COVID-19 certainly has had a massive impact on our lives over the past 2 years. Not only has it changed who we can see, how we socialize and where we go, it has also changed how we work, and for many of us, where we work.
As we start to see the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, many businesses are now calling for employees to return to the office. But after 2 years of proving that work can be managed remotely, many employees are loath to relinquish their comfortable home offices and commute-free lifestyles.
As someone who has experienced the benefits of working both remotely and in-office, here is why I believe a return to the office in some form is not only advantageous but also necessary for young professionals in their formative years, those wishing to advance their careers, and everyone in-between:
We learn through observing and emulating the actions of others. As toddlers, we learn to walk and talk from watching and listening to our parents and siblings. As children, we learn social skills by playing with other children and through our interactions at school. And as young adults, we learn business etiquette, office protocol and how to navigate the corporate world through our interactions with other like-minded professionals in the business environment. It is here, in the physical office setting, where we have the opportunity to observe how executives, managers, and experienced professionals interact and behave. We experience the subtleties of the business world through personal interaction with our peers, by watching their expressions and body language and observing the nuances that you just can’t perceive in a virtual setting or over a Zoom video call. Without this personal interaction, young professionals aren’t afforded the same opportunity to watch and learn from more experienced professionals, which shapes how they evolve and grow.
I admit, it’s great to get those extra minutes of sleep in the morning, not to have to battle traffic on the commute to and from work, and not to think about work clothes or preparing lunches. But the mental prep of readying yourself to go into the office, ditching the sweatpants and putting on your game face, these are the things that prepare you for professional life in the real world work environment.
While COVID-19 has proven that many businesses can successfully operate remotely in the short-term, much is lost when we abandon the office environment. The camaraderie and support built by working together in an office cannot be replicated through Zoom or Google Meet meetings. Humans are social creatures who crave contact, and the professional isolation of a 100% remote position will take its toll, both from a business and personal perspective. With limited capacity to survey the performance of their employees, a manager may fail to recognize a special ability or attribute that would be more apparent in person. Employees may begin to feel under-appreciated as their hard work and extra efforts go unnoticed by their employers.
So how do we solve the problem of employees who have come to appreciate working remotely and are unwilling to surrender the work/life balance they now enjoy vs. employers who are demanding that employees return to the office full-time? Compromise. A hybrid work model is the perfect compromise for employer and employee to bridge the desire to work remotely with the benefits of returning to the office. Studies have shown that a hybrid role produces greater employee satisfaction than either a full-time remote or full-time in-office position.
A few days working remotely and a day or two in office is a win-win for both employee and employer.
