The post work drink in my 20s involved walking along the corridor to the bar.  Such was the extravagance of the advertising world that many agencies had in-house pubs where the line between work and life was drawn and friendships formed, many lasting a lifetime.

We dutifully turned up to the office, 5 days a week, because there was no alternative.  There was the occasional day working from home if you needed a quiet place to think.  Those days felt special. A privilege.  But it was the daily working in the office that shaped my ability to do my job well.  Learning from those around me.  Especially those who had been working for longer.

I feel for anyone in the early stage of their working life.  Chances are that they will be working from home more often than alongside colleagues in an office.  Yes remote and hybrid work gets rid of the  commute, and the ever ridiculous price tag that accompanies it, and gives more flexibility to manage daily life, but I fear that you lose more than you gain.

A recent survey found that young adults are increasingly looking for traditional office jobs to counter the social isolation of working from home.  Those who started their careers during Covid lockdowns, or who have little experience of working in an office environment, are missing out on the social interaction and opportunity to learn from those much further into their careers.

If you’ve worked for 20+ years in an office then you will know the benefits that this brings.  The more obvious are the spontaneous and informal learning opportunities, where the less experienced can observe and learn from their more seasoned colleagues.  Individuals who’ve been working long enough to know how to ‘read the room’ (not the screen) which is essential for leadership.

But there’s also the feeling of connection, of being part of a community, the opportunity to build relationships.   Culture is hard to build remotely or infrequently.

Truth is that you don’t know what you don’t know. Our knowledge is limited by what we’ve been taught and experienced.

If you want to laugh more, have more fun, then spend more time in the office.  It good for your career, but more importantly it’s good for the soul.