THE HENRIK: Rethinking the Office—and the Rise of Hospitality in a Distributed World

Author: HENRIK J?RLESKOG

It’s a breezy Sunday in late 2025, and if you happen to stroll through the heart of any major business district—from Midtown Manhattan to Stockholms new Sture district—you might be struck by an oddly serene atmosphere. Gone are the days when rows of corporate warriors marched to their desks five times a week, greeting each other under the glow of fluorescent lights. In their place are sleekly minimalist offices, partially occupied lounge spaces, and a subdued hum of conversation that crescendos only on specific days—often Tuesday through Thursday.

To understand why, you need only look to Dror Poleg, a thinker whose 2024 commentary has echoed across boardrooms and coworking spaces worldwide. In a short but pointed thesis, Poleg identified two colossal forces reshaping modern business and real estate: (1) companies are doing more with fewer people, and (2) distributed work is here to stay. It sounds simple enough, but the consequences are anything but. “Never in history,” he notes, “have we seen tens of thousands laid off in the very same gold-rush era that’s fueling new hires elsewhere—often within the same corporation.” Artificial intelligence, advanced analytics, and shifting business priorities are rewriting job descriptions at breakneck speed.

The second piece, “distributed work,” stands apart from mere “remote” setups. As Poleg sees it, we’ve been heading in this direction for over 15 years—long before a pandemic forced our hand. Major corporations scattered their headquarters across global cities to attract top talent and tap emerging markets. Meanwhile, digital tools quietly enabled teams to synchronize their efforts across continents. “We’re only now noticing,” Poleg says, “that the real movement started long ago. The recent debate around ‘where to work’ is merely an echo chamber—and often a distraction.”

Pause for a moment in a café not far from one of these half-full offices, and you might overhear an HR lead or a facilities manager musing on this puzzle: If the cat is out of the bag, how do we adapt our work culture, our office designs, and our daily rhythms to keep pace? The short answer: it isn’t about “remote or not.” It’s about harnessing new operating models that link teams across geographies—and making sure every in-person rendezvous counts.

The Data Driving Hybrid: Nick Bloom’s Insights

If Dror Poleg diagnoses the broad shifts, @Nick Bloom of Stanford provides the data-driven evidence. Bloom’s research over the last few years has showcased a remarkable statistic: work-from-home (WFH) soared five-fold from 2019, and for two years it “plateaued at that higher level, like a plane cruising on autopilot.” Yet Bloom believes we aren’t finished climbing. Thanks to AI’s rapid advancements and fresh preferences among younger professionals, the flight path of WFH might ascend further still.

When pressed on whether we’ll ever revert to the old normal, Bloom is cautiously clear: “WFH is here to stay, typically 2 or 3 days a week for managers and professionals. Managing it is hard—needs coordination and a performance review focus, but it’s absolutely the direction we’re heading.” He also remarks on the broader repercussions—tax structures, city footprints, labor markets, and even crime rates hinge on how regularly people filter through downtown districts.

These shifting patterns of attendance also create deep challenges for companies suddenly faced with questions like: Do we still need 10 floors? Can we handle a workforce that arrives in droves on Wednesday, but evaporates on Friday? It’s no surprise that PwC reports 60 percent of corporate real-estate executives intend to trim their footprints by up to a quarter, leaning into cozier spaces that revolve around shared lounges, multi-purpose event corners, and the occasional row of hot desks.

Dror Poleg’s Two Megatrends

Meanwhile, Dror Poleg doubles down on his two megatrends. The first one—“companies are doing more with fewer people”—becomes evident in the contradictory headlines: on one hand, mass layoffs at big-name firms; on the other, fresh job postings for data scientists, AI trainers, or “prompt engineers.” Entire roles vanish while entirely new roles appear, often in the same quarterly earnings cycle. It’s a paradox that sometimes outpaces the ability of HR departments to reskill or redeploy existing staff.

