Jostler
Well-known member
I don't think full-time working from home will be here to stay @ticker_tape. I can see it being hybrid, smaller offices with part-time wfh and part-time being office based. It is very different having an established team with established relationships working from home temporarily but over time people will move jobs and those relationships disappear. It is much more difficult to have any sort of working relationship with a team/co-worker if you've never met them. It is the social part of a team that is missing, asking quick questions to someone sat near by instead of a more formal call etc. There are people in my office of 20 that I haven't spoken to for 6 months because I haven't needed them professionally whereas in the office I'd speak to them a couple of times a week either socially or we hear each other talking about something we know the answer to and can jump in and help etc. Not so bad if I want to give them a ring to discuss because I know them but a new starter wouldn't have the same established relationship.
This. I love working from home, the freedom to pop to my local shops at lunch time or have a walk around my village, but I miss the office. I'm in a strange situation as I'm currently building my own business and have no office to go to. My last role before I went solo, I worked from home for 18 months getting the business off the ground for someone, before we got a small rural office space when the team had grown to 4.
I fully plan on doing it again and any team members living locally enough, I'd expect in the office 3 days a week. (Though it has given me the confidence that I can hire people from anywhere in the country if its a great fit). Like you say its the team bonding element. Having a breakout area with a couple of sofas, and a tv screen (we used to watch an episode of mad men every Wednesday lunchtime as a team), outdoor seating area and making it a place people want to be. I've seen loads of surveys on Linkedin about what people want to do moving forward, pretty much no one says they want to wfh full time.