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Remote or in-person? That is the question.

June 12th, 2023 by Kenneth Abrahams

Few things post pandemic have created more of a controversy or been given more ink and airtime than the return to the office or stay remote debate. Pre-pandemic and in the early stages of COVID, it is safe to say that employers held most of the cards in the employer/employee relationship. They dictated the terms of your employment from the hours and days that you worked to the expected dress in the office. If you didn’t like it, well, you could go find another job. Then the pandemic hit, and people were afraid that they weren’t going to have a job to return to and they often worked remotely or as part of skeletal in office crews. Shutting things down for two weeks turned into months and, in some cases, years of staff working remotely.

Along came vaccines and the transmission and death rates began to drop. It was a slow gradual process as the world began to open again. We waded into a post pandemic world labor shortage, in a wide range of industries, which changed the employer/employee relationship and gave employees some newfound power. As employers started to suggest, or in some cases demand, a return to the office, many workers pushed back. Their message was clear, “if you force me to return to the office 5 days a week I will quit.” Companies already faced with large holes in their workforce, acquiesced to their employees’ demands. Some organizations never even went down the “you must return” path as they pivoted and shed office space square footage and completely redesigned their space. Many creating workstations that multiple employees could use throughout the week while adopting a hybrid work schedule.

Recently, the controversy is ramping up again. Some organizations are adamant that workers return to the office at least 3 days a week. Initially, offers of free lunches, daycare cost reimbursement, after work cocktail hours, and travel stipends were offered to lure employees back to the office. Now, the tables have turned, yet again, and threats of poor performance evaluations, reduced profit sharing, or even termination are being paraded in front of employees who are hesitant to return to their cubicles. This could get nasty.

It strikes me as odd that people are fighting as hard as they are to stay remote. For a good chunk of the last 3 years, we have heard about the isolation people have felt during COVID. There seem to be a lot more radio and television ads pitching anti-depressant drugs or therapy sites. Anecdotally more and more people appear to be struggling with depression, some of which seems to be tied to loneliness and lack of human contact from COVID. Yet, the newspapers and internet are full of stories about employees railing against the return to the office edicts of their employers.

At FUN we made the decision, a while ago, to also go to a hybrid model for many of our staff. We wanted to have coverage in the office, so some of our operations and administrative team split up the week so that several of them have a hybrid schedule. Other team members are in the office 5 days a week and the sales staff, including me, is fully remote. Just to keep me happy, the team has all agreed to once a month in office meetings with lunch included. Currently, this model seems to work. Our team, led by our Director of Operations, really tried to create an environment and schedule that worked for everyone. It seems to be doing just that. For me, there are a lot of tradeoffs here. Based on the distance from the office and the hours that I work, it is great that I don’t need to go into the office and commute an hour each way every day, but there is a lot that I miss about the office. Over the years, we have built a great team of people that are very enjoyable to be around. It has been referred to as a family, a dysfunctional one, but a family, nonetheless. Yes, I miss that comradery and the collaborative environment of our team is much better in-person. Believe it or not, I even miss having someone overhear a phone conversation with a client and come rushing to my desk to ask me “what are you thinking.” As I potentially offered them something difficult or near impossible to pull off. On the flip side, I do enjoy hanging out with the dogs and the shorter commute.

One thing that life has hopefully taught us is that we need to listen to one another. Recently, I heard a story of a company that announced a full return to the office only to drop the idea about a week later as negative employee reaction was incredibly strong. Perhaps instead of the edict, a discussion would have been a better road. If you are a manager or an owner, you need to ask why you are requiring people to return to the brick and mortar. Is there a legitimate reason that positively impacts the company or the staff? Think, listen, and discuss before you act. This is not something that is going to go away anytime soon. Is it better to be in the office or remote? I’m not sure, and I’m not certain anyone else is, either.

About the Author

Ken Abrahams is a 1982 graduate of Connecticut College. His field of study was sociology, and he is one of 2 people ever to get academic credit for planning the college’s spring festival, Floralia. He and his wife Jill reside in Natick Massachusetts, and they have 2 amazing sons, a daughter-in-law that is a newly ordained Rabbi, and a new grandson.

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