The second megatrend, “distributed work is here to stay,” is less about handing employees the freedom to lounge at home and more about orchestrating a global workforce that can function across multiple time zones. “Remote” often conjures images of someone perched at a kitchen table in suburban Paris; “distributed,” as Poleg insists, references entire organizations with partial HQs in New York, Berlin, Tokyo, and beyond—plus a roving contingent that logs in from anywhere.

Poleg’s stance is especially bold: The pandemic debate around “where to work” was a side skirmish. The real pivot began years earlier, when corporations realized they could unlock new markets and local talent by setting up multiple headquarters or hubs. Add in the pandemic’s acceleration, and we’ve arrived at a moment when entire operational structures hinge on how well we handle distributed teams.

“Fix How We Work, and When Will Follow”: Annie Dean’s Clarion Call

Enter @Annie Dean, whose leadership at Atlassian’s “Team Anywhere” initiative has been turning heads. “The F500 is losing 25 billion working hours a year because their ways of working are outdated,” she says, a stark figure that underscores how inefficiencies and old habits hamper productivity. Dean’s motto? “Fix how we work, and when will follow. Fix when, and where solves itself.”

It’s a compelling perspective: if an organization doesn’t modernize its workflow, clarifying objectives and trusting distributed teams, then debating whether employees come in two or three days is merely cosmetic. True transformation means adopting a “digital-first” approach, employing asynchronous tools, and pivoting away from micromanagement. “Pretty much all companies will become digital first over time,” Dean adds—echoing a sentiment we hear from both Bloom and Poleg.

The Ties That Bind: Spotify’s Model of Trust and Flexibility

We see these ideas in practice at Spotify, where an HR lead famously quipped: “Our employees aren’t children; we keep on working from anywhere.” And they do. One week might see a lively coding jam at the Stockholm HQ, complete with barista-run pop-up coffee bars and live music demos. The next week, half those folks might be in Barcelona or Chicago, logging on from co-working spaces or home studios. The brand’s approach to “Work From Anywhere” underscores how the physical office transforms from a daily obligation to a purposeful destination—something staff choose when it offers a valuable collaborative or cultural experience.

Observing a day in the life of the F&FM team at Spotify reveals the scale of adaptation: occupancy can swing widely, so resource allocation must be dynamic. One Thursday might require a bustling cafeteria, extra security, and lounge areas prepped for jam sessions; on Monday, those same spaces lie nearly dormant, giving staff a chance to reset or reorganize. The flexible flows are made possible by a data-heavy approach—monitoring foot traffic, anticipating spikes, and adjusting fresh produce orders or barista schedules in real time.

Making Sense of Smaller Footprints

Within this swirl of distributed chatter, one physical truth stands out: corporate footprints are shrinking. According to KPMG’s data, many firms are reducing office space by around 17 percent. On the surface, that sounds like a blow to tradition—less desk space for everyone. But ask a savvy CFO or a forward-looking HR director, and they might tell you it’s an opportunity: with fewer desks, you can reallocate resources toward better amenities, smarter technology, and higher-quality communal areas.

Gartner suggests that “experience-led design” is surging by 30 percent, meaning that new or remodeled offices put a premium on lounge-like corners, reconfigurable meeting pods, and thoughtful touches that evoke hospitality. Suddenly, a building that used to hold 2,000 desks can morph into a multi-zoned collaboration hub, complete with an airy coffee bar, private phone booths for video calls, and modular event spaces for larger gatherings.

If you’re working in Food & Facilities Management (F&FM), such transformations might sound daunting but also exhilarating. No longer can you rely on guaranteed foot traffic for your cafeteria or a predictable cycle of cleaning. Instead, you must harness real-time data to know who will come when—and what that group might crave in terms of dining, security, or even wellness offerings.

