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Dec 19, 2023
Brian Clausen, Copy Editor
Much has been made regarding the, “Should we work in-office, hybrid, or remote?” debate. CEOs, managers, and employees have all made their voices heard in the past three years, and the consensus seems to be that there is no consensus. However, companies who instituted a fully remote work policy at the onset of COVID-19 are returning to a hybrid or in-office arrangement at a rapid pace.
Recent research shows that 35 percent of workers with jobs that can be done remotely are working from home all the time – down from 55 percent in October of 2020. However, it hasn’t been easy trying to convince remote workers to return to office. One survey of 3,000 remote workers showed that a whopping 98 percent would prefer to work remotely at least some of the time for the rest of their careers.
It’s clear that one big reason for CEOs implementing a return to in-office work is the lack of conversation. Sallie Krawcheck, CEO of Ellevest, says, “We’re hitting deadlines like never before. But, ‘Let’s have a Zoom to brainstorm?’ Not many people do it, and you can’t run into each other at the coffee machine when you’re on Zoom. We are more productive and we are less creative.”
While most employees agree that their productivity has improved since starting to work from home full-time – only 7 percent of employees feel that working remotely hinders their ability to meet deadlines – some executives lament the lack of spontaneous creativity and innovation. So how can an environment of creativity be fostered when employees are hundreds of miles apart?
Working remotely means the “water-cooler” conversations and bumping into co-workers in the hallway are gone. A knock on the office door is replaced by a chat message and waiting for a reply. Unplanned interactions with coworkers have been shown to improve creativity; and while a quiet, solitary environment working from home may improve productivity, it can drag down creative impulses.
If you’ve noticed this happening, demonstrate how you want to see ideas shared amongst your team. Show new hires what it looks like to brainstorm freely and without judgement. Eventually, you won’t always have to be the one who starts the conversation.
Brian Clausen
Copy Editor
Brian Clausen is a copy editor at SkillPath. He has been with SkillPath for four years, and his writings have appeared on LendingTree, Shutterfly, and Dopplr.
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