{"podcast":{"title":"What The F* is Happening to The Office?","slug":"what-the-f-is-happening-to-the-office-7601316","podcast_index_feed_id":7601316,"rss_url":"https://anchor.fm/s/10c4b433c/podcast/rss","website_url":"https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bob-fox37","image_url":"https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_nologo/44912263/1ca36e1a80b5de9d.jpg","author":"Work Design","episode_count":27,"summary":"What the F* is Happening to the Office? The workplace is being reinvented—and we're talking to the people leading the charge. From architects to real estate strategists, tech innovators to culture experts, this podcast dives into the seismic shifts reshaping where and how we work. If you’re building, designing, managing, or just trying to make sense of the new office landscape, this is your front-row seat to the ideas, experiments, and people redefining the future of work.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-12T16:22:15.980278+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-the-f-is-happening-to-the-office-7601316"},"episode":{"title":"Combating Loneliness in the Workplace | Dr. Tracy Brower, Phd | WTF is Happening to the Office?","slug":"combating-loneliness-in-the-workplace-dr-tracy-brower-phd-wtf-is-happening-to-the-office","published_at":"2026-03-09T13:52:25+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-the-f-is-happening-to-the-office-7601316/combating-loneliness-in-the-workplace-dr-tracy-brower-phd-wtf-is-happening-to-the-office","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-the-f-is-happening-to-the-office-7601316","url":"https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/workdesign/episodes/Combating-Loneliness-in-the-Workplace--Dr--Tracy-Brower--Phd--WTF-is-Happening-to-the-Office-e3g5mtc","audio_url":"https://anchor.fm/s/10c4b433c/podcast/play/116627820/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-2-9%2F419612194-44100-2-653536c3a00c4.mp3","summary":"What if the biggest challenge facing the workplace today isn’t mandates, hybrid policy, or productivity… but loneliness?In this episode of *What the F is Happening to the Office?**, I sit down with sociologist and Steelcase VP of Workplace Insights Dr. Tracy Brower, Phd to explore how convenience, technology, and even AI may be quietly reducing real human connection.Her research is compelling:• Proximity measurably improves performance.• Gathering spaces increase wellbeing.• 77% of Gen Z actually want to be in the office — largely for mentoring and growth.And then there was one line that shocked me:“I’d already had all my conversations with AI on the way home and I didn’t have anything to talk to my wife about anymore.”That’s worth thinking about. If the office is no longer just a container for work, but a neighborhood for belonging and building self esteem, what does that mean for how we design it?Key TopicsLoneliness epidemic and its impact on workThe importance of proximity and physical space in building relationshipsThe influence of the built environment and furniture on social interactionThe role of leadership in fostering community and trustThe future relationship between AI and human connectionPurchase Tracy's new Book: Critical Connections: Build Relationships and Harness the Power of Community in Work and Life: https://amzn.to/4cZwl65Download the 2026 State of the Industry Report: https://workdesign.beehiiv.com/industry","meta_description":"What if the biggest challenge facing the workplace today isn’t mandates, hybrid policy, or productivity… but loneliness?In this episode of *What the F is…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3050,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/what-the-f-is-happening-to-the-office-7601316/episodes/combating-loneliness-in-the-workplace-dr-tracy-brower-phd-wtf-is-happening-to-the-office/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-the-f-is-happening-to-the-office-7601316/combating-loneliness-in-the-workplace-dr-tracy-brower-phd-wtf-is-happening-to-the-office.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}