I am single and live alone. I have a great social life and see family often. Even so, work is a vital social outlet for me. Joining a company remotely as I’ve done twice now is so much harder than joining a company where my direct teammates are in person.
There is so much less communication when not in person. Company culture is felt far smaller.
I think wfh is great for those who have been at a company for a few years, have formed relationships with their peers, and who may have personal responsibilities that are easier to manage when wfh.
New employees however miss out on so much. You don’t learn the culture (zoom/slack etiquette, company processes, who’s in charge of what, who knows what, company goals, direction, values, bets etc), you get far less mentorship (and are able to give far less when you switch to that side) and communication is severely negatively impacted (far more misunderstandings, lack of shared context, etc).
I appreciate all the wonderful benefits of wfh/hybrid. I don’t see us ever going back to in office 100%. An open floor plans with everyone talking is not a productive environment.
But we have lost a substantial amount of value in not going into the office. Making friends at work takes multiples of time longer. Forming good relationships across the company is significantly harder.
I still go in 3-4 days a week. I don’t ask anyone else to and I’m not saying it’s 100% what everyone should be doing.
But it’s something to acknowledge that I don’t feel we have.