Return to Work 2025: What Are Workers Really Returning To?

As the theme for 2025, the “return to work” is all over the conversation. But from a technology standpoint, what exactly are employees coming back to?

Back to 2019?

15 year old ethernet networks?
10 year old firewalls and wireless networks?
25 year old conference room setups?
Phone systems that were becoming obsolete the day they were installed 18 years ago?
Cybersecurity that doesn’t conform to or meet the standards of what they have in their own home?
Internet service that hasn’t been improved or upgraded in 8 years?

Are workers expected to return to the same computer, or will they bring in their company laptop to sit at a desk and do exactly what they could have done from their own dining room?

A Better Vision

“Return to work” should be a reimagining of the office space altogether. It should not be just the old space with a fresh coat of paint? Every employer who is bringing the team back into a shared space should realize that there is no returning to 2019. The new office will open new opportunities and needs a new vision.

Embrace the future

For over 30 years, computer networking and technology have shaped the workplace, and it’s clear that the future workplace won’t look the same as it did five years ago. The new workforce demands a fresh look at how technology supports collaboration and productivity.

What should we do about it?

We should celebrate the collaborative spirit that being physically in the same space promotes. But what is the technology vision? Are we expecting everyone to show up to work and then wait for that vision to show itself? That will be the slowest and most difficult way to bring the team back. Over the coming weeks and months I will be posting some insights into the irreversible changes that have happened in our technology driven world over the last 5 years, how that impacts the physical office, and recommendations that can make this a successful return.