Please come back to the office!
So far, I really haven’t found any good reasons why showing up at the office just 1–2 times a week should be a good idea!
Everyone talks about flexibility, but almost all of my clients complain about the challenges of working from home and the difficulties and conflicts within the team.
That doesn’t surprise me, and I’m always amazed at how convenience can be deceiving. Of course, it saves a lot of time and gas when we can sit down at our laptops right from the breakfast table to attend virtual meetings. And of course, it’s often better to focus on a single task for several hours at a time. But does that make it easier when we’re working on projects as a team?
There are so many aspects to consider and many pros and cons, but there’s one thing no one will ever convince me of: that working from home is easier and better! Here are my three observations, which have been confirmed time and again:
➡️ Relationships with coworkers are deteriorating and becoming more distant. Breaks are NOT being used for personal conversations about leisure activities, political or social views, a sick child, or a mishap that just happened—the kind of exchanges that bring us together as people. Exchanges that show we care about one another because we work TOGETHER. Conversations for which there’s no time in virtual meetings—important, bonding conversations that arise naturally from “everyday office situations.”
➡️ Projects often take shape between meetings, when people are chatting about something else—in the hallway or at a neighboring desk—and suddenly an idea pops up, completely out of context. It might be input from an employee who isn’t even involved in the project but happens to hear about it in passing. “Shutting oneself off” at home leads to tunnel vision and rules out the possibility of thinking outside the box.
➡️ Leading from a distance isn’t easy. A true leader—who takes an interest in employees, makes time for conversations, can read between the lines, and “feels out” the team even when everyone is in the same room—should enjoy spending time in the office with their employees.
Yes, WORKING FROM HOME is great, but not as a long-term solution! It makes us more detached, lazier, more complacent, and lonelier!
We talk about diversity, humanity, appreciation, respect, and so on. But these qualities arise in interpersonal relationships mainly through genuine interaction and real exchanges on equal footing—through words, glances, moods, and energy. I really hope that we remain flexible and recognize the benefits of working from home, but don’t view it as the solution!
What are your observations?
Bianca-Maria