Is the office dead ?

Here is my take on the whole #workfromhome movement.

If anything the current pandemic has taught employees and employers that, in most cases, coming to the office every single day is NOT a must.

It showed us, by strength of necessity, that most organizations can continue to function (at least for a limited time) without direct human interaction or supervision. 

From my perspective, the lesson is FLEXIBILITY.

Offer employees the ability to juggle both depending on their own reality and the organizational needs.

With that said, I do fear the extreme approach and statements like : “Moving forward, all employees can work from home all the time” coming from certain big employers.

Here are a few things to consider :

* 60 days isn’t a very big sample size.

During the pandemic, the organization learned they CAN function without the office, but does that mean they function BETTER without it?

I find it's a bit early for such statements.

Workforce is in shock facing a global crisis, and galvanized to do what it takes to keep their jobs as the economic fallout unfolds.

Let’s keep a close eye on how a prolonged “work from home” impacts productivity and engagement. 

*Again, 60 days really isn’t a big sample size.

There are countless HR studies that show the importance of community & relationship in our happiness at work.

Let’s not be confused, it's MUCH EASIER to take a “office community” and maintain it for 60 days (our current COVID reality) than it is to build a remote community of workers from scratch that have never met each other.

I think we might be claiming victory a tad early here.

*No office means no geographical limitation.

This is likely the most insidious long term consequence of a “no office reality” is that it removes all geographical limitations relating to hiring. 

For example, if you are a San Francisco SaaS company and you adopt a “no office needed’ mindset, why hire a local talent ? Can a developer from a different city, or country, paid ¼ of what is the standard in San Francisco do the job?

Not to state this increased competition isn’t desirable, simply that I doubt we’ve truly grasped how this could drastically affect compensation and organizations on the long term.

As we ask ourselves “Which one is better?”, I humbly believe we should remember there are endless variables to the makeup of the answer and that each situation (employers and employees) is unique.

We like black or white answers, especially in a crisis, but I fear the best route forward is very much a grey zone of flexibility and “trial and errors”.

Your office isn’t dead. This will not be a revolution, but an evolution.