The New Face of Food & Facilities

Here is where F&FM comes into its own. What was once a background support function—tidying offices, supplying lunch, and ensuring the coffee machines never ran out—now demands strategic thinking and a flair for hospitality. We’re seeing:

• Integrative Vendor Solutions KPMG notes that 68 percent of organizations prefer a single contract for cleaning, security, IT support, and catering. As a result, F&FM providers are partnering with tech consultancies or rolling out proprietary digital platforms that monitor occupancy in real time.
• Hospitality-Forward Services Gone are the giant, one-size-fits-all cafeterias. In their place: curated corners for artisanal coffee, rotating pop-up chef events, micro-kitchens brimming with healthy snacks, or even “barceptionist” hybrids who greet visitors while whipping up lattes.
• Sustainability & Wellness KPMG’s 2024 ESG Outlook emphasizes that 83 percent of large enterprises want tangible eco-friendly, social-responsibility efforts from their vendors—think composting, zero-waste meal programs, WELL Certification guidelines, or energy-saving IoT sensors in everything from hand dryers to HVAC systems.

For the distributed workforce, F&FM can also reach beyond the building. Consider meal-plan subscriptions for employees who tune in from home offices, or curated “event boxes” shipped to remote staff so they can join cooking demonstrations virtually. Even as real estate shrinks, F&FM’s footprint—philosophically and commercially—has grown.

Leading Distributed Teams: Lessons from Swedish Military Group Dynamics

Whenever talk turns to making distributed teams function, conversations often loop back to “trust” and “autonomy.” It’s a point Annie Dean repeatedly underscores: “Fix how we work, and when will follow. Fix when, and where solves itself.” The deeper question is how to fix the “how,” particularly when employees log in from every corner of the globe.

One useful analogy comes from Swedish Military Group Dynamic Theory, which embraces a concept called “mission command.” In essence, the higher-ups define the objective in clear terms but allow flexibility in execution. That fosters an environment where each platoon—or, in corporate parlance, each project group—knows the goal but chooses its method. Applied to a business context:

1. Trust Over Micromanagement If your software engineers in Prague sense that you watch their every keystroke, they’ll bristle—and you’ll lose them. Far better to say, “Here are our deliverables; we trust your judgment on the details.”
2. Mission Command Provide the “what” and “why,” let the teams decide “how.” This approach thrives on autonomy, especially crucial in distributed setups where time-zone gaps make real-time oversight impossible (and undesirable).
3. Asynchronous Excellence Embracing tools that allow colleagues to post updates, record video stand-ups, and share documents seamlessly is essential for bridging a 10-hour time-zone gap. The friction of “Wait till they’re awake” evaporates if the communication is structured and stored for easy access.
4. Purposeful In-Person Touchpoints On the days or weeks when teams do gather, load the schedule with curated events, strategic meetings, or bonding activities that wouldn’t work on Slack. This is precisely where F&FM can shine, orchestrating everything from catered brainstorms to surprising micro-events that make an office day feel special.

The Spotify and Atlassian Playbook

We see shining examples in Spotify and Atlassian. At Spotify, the flex pattern is less about if people come in and more about why—the “why” might be a big jam session, a brand showcase, or a collaborative sprint. As soon as that purpose is fulfilled, staff might happily disperse again.

Likewise, Annie Dean at Atlassian frames it as “Team Anywhere.” She’s quick to remind us that “the F500 is losing 25 billion working hours a year” due to archaic methods. Ensuring employees feel genuinely free to choose their environment, but also orchestrating purposeful get-togethers, helps recapture lost productivity and builds a more vibrant culture. Over time, that intangible sense of trust becomes a draw—workers flock to companies that let them create their best work, wherever they happen to be.

Where Offices Shrink, Experiences Grow

Between Nick Bloom’s predictions of a further WFH climb, Dror Poleg’s rallying cry about “distributed” realities, and Annie Dean’s warnings about wasted hours, it’s evident we’re heading into a new era of office design. Watch for continued real-estate “rightsizing,” but also an upgrade in how the smaller footprint is used. Gartner foresees a 30 percent rise in experience-led design, ensuring that everything from lighting to layout to snack selection feels carefully considered.

