2024 in commentary: charting a year of twists and turns
As the curtain comes down on 2024, we reflect on a year of complexity and controversy through the lens of 12 comment pieces written by the Academy’s co-founder Jeremy Myerson
2024 was a year of geopolitical disruption and economic uncertainty in which the shifts and reversals came thick and fast in work and workplace. Throughout the year, WORKTECH Academy co-founder and chairman Jeremy Myerson wrote a regular commentary on the changing scene for our platform Here we revisit 12 of his key columns charting how 2024 unfolded:
January
Mind games: wellbeing programmes that do little for employees
New research from the University of Oxford indicates that corporate mental health interventions for individuals have little or no effect. Where do employers go next?
February
Space for thought: why corporate labs could be back on business agenda
A new study by five economists suggests that global productivity has suffered amid a swing from company-led to university-led innovation. Is it time to bring back the corporate R&D lab?
March
Boots on the ground as head office staff told to return five days a week
The mandate by British retailer Boots for its head office staff to return to the workplace full-time marks a general shift by large organisations away from the middle-ground of hybrid working.
April
Lessons from the BMW factory design that said all workers are equal
Two decades after Zaha Hadid unveiled her plans for BMW’s plant in Leipzig, which elevated the car production line over the heads of office workers, we’re still studying the message that it sent.
BMW plant Leipzig designed by Zaha Hadid Architects
May
Why too many meetings could damage real connection at work
Company leaders are demanding more office time for employees but doing nothing to stop a damaging proliferation of pointless meetings. Will redefining ‘presence’ fix this culture problem?
June
Will this Canary Wharf tower become an icon for mixed use?
Plans to revamp the iconic HSBC office tower into a dynamic mixed-use development signals a shift in how business districts might evolve, but transformation of this kind will require more than architecture.
July
What will the Paris Olympics 2024 teach us about experience?
The Olympic spectacle has always set a benchmark for new ways to create and manage experience. Paris 2024 is already giving a valuable lesson in its use of temporary structures and cultural cues.
The Eiffel Tower framed by the Paris 2024 Olympics emblem. Photography: Luca Dugaro, Unsplash
August
Why bringing back the rest room might just be your best idea
An award-winning drama set entirely in the break room of a Detroit car factory reminds us what is lost when private recovery spaces are stripped out of the modern workplace.
September
Grenfell Tower fire report reignites debate on architect training
The inquiry report into the Grenfell fire disaster in London has named and shamed the architect. Should the profession be doing more to train architects in the technical aspects of construction?
October
Should the back-to-the-office brigade be branded as dinosaurs?
Amazon’s decision to bring its staff into the office five days a week is exposing divisions in the debate about flexible working this autumn. There’s growing evidence on both sides of the argument
November
Old tensions resurface as return to office gathers pace
Companies are struggling to align business demands with an employee preference for flexibility. Is the office a platform to build culture or ‘a bland grey corporate hellscape?’ The jury is still out
December
Will Jaguar rebrand show the limits of the corporate makeover?
In seeking out a new audience with a more modern, inclusive and sustainable offer, Jaguar’s eye-catching makeover holds some key lessons for developers and designers in the office sector.
Season’s greetings to all WORKTECH Academy subscribers, members and partners. Thank you for your support in 2024. The Academy’s report, The World of Work in 2025, will be published in January.
