relies on the principles of purposeful and transformative gathering. In his mind, every task requires different tools and environments to best support its outcome.

“While there are roles that require a rigid schedule and dedicated space to complete work successfully, other roles benefit from the flexibility of time and space to allow for best execution.”

Clarity is the key to success in a hybrid or flexible work environment from Tony’s perspective.

“When people know the structure, rules, boundaries, and expectations of their work, they can complete it in the best way they can.”

Through deep experience, Tony knows many variations of work structure can be effective. “Organizations need to choose which works best to support their top priorities and be ready to accept the tradeoffs of that choice.”

What word, or words come to mind when you read Tony’s background and philosophies for work?

One word comes to mind for me… Nuance!

And it’s the nuance that is STILL missing from the discourse on the Future of Work. A contextual hook on a LinkedIn post doesn’t grab our attention…divisive ones do… Misleading headlines are more likely to get readers than not (Tori Paulman calls this out beautifully in this video!)

And top-down mandates are “easier” than doing the hard work of fostering flexibility within a framework…We MUST fight the internal urges of our primal critter brains!

That’s why I’m gonna keep sharing the non-linear career journeys and perspectives of Blueflame thinkers like Tony.

Now go find or go hire the unconventional among us in an effort to finally move beyond this binary discourse sagaaaaa…

Get it? Got it? Good!

Dave

Ps. If you haven’t already, check out my conversation with Tom Hitch on his podcast Workplace 3000. There is no office amenity more valuable than the choice to go there or not!

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Dave is Kadence’s Future of Work Strategist. He foresees what’s unfolding in the world of work and advises our customers on how to prepare and adapt to the latest trends easily.

Last month, I had the privilege to fly across the pond to the UK for a special reason…

To host a customer/partner dinner for Kadence and record some content with the team for our forthcoming Kadence Events feature that is going live this fall!

While I was there I:

• Had some great meetings/site visits with kick-ass workplace leaders like: Rob Blair, Lamia Zaky, Phil Purves, Darren Graver, Hayley Samuels, Dharshni Singh, Bex Morehouse, + more
• Recorded a long format convo with my lovely teammate Helen Attia-Tolken on the significance of gatherings in a post-covid environment
• Recorded podcasts with Caleb Parker to discuss all things future of work (Listen to it here or watch our full conversation below)

It was quite the trip to say the least and it left me with a fairly singular feeling:

In an increasingly distributed world of work, in-person events and live, unstructured conversations are vital to a degree that I can’t quantify with words.

Was our fully in-office past putting unnecessary pressure on the rest of our lives? Undeniably yes…

Coming Together In Person

Do we need to be together every day? Absolutely not…

But do we need to be more intentional? Yes, yes and another yes!

To me, the big unlocks of coming together in-person aren’t about:

• white-boarding
• water cooler chats
• or working shoulder to shoulder

Coming together is increasingly about:

• hugs, hugs and more hugs
• sharing who we are as people
• getting aligned on the future we want to create

You can watch my conversation with Helen 👇

Creating Moments That Matter with Dave Cairns & Helen Attia

At our customer/partner dinner, I led the group through a “get to know” game.

I put a deck of conversation cards on the table that said things like:

• “a conversation you wish you could have again…”
• “if you want to make my skin crawl, tease me about…”
• “if I could whisper something in the ear of my younger self I would say…”

And then asked people to introduce themselves (very briefly), pick up a card and answer the question/fill in the blank. I made sure to tell folks not to overthink it.

“If you draw a blank, pick another card.”

“If you’re not comfortable answering, pick another card.”

By sharing more about who we were and our life experiences, we got more connected, and then we got aligned on the Future of Work we are all trying to create.

It was a powerful experience to say the least. Digital artwork hasn’t made real life art less valuable. If anything, it’s the opposite.

The same is true for the Future of Work.

Flexible working is amplifying the need for moments that matter in a BIG way.

Stay tuned for more and let me know your thoughts on my LinkedIn page.

Until next time,

Dave

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Dave is Kadence’s Future of Work Strategist. He foresees what’s unfolding in the world of work and advises our customers on how to prepare and adapt to the latest trends easily.

What is the modern definition of ‘work’ for desk workers? Today, our work is online which massively disrupts where we do it. But let’s zoom out first before debating the redefinition of work.

My name is Dave Cairns, Kadence’s Future of Work Strategist. Welcome to Beyond Hybrid, a newsletter where I talk about what’s on the horizon for work.

Humanity is undoubtedly on the precipice of getting it very right or very wrong.

Our planet hangs in the balance. Our politics are more divided. Inflation is massively outpacing income growth. AI is disrupting the job market. And cities must reinvent themselves as remote work arrived on their doorsteps faster (and differently) than expected.

It’s understandable that all of this put us into a ‘functional freeze’ state – how could it not? But our arrested state doesn’t stop the sun rising and setting and it doesn’t stop the impact being felt.

