Return to office: what’s this obsession with collaboration

[Lantern12]

More of a rant than anything else, but wondered if others felt the same!

More and more companies seem to be pushing a return to office now (including my own, so I am biased) and the narrative it always the same - mostly that we “collaborate” and build relationships better in person. Is this actually true? Is there any evidence for this?

Some of the strongest relationships I’ve built in my career (clients and colleagues) have been forged over video calls. I find it a lot easier to speak to people 1:1 from a private space than on an open office floor where I feel everyone is overhearing my conversations, and I appreciate the peace and quiet between calls. I also come up with all my best ideas sat quietly thinking about things, never sat in a meeting room with others.

When leaders insist we build relationships and collaborate better in person I think “who are you to tell me how I work best?”. Maybe for them the buzz of an office helps them, but they can’t just insist this is the case for everyone.

Who’s with me on this?!

The job was £8k more than I was on but the hours were 8am-6pm in the city centre office every day because "that's how [they] do it in London", no remote working at all

I total agree. An extra £8k would not make up for the lost flexibility. Round here (Midlands) employers who don’t offer hybrid are finding it hard to recruit. And with my employer, people are more interested in ‘how many days in the office’ rather than salary. People often prize flexibility over money.

I used to go into the office every day in a previous role, but I had my own room and found that ok. In my current job it’s hot desking and open plan and can be difficult to concentrate due to noise.
I have to go in twice a week (I work four days) and sit all day on teams calls to colleagues in different offices. I may speak to my manager face to face for five minutes if I’m lucky. Total waste of time me going in other than for proper team face to face meetings once a month.

Hot desking is horrible. And you often cant sit next to your team anyway, so what is the point?