With the rise of the concerning Omicron variant spreading across the world, many have been reminded that our attempt to return to normal is fragile and could well be fleeting. Remote and hybrid working are clearly here to stay – and that changes how we think about our offices. 

What was once the everyday setting of people’s jobs has now become a destination for team work that can’t be accomplished online. So what does the future of the office look like? How will our new working habits change the landscape of our workplaces? 

This is our edit of the global conversation on purpose. 

• Imagining the office of the future: how Covid has changed things for good – The Economist 
• Are the remote working tools that we’ve all come to rely on still fit for purpose? – Raconteur
• Hayaatun Sillem, the first female CEO of the Royal Academy of Engineering, reflects on why engineering is as relevant as ever in a dematerializing world – McKinsey Podcasts
• The future of work: how our work culture is shifting as a result of the pandemic – The Financial Times
• How British banks are leading the charge on green finance solutions – The New York Times
• Returning to the office is clashing with Covid uncertainty in the New Year and causing possible conflict between workers and management – Bloomberg Businessweek
• What will be different in the future for our cities, work lives and offices? – Eat Sleep Work Repeat Podcast