#sjz-break-room

#sjz-break-room

My co-worker, "Alyssa," joined the office a few months ago. As far as I can tell, she is significantly hard of hearing but doesn't use any hearing aid. I've tried to train myself to speak loudly and clearly with her (I have family who are going deaf, I get it), but she still often misses part of what I say.

Resume Builder reported last October that 30% of companies will eliminate remote work in 2026. According to a survey of business leaders by Vena Solutions , a private financial software company, 83% of CEOs globally anticipate a return to full-time office work in 2027. But what if there's a better way to frame this conversation? What if the focus shifts away from where employees are working to when employees are working?

Culture eats strategy for breakfast. We've all heard this misattributed Peter Drucker quote and instinctively understand the disproportionate influence culture can have on an organization's business. However, if you asked five people to define organizational culture, you'd likely get 55 different answers. Chief among them would be something along the lines of "organizational culture is how we do things around here," the behaviors and norms that make up how a company engages in the collective production of work.

Workplace noise isn't just a nuisance. It's also a stressor and productivity killer, according to a Jabra study from 2024. As someone who likes working in quiet zones, I understand. That's why I recommend leaders spend time considering how their workspace design affects the noise level for their employees.

Today's workplaces include biophilic facets to bring the outside in, but most are still relatively staid in design, with neutral palettes and traditional styling. Yet when Bean Buro was tapped to envision a new space for a global financial institution, the mangrove, a resilient coastal tree, was the surprising source of inspiration. "We consciously moved away from the typical corporate office template because our goal was to create an environment that truly nurtures well-being and spontaneous collaboration," says Kenny Kinugasa-Tsui, co-founder of Bean Buro.

Around the office, people clutch coffee like a life raft, waiting for their brains to come online and cursing the 8 a.m. meeting. And the cheerful colleague. But at least they got in early enough to find parking and grab coffee before it ran out-this time. Now: which person are you? The early riser, or the one watching them, wondering why you can never feel that awake at this hour no matter how hard you try?

Laura and Todd, both journalists, had been out for an evening of drinks with colleagues following a particularly horrific day covering the news. Gradually, the herd had thinned out until it was just the two of them, alone at the bar near 3 a.m. with a sudden weight of sexual tension between them. They'd worked together for a couple of years at this point, and each had emerged from a relationship in their early 30s to be newly single.