Here's how you can navigate the pros and cons of remote work versus traditional office work.

Remote work offers flexibility, reduced commuting time, and a better work-life balance. However, it can also lead to isolation, distractions at home, and challenges in communication and collaboration. Traditional office work fosters team bonding, immediate feedback, and clear boundaries between work and home life, but it may come with long commutes and less flexibility. To decide, consider your personal work style, job requirements, and company culture. Finding a balance, such as a hybrid model, can often provide the best of both worlds.

Remote work came as a boon to me when I was looking to start my own family. We could adjust to the culture of remote work urgently due to the pandemic that immensely shook our world. Though remote work comes with many pros, there is a con that I have observed and that is 'Not being able to connect with our co workers the same way'. The cafeteria time and lazing around time with them is lost but when I looked deeply, just having time around with them wasn't really enough to build great connections. what created new connections was "Communication". Its not the same thing as talking in a scrum meeting or a board meeting. Its entirely different. This requires a lot of empathy, care for others and asking the right questions and answers

- Pró (Remoto): Maior controle sobre seu horário e rotina. Contra (Escritório): Horários fixos, menos flexíveis. - Pró (Remoto): Redução do tempo de deslocamento, mais tempo com a família. Contra (Escritório): Pode dificultar equilibrar vida pessoal e profissional. - Pró (Escritório): Facilita conexões e networking com colegas. Contra (Remoto): Pode levar ao isolamento social. - Pró (Remoto): Ambiente personalizado pode aumentar a produtividade. Contra (Escritório): Distrações do ambiente de trabalho podem reduzir a produtividade. - Pró (Remoto): Economiza em transporte, alimentação e roupas. Contra (Escritório): Custos adicionais com transporte e alimentação.

I love the flexibility of a hybrid work schedule, but I am glad to have the days of 100% remote work behind me. Face to face interaction with co-workers is irreplaceable for me, since so much nuance gets lost over e-mail, messaging, and virtual calls. We've made amazing technological strides in remote and hybrid work, but no ZOOM or Teams meeting can reproduce the Oxytocin we get through a handshake, high-five, or hug from a co-worker. It creates and reinforces trust and connection. Plus, when virtual, almost every collaboration is meticulously scheduled. There are no more "accidental meetings" in the hallway or break area. It allows for visibility, empathy, and engagement. We have to achieve the best balance possible.

Remote work offers flexibility and eliminates commuting, but may lack in-person collaboration. Traditional office work provides structure and direct team interaction, but might reduce work-life balance. A valuable tip is to try a hybrid model if possible, combining both remote and office work to find your optimal balance.

One of the elements of remote work we've yet to fully unlock is remote leadership. I believe one of the reasons for the division over RTO mandates is the perception that it shows a lack of mutual trust. Managers may not trust employees whom they cannot see working, and employees may not trust managers to lead them remotely. Leaders need a new set of skills to develop and guide remote employees, and employees need to understand that remote work is a responsibility rather than a right or a perk. Status indicators on Microsoft Teams are unreliable, and remote monitoring is a trust violation. For remote and hybrid work to succeed, trust has to be present, and both employees and leaders need to be equipped with the right skills.

Fully agree, Chris. You've hit on the most important issue - mutual trust and leadership responsibility for achieving it. I'll offer two more thoughts: 1) Mindset 2) Building Effective Teams. Companies accept the need for field sales to work remotely to be close to customers. Corporate mindset has long accepted sales teams working remotely. If we can trust our sales teams to work remotely, why can't we trust our office workers? Long before the pandemic I led global teams "remotely" from my office, albeit in offices in other countries. Building strong teams requires building relationships, and that requires in-person contact. Sales leaders always seek ways to bring their teams together in person. Corporate execs can learn that skill too!

Interesting, Chris. I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently. I have lots to say about it but primarily one question. If remote monitoring is a trust violation (accepting the premise for the sake of discussion) what differentiates it from the forms of direct control it’s supposed to replace e.g. a walk around the office?