Work From Home is Ruining the Country!

Heart’s Pace in North Adams, Massachusetts

Back in June of 2021, when I acquired my first industry job as a junior account planner, I was stoked by the idea of the company returning to the office during the ensuing fall.

After what at the time seemed like an eternity of Zoom meetings, I was incredibly ready for the in-person interactions that in-office work would bring me on a daily basis.

Helping add to the anticipation was the fact that the fellowship I was in during my first year out of college was abruptly transitioned online after 10 months of planning multiple spring events that were going to be the pinnacle of my passions: connecting the Wake Forest community to the surrounding Winston-Salem community.

This loss, combined with a full year of full-time virtual graduate school, had me eager to experience what I surely believed would one day become the daily woes of in-office work.

When that fall came, an agency town hall exposed the reality that we would remain fully remote—with the occasional trip to the office for special events, and a minimal number of client meetings.

Oh, how that decision drastically changed the experience of being in my early and mid-twenties—a change that has continued to this day.

I was admittedly a tasteful amount of disappointed, mostly because I had always held this idealized version of what office life looks like.

Inside jokes, bonding done in side conversations, going out for drinks every so often with “the team.” Creating a friend group from my co-workers to go to concerts and bars with. All of the quintessential early-to-mid twenty-something shenanigans.

What I came to find was that in time I was able to have that and more in a primarily remote work world. With some effort—and a lot of well-timed and funny Slacks—I found those meaningful relationships with co-workers I had once only day dreamed of. Many of whom have become some of my closest friends.

It was a practice of pushing those I connected with to go to the office for the occasional in-office workday and lunch, which then became a workday plus dinner, a workday plus First Friday Gallery Hop, eventually leading to movies, bars, concerts, and inviting them over to my beloved “shindigs.”

Finally resulting in genuine and long-lasting friendship.

For an agency of our size, revenue had shown that working from home had actually resulted in a positive impact on profit!

Now, I understand the larger corporate world is pushing for back-to-office work multiple times a week or full-time, and I am sure I will get the desire again one day to experience that type of environment, but for now, I have been able to have so many experiences that have helped me enjoy life, enjoy the world around me, and enjoy those I love most in a much deeper and meaningful manner.

The narrative that work-from-home is ruining the country and our workforce is a thinly veiled attempt to say, “We have made long-term, capital-heavy investments in real estate leases or purchases, and we need to justify those costs.”

I have been so incredibly lucky and privileged to have an organization and professional experience that has allowed me to work from a plane, train, boat, abroad, different time zone, my Grandparent’s homes to aid in their care, etc.—work that has not impacted my career trajectory, the amount of responsibility I am given, or other factors one might use to justify the in-office grind.

I have also noticed that in this heavily virtual world, when we do gather in the office, we are so enamored with each other’s presence that, outside of a few short stints of productivity, those in-office days more often than not result in simply socializing.

You know—we act like humans while we are around other humans.

While I do posses many qualms about the current state of the world, the flexibility, the comfort, the efficiency of workflow while virtual (when it is possible) is one commendable facet of the 21st century.

I expect that whenever and wherever my next career move may be, it will likely be to an organization that is more rooted in an in-office working environment.

As quickly as I was able to adopt and adjust to the idea and practice of an indefinite work-from-home environment, I am sure I will be able to find joy in the practice of commuting, the practice of prepping lunches for work, and the practice of existing in the physical presence of others on a regular basis.

While I am interested to see how I am able to tackle that transition, all I can say is: bring it on.

Date: May 9th, 2025