Our senior leadership recently sent out an email stating that face to face collaboration (in person, not by video) is one of the pillars of our success. Pretty clear messaging that as soon as we can return to work we WILL return to work.
Human nature is human nature.
A video beat down isn’t as nearly satisfying as an in person beat down.
I was working remote for a few years prior to COVID, and will be the first to admit that there were some situations and circumstances that would have been resolved more easily/efficiently in person. Post-COVID, I think the remote work force has been able to sustain largely because most people have been working with others they already know from the office, and because they all view their remote circumstances as being temporary with a view to returning to the office at some point.
My personal observation is that while it's not impossible, integrating new people into an organization is more difficult without meeting in person and I think it remains to be seen how organizational cohesion is built and sustained as the workforce experiences diminishing degrees of in-person contact.
I think too many in senior management are going to look at remote productivity and conclude they can eliminate office space, but that conclusion will be based on a remote workforce that already knew each other, not on a future remote workforce that has never worked together in person.
that’s exactly how it will be across the nation. this separation and WFH model is a big fail and ends soon; probably near abouts 11/4