We must continue to redefine what work is and the rhythms with which we do it to make a positive impact on:

1. the climate crisis
2. corporate inclusion
3. cost of living
4. the jobs we do
5. reshaping cities

Let’s review each one and see how it could be different 👇

1. The Climate Crisis

It is widely known that commercial real estate accounts for roughly 40% of global emissions and offices are a big culprit in this regard. Thus, changing our approach to where we work is critical. According to the National Academy of Sciences, shifting from a 5-day in-office week to:

• 2 days at home reduces carbon use by 11%
• 4 days at home reduces emissions by 29%
• and 5 days at home, it’s a whopping 58%

The data combines:

• office energy
• home energy and ICT energy
• commuting and non-commuting travel (e.g. driving to run errands if you work remotely, etc.)

And here’s a few more data points to hammer the message home:

• The IEA recently estimated that if 1/3 of global workforce worked from home (or anywhere) 3-days/week it would prevent the burning of 500,000 barrels of oil per day.
• The IEA also found that “If your job allows it, working at home three days a week could reduce your household fuel bill by around EUR 35 a month, even after taking into account the increased energy use at home.”

This data hammers home the message that we MUST shift our digital and in-office Kadences (see what I did there?)

2. Corporate Inclusion

The pandemic produced a prolific phrase when it comes to corporate inclusion. ”Remote work doesn’t kill culture, it reveals it.”

And one of the key revelations brought on by this stark reality is that flexibility is essential to leveling the playing field. According to a hiring software company, underrepresented groups are 22% more likely to leave without flexibility. DEI Strategist, Lily Zheng hammers this point home when they said:

“Pre-pandemic offices for the majority of workforces were, to put it bluntly, awful. Black, Asian, and Indigenous employees, as well as women, disabled people, and LGBTQ+ people faced high volumes of exclusionary behavior. Insecure bosses micromanaged work, abused their power, and hoarded resources.”

Remote work revealed cultural issues and now we need to start solving them if we want people to come back together in person with more frequency.

3. Cost of Living

In today’s environment, food prices have made $100 basically worthless at the grocery store, home prices and interest rates have massively outpaced our salaries, and we can’t afford to drive our cars or travel anymore. Many households are feeling the pinch.

Here’s a real-life example from where I live (Prince Edward Island):

• The benchmark home price was $150,025 in 2013 and rose to $298,600 by 2021
• But the median household income only rose from $64,400 to $72,000 over the same period
• Home prices have gone up by 100% while wages have only gone up 12%

Hybrid and remote work have become an economic cushion – full stop.

4. The Jobs We Do

First it was technology that was eating the world – now it’s AI. We need definitions, and a new definition of definitions when it comes to our work!

Ram Srinivasan from JLL put it very well to me when he said:

“We don’t live in an age of job automation, we live in an age of task automation. Jobs are task bundles. As individual tasks are automated, jobs will evolve. AI in this context, will be our cognitive partner. It will allow us to do more, but only if we choose to participate.

This is not just the age of AI, it is the age of possibility. We MUST uplevel on all fronts professional, personal, and spiritual to outpace technological change.”

We have a choice… become slaves to technology or become spiritually enlightened because of technology.

5. Reshaping Cities

The creative class and digital work are reshaping cities – this much is obvious.

But no one could have predicted what a global remote working ‘experiment’ would do to accelerate the disruption.

Chicago is a city that exemplifies the disruption. Its office vacancy rate currently sits at 22.5% with no signs of slowing down. It’s now attempting to lure remote workers to revitalize its downtown by “promoting co-working spaces in iconic locations including Navy Pier, the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Chicago Cultural Center.”

The initiative is called “Work from Summertime Chi” and aims to bring $10 million in economic impact to the Loop, as the central business district is known, and surrounding areas. Remote work is currently killing cities, while simultaneously rebirthing them.

Some Final Thoughts

The Climate Crisis. Corporate Inclusion. Cost of Living. The Jobs We Do. Reshaping Cities. These are lofty topics that can’t be solved, let alone dissected to any large extent in a newsletter. But while they are all big issues, only one is (relatively) new—the climate crisis. And because this newsletter is largely focused on evolving the workPLACE, let’s end on climate.

As stated earlier, 40% of global carbon emissions come from buildings. Roughly half from embedded carbon (construction) and the other half from operating buildings (HVAC). So let’s stop building new buildings, lets power down floors we don’t use and then lets start the process of figuring out how to reuse what we have more efficiently.

The decision to do this can’t simply be economic. Sure, there isn’t enough office leasing velocity to support the waves of development that have happened over the last nearly two decades. And yes, we don’t have enough daily office attendance for most companies to justify keeping the lights on across their portfolios.

The decision to build less and share more has to be intentional.

Because “You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.” – Abraham Lincoln

Until next time,

Dave

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Dave is Kadence’s Future of Work Strategist. He foresees what’s unfolding in the world of work and advises our customers on how to prepare and adapt to the latest trends easily.

The COVID-19 pandemic was more than just a disruption to our daily routines—it was a wake-up call that forced companies to rethink how they operate. The traditional office, once the cornerstone of workplace culture, has become less central as organizations embrace more flexible, virtual-first models. But as we move forward, the real challenge is clear: How do we maintain connection and engagement in this new world of work?

