For all the boardroom certainty about getting everyone back to the office, the office is a recent invention. Modern humans have existed for 300,000 years; the purpose-built office is barely 300, the first being London’s Old Admiralty in 1726. For most of human history, nobody went to the office to earn a living.
The office isn’t coming back: Technology, AI and hybrid work killed the 9-to-5
LoungeThe office isn’t coming back: Technology, AI and hybrid work killed the 9-to-5 and CEOs still haven’t accepted it Saurabh Mukherjea, Nandita Rajhansa3 min read17 Aug 2026, 08:00 AM ISTRigid office attendance mandates may create a retention risk.(istockphoto)SummaryThe traditional office job is a 300-year-old invention, not a law of nature—and three forces are dismantling itThis is…
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