First Trump is not "having remote workers return to work". He is telling office based workers that were temporary shifted to remote due to COVID that is long over and they need to return to the office.
It also doesn't sound like you have ever done much meaningful work. Yes things can be done remotely particularly low level grunt tasks, but there is huge value and productivity lost due to working from home.
Interpersonal relationships, collaboration, communication, proximity, etc are extremely important to successfully building complex, broad scope solutions.
Teams meetings don't come anywhere close to replicating hours/days spent in a conference room hashing out designs across every white boarded wall, the hallway chats, the coffee breaks, happy hours, etc. I can understand this may not make sense if all you know is the interwebs, but in real life this stuff matters.
The idea that remote work inherently leads to a loss of productivity and value is outdated and ignores both technological advancements and real-world examples of successful remote collaboration.
1. Interpersonal Relationships and Collaboration:
- These can be built and maintained remotely just as effectively as in-person, especially in a structured and intentional way. Many teams across the world successfully collaborate across different time zones and cultures without ever meeting in person.
- The assumption that in-person interaction automatically leads to better teamwork ignores that remote work can foster deep, asynchronous collaboration that allows for more thoughtful contributions rather than knee-jerk reactions in meetings.
2. Productivity and Focus:
- The idea that remote work is only suitable for "low-level grunt tasks" is completely false. Some of the most high-impact, complex work—such as software development, research, writing, and strategic planning—is often done best when people have uninterrupted focus time, something that's much harder to get in an open office environment.
- Offices are notorious for distractions—random conversations, impromptu meetings, and noise pollution. Remote work allows for deep work, which is critical for complex problem-solving.
3. Proximity and Communication:
- Modern tools (Slack, Miro, Notion, GitHub, Zoom, etc.) enable seamless collaboration without physical presence. The argument assumes that hallway chats and coffee breaks are *necessary* for innovation, but many people find them disruptive rather than productive.
- Companies like GitLab, Automattic, and Basecamp operate fully remotely, producing high-quality, complex work without needing a conference room filled with whiteboards.
4. The Myth of the Conference Room:
- While whiteboarding sessions can be valuable, they are not *inherently* better than virtual collaboration tools. Plenty of design and engineering discussions happen more effectively over tools like Miro, Figma, and Confluence.
- The claim that "Teams meetings don't come anywhere close" is just a subjective preference—some people find in-person meetings stifling and inefficient, while remote work allows for more structured and documented collaboration.
5. Work Is Not About Happy Hours:
- The mention of happy hours and coffee breaks as essential to work success conflates socialization with productivity. Sure, building camaraderie is nice, but forcing everyone into an office for that is outdated. There are plenty of ways to build team culture remotely.
Ultimately, remote work *is* different from in-office work, but it is not inherently less productive or valuable. Many companies thrive in remote-first environments, and people often produce their best work when given autonomy and flexibility. The argument against remote work is often rooted in power and control not the bussines needs
