Many tech CEOs are calling quits on remote work, requiring employees back in the office. While understandable given the challenges of distributed teams, this reactive move risks abandoning the future of work and creates a seemingly large-scale regression that could have been prevented by addressing a few obvious issues.

The pros and cons of distributed teams

Working as a fully distributed company has many benefits:

• Some of the best people will only work for distributed companies
• Access to global talent, not just local candidates
• Cost savings from lack of physical offices
• Cost savings from not having to help key employees relocate
• Flexibility for employees to live and work where they want
• Less commute time for employees
• Gives designers and engineers the ability to stay focused more during the day
• Ability to operate across multiple time zones

However, being fully distributed also comes with challenges:

• Lack of face-to-face interaction can hamper relationship building
• Communication issues from inability to read body language, tone, etc.
• Decreased opportunities for spontaneous collaboration
• New hires may feel isolated and have trouble assimilating
• Possibility for weaker company culture without being in the same physical space

Three big failure points

In my experience, companies struggle to support distributed teams in three key areas:

1. They don’t invest in in-person meetups.
2. They fail to fully commit, relying on hybrid models (that never seem to work).
3. They don’t trust their people to work autonomously.

Before mandating a return to the office, leaders should assess if they adequately addressed these failure points. Today, I’ll address the first one.

The immense value of in-person meetups

In-person meetups provide a wealth of benefits that simply can’t be replicated digitally. Here are some of the key advantages:

• Stronger interpersonal bonds – There’s no substitute for face-to-face interaction when it comes to building relationships, empathy and trust between teammates. These social connections are the foundation for effective collaboration.
• Improved communication – Non-verbal cues, tone of voice and body language are lost on video calls. Meeting in-person allows for much richer communication.
• Creative energy – Being together in the same physical space often sparks new ideas and innovative thinking. There’s an energy and synergy generated when teams converge.
• Team building – Escape rooms, meals, games or other activities allow teams to bond and have fun together. This strengthens team spirit.
• Company culture – Meetups allow distributed team members to soak in and understand their company’s culture more deeply by being immersed in it.

Meetups are a must

In-person meetups are not a luxury – they are a necessity for distributed teams to function optimally long-term. Facilitating regular real-world gatherings signals that leadership cares about connections, collaboration, and culture. The initial investment pays exponential dividends long-term. When done right, meetups allow distributed teams to thrive.

The future of work is still distributed. Leaders who embrace this reality with care and trust will unlock potential beyond imagination. Companies that don’t make distributed work a priority will lose out on talent, innovation, and growth. The future of work is here – will your company lean into this new era with care and trust, or cling to outdated models?