21st Century Work Life

When we're looking at hybrid workspaces, the emphasis should not just be on where people are working from, but also on how their communication ecosystem is organised. In this episode, Pilar discusses a recent pre-print on communication repertoires in hybrid office work, exploring how face-to-face and mediated channels relate to formal and informal exchanges between colleagues.
Paper discussed:
Klärner, Kai-David, Sophie-Charlotte Meyer and Anita Tisch (2026). "Communication Repertoires in Hybrid Office Work: Mediated Channels, Face-to-Face Interaction, and Formal and Informal Exchange." SocArXiv preprint. https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/skupm_v1
A communication repertoire is the patterned combination of media people use in their work. The study captures this through employees' reported communication frequency across five modes: email, chat, telephone, video conferencing and face-to-face interaction. The concept shifts attention away from individual channels and towards how the modes are combined, including both overall communication frequency and its distribution across those modes.

A little August episode to celebrate the fact that I (Pilar) have finished the manuscript for All the World's a Workplace! 
I realise half-way through the recording that while the work is location agnostic, the people are not. (It took me over a decade to articulate this!)
[0:00] Welcome, and bringing back the show's original tagline
[0:39] The book's done, to be published soon: All the World's a Workplace 
https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/coming-soon
[3:30] Why context is everything (and why the book got so long)
[5:39] How the book is structured
[6:27] "The work is location agnostic. The people are not."
[7:57] Office mandates made by people who like the office
[9:23] The "reset button" 
[11:24] Getting clear on what "hybrid" actually means
[13:05] Netflix, Reed Hastings and the reversals we never hear about
[15:59] Shakespeare, Fakespeare and the dilemmas
[18:12] Wrapping up, and what's coming next

You can read an article on Netflix's current take on remote here: https://wfa.team/blog/netflix-remote-work-from-anywhere-policy/
(And note that I made a mistake when I quoted the CEO saying that remote work is a pure negative. I said something else!)

In today's episode, Pilar shares her highlights from the book:
How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be 
by Katy Milkman

Pilar shares her booknotes from: 
Black Box Thinking: Growth Mindset and the Secrets of High Performance
by Matthew Syed


Another episode from the season Booknotes, where Pilar shares the notes she made while reading a book, allowing new insights to emerge spontaneously behind the microphone.

In today's episode:

Part 1
Pilar shares her booknotes from: 
Black Box Thinking: Growth Mindset and the Secrets of High Performance
by Matthew Syed
"The paradox of success: it is built upon failure."
During the episode, Pilar shares:
Zoe podcast episode from 16 March 2026 Tim Spector's 7 health habits for 2026
https://zoe.com/learn/tim-spectors-7-health-habits-for-2026
The Proving Ground by Michael Connelly
The Trial by Rob Rinder
Pandora's Jar: Women in the Greek Myths
New newsletter! Pilates and Remote Work: https://pilatesandremotework.substack.com/
And don't forget to check out Connection and Disconnection in Remote Teams, the book!
 
Part 2: Personal Updates

Enjoying writing about Pilates, looking for different teachers to learn from and lots of voicoever jobs last week!
If you're interested in All the World's a Workplace, sign up here.

A different kind of episode today!
We're back with two voices, and this time, instead of Pilar sharing notes from a book, she speaks to her co-author Bree Caggiati, about their latest book, "Connection and Disconnection in Remote Teams". They cover some of the book's topics, how the research has moved on, and for Part 2, they've got some connection-related personal updates.

In today's episode:

Part 1
Check out Connection and Disconnection in Remote Teams, the book!
1. Book and Project Origins
Bree and Pilar explain how their 2019 podcast project on connection and disconnection evolved into their recently published book.
2. Evolution from Remote to Hybrid Work
How remote work went from a "niche" concept in 2019 to the mainstream adoption of hybrid models post-pandemic, and the common mistake of forcing traditional office-based practices into remote environments and the benefits of establishing intentional remote-first frameworks.
3. Diversity and Inclusion in Connection:
Individuals experience belonging differently and how designing for specific needs can benefit an entire team.
4. Structure and Themes of the Book
An overview of the core topics addressed in the book.
5. New Research on Monthly Meetups
A new study by Nick Bloom suggesting that bringing fully remote teams together just once a month can significantly boost productivity and reduce quit rates.
6. The "3A Framework" of Connection & Shared Responsibility
A breakdown of three ways people connect at work., and the "overarching thesis" that connection is a shared duty between the organisation, the manager, and the individual, requiring deliberate design rather than just hoping it happens.
7. The Connection Quiz
A ten-question, quiz to test Bree's memory of key concepts from the book, such as the health risks of chronic loneliness and the "remote-first" approach.
8. Generative AI and Rapport
How AI chatbots might replace small human interactions, potentially impacting the bonding and trust-building typically found in quick feedback loops.
 
Part 2: Personal Updates

Talking "Away from the Work", but still connected to today's topic of connection!