Writings

Returning to the office is not for you

The debate over returning to the office is often framed as a battle between freedom and control—between employees demanding flexibility and managers insisting on in-person collaboration. But this polarized framing misses the point. The office isn’t just about productivity or efficiency; it’s a space for serendipitous interaction, informal learning, and collective knowledge transfer—especially critical for junior employees and cross-team collaboration.

Working remotely might serve individual comfort, but it risks eroding the invisible structures that foster culture, mentorship, and innovation. Returning to the office, even occasionally, isn’t just for you—it’s for those who benefit from your presence, your input, your questions, and even your overheard conversations. It’s about enabling the messy, unstructured, human dynamics that no Zoom call can replace.