When I have to go into work, every single meeting is just as online as it was at home. The only difference is I hear other people talking sometimes loudly, which I can’t have at home. We have cubicle walls that go up to my waist when standing, and all 80+ desks are in the same room and everyone sees everyone from the waist up, when sitting. What a productive situation.
Our manager wants us to “do something” with each other, so I find someone I don’t know and head out with them for lunch.
If I worked for a company that wasn’t spread across multiple cities, I could see logic in driving in. As it is, I am NEVER in a meeting that isn’t online, because even my manager sits states away from me.
I still get my work done on time and participate in meetings, just the same, at home, or at the office.
My company is going to get out of leases to permanently reduce their physical footprint and we will cycle into the building to large tables, for on-site days.
Your experience is common, it will be the new norm.
Before I retired our teams were all over the country.
In my office I was the only person on those teams.
Going to the office was totally useless—and meant irritating interruptions from co-workers who had nothing to do with our projects.
The office was loud and a horrible place to work.
The hour long commute was a total waste of my time—and added significant stress to my life.
Many operations work that way today.
Subject matter experts are spread around the country—it is crazy to try to cram them into local offices that are irrelevant to their activities.