ITO on Hybrid Working at 'The Homeworker'

A conversation between Louise (founder of The Homeworker) and Jon Kent exploring what hybrid working really means, why return-to-office mandates so often backfire, and what actually makes people want to come in.

Jon argues that the "office" is no longer a fixed concept — it's simply a tool for productivity, one of many available alongside your laptop and phone. The conversation covers the real reasons people go into an office (spoiler: it's mostly social), the management challenges hybrid has exposed, and why blanket policies are almost always the wrong answer.

The Homeworker: https://www.thehomeworker.com

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Show Notes:

• Defining hybrid — it's broader than you think. Jon's take: if you're checking your phone on the train, you're already hybrid
• The office as a tool — not a sacred institution. The single-location workplace only really emerged in the 1700s, driven by security and shared equipment. Technology has moved that on
• Why people actually go in — social connection, a change of environment, ergonomics, and escaping a chaotic home
• The "coffee shop effect" — novelty boosts productivity, but only until it becomes routine
• Return-to-office mandates — why they tend to fail, breed resentment, and often signal a management control problem rather than a genuine productivity solution
• The accidental manager problem — the Chartered Management Institute estimates around 78% of managers have had no formal training. Remote working has exposed this brutally
• Intentionality over arbitrary rules — "you must be in on Tuesdays and Wednesdays" isn't flexibility, it's just a different kind of mandate
• Designing offices that people actually want to use — zones, decent kit, good coffee, and configurable spaces matter more than gimmicks like swings in meeting rooms
• Hybrid for the self-employed — scheduling variety and changing environment isn't just for corporate teams; freelancers need it too
• Using data wisely — don't just copy what another company does. Your workforce is different. Start small, learn, iterate

Resources mentioned:

• Research by Professor Nick Bloom (Stanford) on remote working and company performance
• University of Pittsburgh study on return-to-office mandates and management control
• Sky Studios campus, Osterley — cited as an example of employee-first workspace design