That’s where the true synergy between a distributed workforce and well-managed F&FM emerges: if you only come onsite once a week, you expect a top-shelf encounter. A poor meal option or a drab conference room might be tolerable if you’re forced to be there daily, but in a world of choice, an uninspiring environment can tip employees toward staying home. By contrast, a meticulously orchestrated onsite experience—complete with dynamic coffee bars, pop-up culinary demos, or airy spaces for spontaneous gatherings—can be the “pull factor” that coaxes people in for face-to-face synergy.

The Road Ahead: A World of Distributed Flourish

So what comes next? If Dror Poleg’s correct, and companies continue to do more with fewer people, we’ll keep seeing fresh job definitions shaped by AI, analytics, and an evolving sense of what “work” is. Pair that with Nick Bloom’s WFH trajectory, and the era of daily office commutes for knowledge workers looks increasingly dated.

F&FM stands at the crossroads of these shifts, rebranding itself from a background service to a strategic, hospitality-driven partner. Instead of merely stocking the vending machines, F&FM providers are forging alliances with design firms, rolling out IoT occupancy systems, and curating pop-up events that infuse personality into an otherwise subdued building.

Yet success here doesn’t just rest on technology or even well-catered lunches. It hinges on a new style of leadership—one that, as Annie Dean repeatedly urges, discards outdated frameworks and invests in trust-based collaboration. Fix how we work, indeed, and the rest—when, where, and how people choose to gather—will fall into place.

Office Life, Reinvented

Glance back at the tranquil Sunday scene we started with: that half-empty business district might appear calm, but behind the glass walls, something remarkable is brewing. Teams distributed across the globe are converging digitally, occasionally deciding to meet physically, and reaping new efficiencies through AI and advanced workflows. The entire notion of “headquarters” is being reshuffled into smaller but more vibrant multipurpose hubs.

And perhaps the biggest plot twist in this story is that Food & Facilities Management—once a sleepy corner of corporate services—is emerging as an orchestrator and creator for making these part-time gatherings work. From the design of flexible collaboration pods to the catering that fosters spontaneous conversation, from real-time occupancy analytics to the sustainability measures that keep an office truly green, F&FM is creating an environment that people actually want to visit.

Dror Poleg may have said it most succinctly: “This whole debate around ‘where to work’ is just a distraction…” Indeed, the bigger question is how we harness new tech, new operating models, and new leadership styles so that distributed teams remain cohesive, innovative, and energized. Getting that mix right is the central challenge for companies worldwide—whether they’re building a futuristic HQ in Shanghai or fine-tuning pop-up collaborations in Stockholm city.

For now, we stand on the threshold of offices that are part lounge, part cultural hub, part ephemeral meeting point for a workforce perpetually on the move. In a world where you can conduct business from a beach in Bali or a mountain cabin in ?re it’s a testament to F&FM that headquarters still matter at all. When the environment sparkles with well-brewed coffee, thoughtful design, and an undercurrent of genuine hospitality, no wonder employees might choose to show up—at least for a spell—before they scatter once again.

Maybe that’s the new ideal: smaller offices, bigger trust, and a hospitality-forward ethos that respects the distributed nature of modern work. If we can pair that with an evolved mindset—rallying behind Dror Poleg’s two megatrends, Nick Bloom’s data on hybrid attendance, and Annie Dean’s clarion call for better ways of working—then we’re well on our way to a future in which the physical office remains relevant, purposeful, and even delightful.

And that, dear reader, is the crux of The Henrik: not a lament for the offices we once knew, but a blueprint for how thoughtful design, strategic leadership, and the vital contribution of Food & Facilities can unite a workforce that’s simultaneously everywhere—and, when it matters, happily here.