The Office - why bother?

In these strange and difficult times working from home has become the norm. So we can all be forgiven for thinking what is the point of having an office for any company? It's a fair question when, with modern connectivity, a lot of people who work in offices can complete their work on a daily basis safely and securely. Meetings can be held, decisions made and business can move on. So why would we go back to the old way of working - the daily commute, the time wasted in the morning and evening in the rush hour traffic, what to wear, how to be in two places at once, where and what will I eat for lunch? Breakfast on the go, the school run etc etc All of these sound (and can be) negative experiences and stressful. They sound like chores that get in the way of actually doing the job we're paid to do.

But should we view this in a different way? Sure if you commute everyday into the office it can feel like a drag - and if your commute is 2 hours each way, every day, then it is likely that you haven't been missing it any way. But, ultimately, we are human beings and human beings (broadly) are social animals - we thrive on interaction, discussion, community, support and growing together. Just because we have been faced with the biggest pandemic in modern history (at a time, when we are so connected globally, that combating it is harder than it ever has been in all of human history) it will not change our social needs in the long run. Sure for now, and a while into the future, it will be different (and rightly so to keep us all safe) but in time we will return to being the huggers, handshakers and cheek kissers we once were - it is an inevitability (in my view). So what has this go to do with the office and our daily working lives?

The commute - well, let's consider the dreaded commute - this is the opportunity to have some reflection time on the day ahead or what just happened, the opportunity to put on your headphones and shut out the world and clear you mind. It can be useful prep or reset for the next day. It's your time*. Have you always had the benefit of that at home?

*Granted when your face is stuffed into someones armpit (remember those days?) this "me time" is not quite the panacea depicted.

In the office - the challenge working from home brings over a sustained period of time is you miss the interaction (coffee chats/ cooler chats) you miss hearing other peoples point of view on all things - not always work. From these rich interactions we grow our minds which helps us to be better problem solvers, better at working in teams. Dare I say it, even the views of someone you complete disagree with and who's very commentary makes your blood boil help us to feel more alive and develop our own opinions. At home we miss that; and no: Zoom, Teams etc are not substitutes for that interaction - they are the baseline level of interaction we need to get the job done.

Sparks and Flames - in working life we all need to feel interested and motivated to do a good job, have a sense of purpose in our delivery - regardless of the job you do, if it doesn't speak to your sense of purpose you won't be fulfilled. There are two areas to this - doing your current job better (Sparks) and understanding your need to do a different job (Flames)

Sparks - Doing your job better. No one knows everything right? So to do a great job often we need collaborative inputs from a wide range of people to give us the sparks of inspiration to improve our outputs. That one phrase " I was thinking..." "Have you seen.." "What about...." often these are accidental collisions and they can result in great outcomes. How do you have accidental collisions on conf calls? it's hard because Sparks come from the interactions not in your diary.

Flames - Do you need to do a different job? If we work from home all the time how do we adapt and evolve our sense of purpose? How do we see and experience other roles, other jobs in the organisation? How do you have the casual conversation with a colleague about what they do? If you are unhappy now in the job you do, it is harder to identify the change you want if you don't have the interaction with people not doing your job. Communication can be very linear in home working - calls with your team, your line manager - so your exposure to different views is more limited.

Food and drink - when you work in an office these are either social or solitary occassions, al fresco/ al desko the choice is yours. Working from home this isn't always the case - the choice can sometimes be me, myself or me as companionship in the morning coffee - and as partners and children return to work or school the choice diminishes further - so what has been seen as valuable family connection time will turn into another snack or drink for one. The office provides occasions to celebrate, birthdays, anniversaries - reasons to connect with a wider group of people. These interactions can sometimes fill us with dread but more often than not the very act of socialising has a positive dopamine effect - likely increasing our overall well-being and highly likely to increase our overall productivity at work and play. These occasions, no matter how big or small can improve our positivity.

Let's face it the joy at being in control of your own lunch, having it exactly how you intended it because you made it - doesn't last forever. Eventually even that avo, turkey, cheese and korean mayo sandwich on sourdough bread made by your own hand becomes a chore and samey. We grow through change and experience - this comes about from interaction with other people and trying new things.

Meetings - Purpose: to achieve an outcome or deliver an update through forming collaborative working groups who all have a collective goal. Can you do this online? Absolutely. Is it always effective - No. Part of the reason is business is built on relationships and relationships are built on trust. If a team hasn't had the opportunity to get to know each other, understand how each other works, then it is harder to build trust. But surely you can build trust by achieving tasks on time, to budget etc, right? To me, this isn't trust. This is the completion of a task, often set by someone else, because you are obliged to do so ie the boss or a client has asked you to do it. Obligation does not equate to Trust. Trust is built on shared experience, both good and bad, honest conversations when we disagree, qualitative feedback on performance, tasks, approach. Of course there are lots of benefits from online meetings, but when it comes to really difficult conversations, when it comes to really bonding - for me - it is too easy to kick it into the long grass because, well because you can.

So, in conclusion, should we all permanently work from home? Not in my view. Should we go back to working from the office everyday - again, not in my view. We now have a unique opportunity to make flexible working a way life to the benefit of everyone - work colleagues and our loved ones at home. Is there a place for the the office in the future of peoples work place? A resounding yes. Not everyday, I don't believe the vast majority want to go back to that but occasionally, weekly, every other day? That sounds more like a world where we can grow, be more productive, expand our horizons and be, generally better people. From commuting there, to the experiences within each day, to the commute home a return to the office is an opportunity to grow both ourselves and others - just by our very being there. Who knows where that next coffee/ water cooler conversation could take you?

Closing note: I appreciate that not everyone has the choice and their job depends on them being there to perform it. So to you, i salute you and thank you for the amazing work you do everyday, from caring for others to building toys, building cars to building houses - i hope you identify with the purpose of your task and feel a great sense of satisfaction in the career you have chosen.