Dropbox offers an insightful case study in how to adapt, focusing on what they call “moments that matter.” But beyond that, there are some broader lessons about flexibility, autonomy, and the impact of remote work on employee well-being.

The Shift from Office-Centric to Virtual First

Let’s face it—the workplace has undergone a seismic shift. Before COVID, the office was everything. It was the hub of culture, collaboration, and community. But as the pandemic forced us into our homes, companies like Dropbox had to ask themselves a crucial question: How do we maintain our culture without the physical space that once defined it?

Dropbox’s transition to a virtual-first model is fascinating because it wasn’t just about enabling remote work—it was about redefining the employee experience entirely. They had to rethink how to keep that sense of belonging and connection that used to happen naturally in the office. And they did this by being intentional, innovative, and deeply attuned to the needs of their employees.

Remote Work: The Path to Job Satisfaction and Well-Being

One of the most significant benefits of this shift to remote work is the positive impact it has had on employee job satisfaction. Let’s be real—commuting takes a major toll, physically, emotionally, and financially. It’s draining, and for caregivers, it makes an already challenging job even more taxing. Shocking that people value organizations that understand this, right? The truth is, remote work has given employees the flexibility to manage their lives better, and they’re happier for it.

But the benefits don’t stop there. Research from institutions like Florida International University, led by Ravi Gajendran, and the University of Pittsburgh, led by Mark Ma, has shown that people who work for companies offering flexibility experience considerably lower rates of depression. The ability to take care of oneself, to spend time with friends and family, to embrace hobbies—these are not just perks; they’re essential to well-being. Shocking that all these things make people happier, right?

And then there’s the matter of autonomy. The flexibility to design one’s schedule according to personal needs and preferences has led to higher job satisfaction across the board. We all work differently, we’re all in different seasons of life, and we all face external challenges outside of our control. Having the agency to get stuff done (GSD) on our own terms is a game-changer. Again, shocking that this would lead to greater satisfaction in work, right?

Moments That Matter: The Key to Connection

But with all this light comes a shadow. While remote work has boosted job satisfaction and well-being, it has also introduced challenges like loneliness and isolation. During the height of COVID, many people reported feeling more lonely and isolated, and these feelings are not to be dismissed lightly. However, as we’ve moved into the post-COVID era, the flexibility that comes with remote work has people reporting higher levels of happiness overall.

So, what’s the answer? It’s not about swinging the pendulum back to mandatory office time—it’s about finding balance. People need flexibility within a framework. This is where Dropbox’s concept of “moments that matter” comes into play. These are the intentional touchpoints that foster connection, collaboration, and innovation in a world where impromptu office chats are no longer the norm.

To pull this off, Dropbox launched the Neighborhood Program. It’s an elegant solution: employees are grouped into local cohorts, or “neighborhoods,” based on where they live. Even remote workers are included through Pocket Neighborhoods. This setup allows employees to connect with colleagues nearby, whether through on-demand co-working spaces, social events, or even virtual all-hands watch parties.

What’s brilliant about this approach is that it not only fosters connection but also builds a sense of community that transcends the office walls. These moments—whether in-person or virtual—are the glue that keeps Dropbox’s culture intact, even when their teams are miles apart.

Flexibility: The Future of Work

If there’s one thing we’ve learned from companies like Dropbox, it’s that flexibility is the future of work. This isn’t just a trend—it’s a fundamental shift in how we think about work. Employees want the freedom to design their workdays around their lives, and they want to be trusted to do so.

Dropbox has embraced this with a philosophy of “trust over surveillance.” By treating employees like adults and giving them the flexibility they need, they’ve created an environment where people can do their best work. This approach doesn’t just boost productivity; it makes employees happier and more likely to stay with the company.

How Kadence Can Help Create Moments That Matter

So, what’s the takeaway for other companies? Simple: moments that matter are essential. And this is where Kadence comes into play. Kadence helps teams create and sustain meaningful connections, whether they’re working together in person or remotely.

Kadence provides the tools and flexibility needed to tailor interactions to each team’s unique needs. Whether it’s regular check-ins, team-building events, or just keeping everyone connected day-to-day, Kadence empowers teams to create those critical moments that foster connection, collaboration, and trust.

In a world where the traditional office is no longer the default, Kadence helps companies build workplaces that are not just productive but also meaningful. By focusing on moments that matter, organizations can build stronger, more resilient teams that are better equipped to thrive in the modern workplace.

Wrapping It Up

The shift to a virtual-first model, as exemplified by Dropbox, has pushed us to rethink how we connect and collaborate. This isn’t just a stopgap—it’s the future of work. By focusing on creating moments that matter, leveraging the right technology, and embracing flexibility, companies can build stronger, more resilient teams.

With tools like Kadence, you can continue to create and sustain those meaningful connections that keep your teams engaged, connected, and aligned with your goals. The future of work is flexible, and by zeroing in on what truly matters, you can create workplaces that are not only successful but also deeply fulfilling.

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Dave is Kadence’s Future of Work Strategist. He foresees what’s unfolding in the world of work and advises our customers on how to prepare and adapt to the latest trends easily.