The dream of flexible capitalism became a nightmare for many workers – but there is a path back to the sweet spot

‘Genuine flexibility might look like working from home three days a week and in the office two days a week.’ Photograph: Keep It 100/Getty Images

Fifteen, 20 years ago, the drift, at least culturally, seemed undeniable and unavoidable. Full-time permanent work was on the way out and instead we would all be the boss of Me Inc.

Under this model workers could sell their labour to the highest bidder and free themselves from an old model of a job for life. Moving from job to job, contract to contract, work would be tied to a project or a specific task and once that was done, a worker’s time was their own.