Hybrid working: A template
for the future of work

After more than a year of working from home (WFH), Ben Rogoff and the Polar Capital Global Technology team take a deeper look into how the flexibility it allows will feature in future working habits.

As well as a look at what WFH might mean for individuals and companies, they add their insights into what this might mean for office space and how it is used, the possible arrival of the fabled paperless office and how home life might change as we spend more time there. Ben also looks at how (and what) technology is at the heart of all this, allowing WFH in the first place as well as driving change in the future.

69%of peoplebelieve they have been at least as productive1Commutertime has savedbetween per day280%of peoplehave enjoyed workingfrom home11https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/average-commute-time-59-minutes-record-work-tuc-a9204031.html2https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/visualizations/interactive/travel-time.pdf2https://citymonitor.ai/transport/how-much-do-londoners-spend-commuting-1668 from 20153https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/feb/04/home-workers-putting-in-more-hours-since-covid-research 4https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jan/07/london-population-decline-first-time-since-1988-report-covid-home-working5https://assets.kpmg/content/dam/kpmg/uk/pdf/2021/01/the-future-of-towns-and-cities-post-covid-19-how-will-covid-19-transform-england-s-town-and-city-centres.pdf It should not be assumed that recommendations made in the future will be profitable or will equal the performance of securities in this document. A list of all recommendationsmade within the immediately preceding 12 months is available upon request.Source: Polar Capital and https://marker.medium.com/scott-galloways-7-business-predictions-for-2021-a96259c4441a.For information purposes only. This material is not intended to provide advice of any kind. All opinions and estimates constitute the best judgment of Polar Capital as of the datehereof, but are subject to change without notice, and do not necessarily represent the views of Polar Capital, and may not be achieved.72%1-2hrswant ahybrid remote officemodel going forward312%of workers wantto return to the office full-time3Is the future hybrid working?Socio-economic effects of lockdownCost savings in traveland childcareCities tobecomegreener and cleanerRetail property valuations currently at 50% of peak5Homesretrofitted for remote workand lifestyle changesLessinternational business travel in a ZoomworldMigrationfrom cities:14% of London population wantto leave for leafy climes4Cloud-based paperless office and widespread digitalisation of work, shared remotelyContact centre software, workflow automation, digital forms and signatures and security for distributed workHybrid meetings can be recorded and automatically transcribedTrillion dollar reallocation of capital from commercial to residential real estatee-learning will allow teachers to focus on higher value work and leave what we used to call paperwork to AI. As this grows over time, work will become increasingly unitised and measurableTelemedicine could reduce typical sessions from 121 minutes including commute to 8-10 minutesDispersion of capital and time2021IncreaseDecreaseDispersion = Value transferFuture impact of behavioural changeHomegymsResidential Real EstateCommercial Real EstateOfficeleasingHomeimprovementsHomefurnishingOffice techfor homeMusicsystemsShoppinghubsHotelsEntertainmentcentresDining

The next wave of disruption: Hybrid working and artificial intelligence

Watch Ben Rogoff discuss the key technology trends that he and the Global Technology team are favouring as well as why he describes the pandemic as a “test bed” for innovation.

Ben also asks ‘What next?’ for technology, with an emphasis on how he believes hybrid work is part of the foundation for the next wave of technology disruption rather than signalling the end of the technology cycle.