Who Am I To Judge?

I know this is going to be hard for many of you. There really is nothing I can do about it now.  I know many of my readers use the information in this periodical to make many important life decisions. We have discussed many hard-hitting topics, and some quite uncomfortable. We have cleared up controversies like “AV is not a toilet”. We have lamented the loss of the tabletop for placing such things as computers, microphones, and papers.  We created the “two-day work week”. A lot has happened in these pages.  

I write from you today from the inside of an RV Trailer. The irony of this should not be lost on anyone here, but yes, I am in a trailer. It is before sunrise. My Starlink is chugging along, running on the last of the batteries before my home-made hillbilly solar kicks in. I’m in the woods, putting in some decent hours at my desk while a bear steals my garbage can and runs away with it as I watch out my window. I am penning this while simultaneously doing research on network managed services. Turns out, as a country we spend around $60 billion a year on this. That is interesting. Not a bad place to be… hmmm…

But that is not what I was going to write about. I was going to write about the folly of the hybrid workspace—from my 5^th wheel RV—in the woods—with a bear. Yes “Bear”. It is 6:45 A.M. Beer is later. I was going to write about hot-desking and hoteling and just how silly it is. That was my topic.

Beyond ironic. I was inspired by some software I saw that was created by an associate of ours in the Midwich web of companies. I scoffed when presented with the demonstration. I am pretty certain I said “snowflake” or “delicate”. Then I got in my RV and had a little bit of time to reflect on JUST HOW ABSOLUTELY WRONG I WAS!!

Yes. I was wrong. Super wrong. Just keep that in mind in the future enjoyment of this forum.   I am not infallible… I am just a human.

I am out camping. I am camping with my friends and neighbors. We made reservations online, got campsites near each other, made plans to collaborate on meals and some activities.  WE set up a dog-gone darn-tootin’ honest-to-goodness hybrid fun location. We’re not full time “back-to-fun”. We are adopting a fully hybrid system. There are some small “quiet spaces” made from blue plastic when concentration is critical, and distraction needs to be minimal. Mostly, it is an open plan using a hot-picnic scheduler to get your table. I now realize that we will never be full time “back-to-fun” because it just doesn’t make sense and doesn’t use the real estate efficiently.

The software I was presented with for hybrid work, in retrospect, is genius. What it does is establish a cadence. It brings people together in rhythm at the workspace. It makes the office an anticipated destination.

As I was lamenting the dainty nature of the modern workforce, I realized that I work with my friends, and I am plenty dainty. We started as coworkers, but as we accomplished goals, had successes and wins, it turns out that we liked hanging around each other. BUT NOT EVERY DAY. So, we were hybrid before it was cool. We “went on the road” or “had to go to a jobsite”. That was code for “get the hell away from each other.” We mostly liked collaboration right up until we didn’t.

So, this software I saw did a lot more than tell you when your buddy was at work. It booked resources and gave you a connected feeling with your workplace. The hybrid workspace won’t be “hybrid” much more. It will just be back to being the office. We will just be using it a lot more efficiently, kinda like a campground. You don’t want to be there all the time, but if you pick the right times, you get a ton done.

And if you want to learn more about the software I was checking out, it was this: Hybrid Workplace Management Software – Kadence

Soon enough, we will ditch that word “hybrid”.