Back to the office

Amazon announced earlier this week that they will require all corporate employees to return to the office five days a week starting early next year. A bold move since they already dealt with walkouts earlier last year when they announced that their employees needed to report back to the office three days a week.

I see both sides of this position. On the employee side, they become accustomed to the comforts and convenience of working at home. Stay-at-home moms and dads can multitask while still getting their work done.

I also see why the employer wants their employees back full time. Amazon has already seen the benefits of collaboration, in-person mentorship, and brainstorming since they brought people back for three days a week in the office.

I have always preached that the best way to build a trusting, long-term relationship is through in-person interaction. Whether you are trying to build internal relationships at the firm or external relationships with clients, nothing replaces meeting with someone in person. Sure, virtual meetings got us through the pandemic; however, we lost a lot of traction during that time when it came to connecting with our important business contacts.

I am in favor of the hybrid work environment. I know that many professionals would prefer to work five days a week from home if they could, but they would miss such an important part of building a successful business in the process.

I miss the days when I worked for large firms and was able to walk the halls and grab a colleague for an impromptu coffee or lunch to catch up. I encourage my clients who work at firms to do the same, yet it doesn’t come naturally for many. Professional services firms have suffered for years the silo effect. They are heads down at work and rarely stretch their legs to connect with their colleagues or prospective clients. The pandemic only exacerbated this isolation which not only fractures any attempt at collaboration from leadership, but also impacts the ability for individuals to grow their practice.

While I am in favor for some flexibility to work from home, I am also a big proponent of people going back into the office for three to four days a week. In doing so, they can not only connect with their colleagues, but also be in a better position to meet with their clients in person.

I just heard from one of my law firm clients today that they are now going to a four day a week in the office mandate. A bold move, but I think it is a good one. Whether in sports or any other profession, the teams who win are the ones who play together as a cohesive unit. It is hard to build a team that is truly connected from the home office.

Amazon has proven to be one of the most successful businesses in today’s market. I am sure they will lose some employees from this new mandate; however, I am also confident that they will continue to thrive as a business overall from reuniting their workforce. I will be curious to see what other companies follow suit in the coming months.