Office teams in North America faced a swift reversal as remote roles contracted and in office positions expanded. Companies moved to bring staff back in larger numbers, reshaping teams and routines across the region.
The reasons are varied. Some firms adjusted local policies, but a minority did. Most leaders looked back on five years of remote work and decided that direct, in person management still yields stronger results. The narrator reflects on these shifts while weighing what works best.
For many, remote work began with the Covid era. A big office computer arrived, turning the dining table into a workstation. The setup felt novel and at times bold, but life did not become a vacation. There was no need to hurry through outfits or breakfasts; work settled into couches and kitchen corners.
At first the arrangement seemed ideal, but two drawbacks gradually revealed themselves. The writer missed real moments with colleagues and the time spent commuting. The pause between conversations and the rhythm of an office routine stood out.
The first major downside was communication. Text messages piled up, and lengthy explanations often replaced quick chats. Nuances were easy to miss in writing, so teams created more threads and multiple conversations to fill the gaps. Screens and notifications wore on the eyes, and evenings bled into the screen time as work moved beyond daylight hours.
Nonverbal cues such as facial expressions, smiles, and tone matter in person; they vanish in written messages. Misunderstandings grew when intent wasn’t visible, and joking could be misread. Conversations became more deliberate, yet less warm, and people found they missed the ease of casual banter.
The second drawback was the blurred boundary between work and life. The day could stretch, with the sense that the office never truly ends. Without visible cues, colleagues lost sight of breaks and meals, and half an hour for lunch often vanished as tasks piled up.
In many cases, the boundaries collapsed. At home, it was easy to slip into late hours because no one could see if someone was still connected. Lunch breaks became rare as the screen glowed through meals, and people found themselves eating while reading messages or answering emails.
About six months in, a longing for the office returned. Some colleagues traveled to sunny destinations, posting photos of Bali or Cyprus, and appearing to have more balanced lives. The reality for the rest was the brick wall of a courtyard and a constant monitor glow, with eyes fixed on the screen instead of the horizon.
The Covid era of full remote work faded, yet some habits linger. Remote routines persisted in parts of the workforce, shaping expectations and workflows even as offices reopened.
Today many organizations follow a hybrid model: four days in the office, one at home, or a similar split. The hybrid approach offers a sense of freedom while preserving in person teamwork. In many firms the time split is roughly even, but the underlying effect stays similar: staying in the same city as the employer keeps travel simple and limits the romance of faraway places.
A few years back many believed offices would fade away. In truth, remote work has proven cost-efficient for employers and flexible for employees, but real time collaboration remains hard to replace in teams that rely on quick, in-person coordination.
And yet burnout rose with distance work. People spent long hours behind four walls, and promotions still leaned on personal interaction. Those who chatted over coffee or shared casual updates with leadership tended to gain visibility in the unseen workflow, an advantage not available to everyone.
These reflections are personal observations and do not represent any official stance. They capture a common arc many teams have followed as work moved from homes to shared offices and back to flexible arrangements.