Why Remote Working Will Disappear in 2025

Dear Stephen,

I’ve seen you write about hybrid (remote) working in this column many times before, the pros, the cons, so I know you have a strong opinion. I work as a regional manager in #NewYorkCity for a contract furniture manufacturer. Here in New York many companies are mandating their employees come back to work specifically industries like banking, finance, legal, to name a few… not to mention companies like Amazon and UPS. I’ve seen you write repeatedly that “if you sell office furniture, you better work from an office.” I couldn’t agree more.

Most manufacturers have large showrooms that designers and dealers love to visit, and with most design firms also back in the office typically 4 days a week, designers like to get out for lunch, come into our showroom, and just be out and about. Our company doesn’t exactly have a mandate, but we are encouraging our employees to come back to our office / showroom five days a week for 2025. Let me be clear, I know salespeople need to make sales calls. We just prefer them to do their administrative work from the office.

Part of the problem is with our support people who work very hard -- sales assistants and people who support the showroom environment are now coming in 3 to 4 days a week, but we want them back 5. It’s already been proven that productivity, whether you’re at home or in the office turns out to be equal. The support people however resent the salespeople doing their busy work from home or remotely. The major response I get when I ask a salesperson to come into the office more is ‘as long as I’m making my numbers, what difference does it make where I work from?’

Guess what – it makes a huge difference! And here’s why:

The synergy of our office is better when the entire team is here, period. The mojo is better, whatever you want to call it. I’m not expecting salespeople to check in and out of the office every day, but I want them to understand the importance of interacting in person with the team. When you’re in the office, you get to hear more of what other people are doing, what projects are going on, it’s just a better environment. Everyone gets to know each other better and it makes us stronger as a company. I don’t like my sales assistants and support people resenting my salespeople for never showing up.

I discuss this issue with my bosses at HQ all the time, and as we slowly weave the idea of in-office full-time working becoming mandatory in 2025 into the conversation, I want my salespeople to take ownership of being a part of our office. Is there anything wrong with that? What do you think?

Signed,

Tired of Hearing You’re Working From Home

Dear Tired,

You have read about remote working many times in this column. You know how I feel. Since the pandemic has ended, I’ve said it a million times, people selling office furniture need to work from an office! Otherwise, what’s the point.

It’s a problem that’s been equally prominent in office furniture dealers as it is in contract furniture manufacturers, and it carries over to allied products like carpeting, floor covering, lighting, textiles… you get the idea. It’s a little bit of a problem everywhere except for retail. I know the mantra of salespeople is ‘what do you care where I am working from as long as I am making my number?’

My response to that would be identical to what you shared, and that is, we want a sense of community in the office.

Community means salespeople talking to each other face to face, talking about projects, talking about their families, sitting in and working in the product they sell, working hand in hand with their sales assistants, project managers, and showroom managers…

To be clear – if you’re an outside salesperson, you should be outside selling! But what’s so bad about coming into the office so your sales assistant or showroom manager sees your face and knows you’re there? So they don’t just think they’re doing all the heavy lifting for you?

In many other industries, hybrid working will be the only way to work in the future. But if companies like #Amazon, #Starbucks, #GeneralMotors, #Disney, #Walmart, and #Dell have fully ditched remote working -- why would the people who make and sell the office furniture those companies buy allow it in their own companies?

For those of you who are business owners or bosses at dealers or manufacturers – if you’re concerned about losing that salesperson, the one who says, ‘if I make my number,’ or ‘don’t worry about where I work’ but you want them back to work, don’t be so worried, just replace them. You can recruit a new salesperson who wants the socialization of being in the office, easy peasy. If you’re that salesperson who is great at your job and doesn’t want to be told to come back to work, same applies to you, quit and find a job in an industry or company where they don’t care where you work from… Chances are it won’t be office furniture.

I hope that answers your question.

Signed,

Stephen

Stephen Viscusi is the founder of www.viscusigroup.com, an executive search firm that specializes in the interior furnishings industry. Hires made through The Viscusi Group are guaranteed a one-year free replacement. Please share your story or comment on this article and send your workplace questions to [email protected]. Or give us a call at (212) 979-5700 ext. 101.

(C) Stephen Viscusi