Redefining Work (with Jeremy Myerson): Beyond the Halfway House

Redefining Work

In this episode of Spatial Attraction, Kursty Groves is in conversation with Jeremy Myerson about why the return-to-office debate refuses to settle.

Together, they explore the “halfway house” we’re living in now: work that feels more flexible and more unsettled at the same time.

Jeremy is Professor Emeritus at the Royal College of Art, founder of the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, and co-founder of WorkTech Academy.

They unpack:

• Why hybrid work can increase friction, anonymity, and the coordination load
• Jeremy’s “three waves” of office evolution (efficiency → social democratic → networked)
• The hidden costs of distributed work, including lost mentoring and tacit learning
• Why the office is still psychologically central, even when we work from anywhere
• Why we may be measuring the wrong things, and what it means to design for experience
• What becomes more valuable as AI accelerates visible output: judgement, trust, cohesion, and shared meaning

For companion notes and research links, visit the episode page:

https://kurstygroves.com/podcast/spatial-attraction-redefining-work-with-jeremy-myerson/

About Jeremy Myerson

Jeremy Myerson is a design writer and academic based in London.

He is Professor Emeritus at the Royal College of Art, founder of the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, and co-founder of WorkTech Academy.

His most recent book is Unworking: The Reinvention of the Modern Office (2022).

Support the show

Spatial Attraction is written, produced, and hosted by Kursty Groves.

Original music and sound production by Lee Golledge.

For episodes and updates, visit https://kurstygroves.com/podcast/ - and follow Spatial Attraction on LinkedIn and Instagram.

To suggest a theme or guest, email jen@spatial-attraction-podcast.com.