Office Life: A blast from the past (and a peek into the future)
We’ve called Tunbridge Wells home for the last 10 years, after moving down from London in 2015; and it got us to thinking about how office life has changed in that time!
If you travelled back to 2015, you’d probably find yourself surrounded by people in suits, bland, grey cubicles, and soul-sucking daily commutes. Fast forward to today and office life has changed in ways we never imagined.
Hybrid work, AI and flexible working have completely reshaped office life, turning the traditional 9-to-5 into a thing of the past. HubbleHQ recently took a deep dive into office life over the past 70 years. How much has really changed in just the last decade? (Spoiler: A LOT.)
The rise of hybrid working
Once upon a time, working from home was something you did if you were sick – or if you had a particularly forward thinking manager. Then, 2020 came along and rewrote the rulebook. Suddenly, remote work wasn’t just possible; it was necessary. Fast forward to today, and hybrid working has become the norm for many businesses.
Millions of people split their working hours between home and the office, avoiding the daily commute while gaining control over their daily lives. Some businesses have fully embraced remote work, ditching offices altogether in favour of virtual collaboration tools like Zoom or Teams.
Of course, hybrid working isn’t perfect. Team building looks different, spontaneous office chats have been replaced by scheduled video calls, with some employers still figuring out how to measure productivity without micromanaging.
At Paperstone, we have a few team members who work from home all the time, some who are 100% office based and some who split their time between home and the office.
We’re a close knit team, so the whole team get together on social occasions. On people’s birthdays, everyone gets a card regardless of where they’re working. Small gestures help our remote team members know that they’re still very much part of our team, even if we don’t see them as frequently in person.
Work-life balance is no longer a perk – It’s a priority
Remember when “work-life balance” meant leaving the office by 6PM? Those days are long gone. People are now demanding more from their employers. People aren’t just interested in higher salaries and better benefits, but health and well-being too.
Businesses are now much more likely to provide flexible hours, four-day workweeks, and mental health resources where they can. There’s been a shift in how we think about productivity. Instead of rewarding people for long hours, forward-thinking businesses focus on results, recognising that burnout helps no one.
Technology has played a huge role in this shift. With the ability to work from anywhere, people can integrate work into their lives in a way that makes sense for them. Want to step out for a midday workout? No problem. Want to pick up your kids from school without feeling guilty? Go for it. The lines between work and personal life have blurred, but in many ways, that’s a good thing. When done right, it leads to more balance, not less.
AI: Your newest team mate
Ten years ago, AI felt like something out of a sci-fi movie. Now, it’s part of everyday office life. Whether we realise it or not, we interact with AI all the time – from chatbots handling customer service enquiries (not at Paperstone, it’s actually us you chat to) to helping draft emails and many more applications.
Generative AI, like ChatGPT, has changed the way we approach content creation, data analysis, and even brainstorming sessions. From summarising a report in seconds to automating a repetitive task, AI’s very likely got you covered.
Of course, AI also brings challenges. Job security, and keeping up with the ever-growing list of AI-powered tasks are just a couple of things people now worry about. But for the most part, AI isn’t here to replace us – it’s here to make our lives easier. We must learn how to work with AI rather than battling against it.
Office life: More casual, more inclusive, more digital
Workplace interactions have changed dramatically. Office culture is now more casual – not just in terms of dress codes (goodbye, suits; hello, hoodies), but also in communication styles. The days of formal emails are fading, replaced by quick Teams messages, GIF reactions, and the occasional meme-filled group chat.
Even the devices we work on have changed. We’ve gone from big bulky desktops, to laptops that take up little space and can be used anywhere.
Workplaces have become more inclusive, with a greater focus on diversity, equality, and belonging. Companies are actively working to create environments where people of all backgrounds feel valued. With more people working remotely, businesses prioritise making sure that everyone – whether in the office or not – feels like part of the team.
So what’s next for office life?
The past decade has seen massive changes to office life, so what will we see in the next 10 years? Will we see a complete shift to remote work, or will AI take over even more tasks? Will the four-day workweek become the norm? Who knows?
At Paperstone, we’ve shifted our focus from hiring more people, to automating tasks. This makes us more efficient and frees up our time to focus on what truly matters.
The future of office life isn’t about going back to the way things were; it’s about adapting to new possibilities. And honestly? That’s pretty exciting.
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