I entered the workforce at a weird time, so I don’t have an extensive memory of what it was like to work onsite every day. 

My first full-time job started in 2021, just after the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic was starting to subside. The trains were empty, the vaccine was new and face masks were the hottest fashion item in the world. 

When I started at Anat Gerstein Inc., everyone was on a “hybrid schedule,” but no one came into the office unless they needed to grab something from the office, and people rarely stayed for the whole day. I started my new job from my dining room table and was limited to only digital interactions with my colleagues. I didn’t meet them in person until I had been working at the company for three months. I believe this led to a hard adjustment period, which was reflected in the quality of my work. I was missing small details and scared to reach out for help because I didn’t think my issues could be properly addressed over a video call.

I felt alone, but I wasn’t in my generation. According to a recent study by Gallup Research, only 23% of Gen Z workers in the age bracket prefer “exclusively remote” work compared with 35% of respondents spanning all other generations. 

I was able to turn my situation around by making a concerted effort to go into the office more, and as other people began to come in more regularly, the in-office work environment began to be more productive and something I looked forward to. I got to know more about my colleagues’ lives, their personalities and work habits, which helped me learn how to work better together as a team. I could also turn around,  ask a question and discuss it, rather than having to send an email and wait for a response. I flourished when I was able to spend time with my coworkers in the office.

I took this knowledge and experience with me to Momentum and was happy to see that a hybrid schedule with an emphasis on in-person days was already a core part of the workplace culture. We work in communications, so there should be extra emphasis on us being able to talk with each other and face-to-face communications is still the best way to do so. In my two years here, the added in-person time I’ve spent with my colleagues has been invaluable. These include the weekly staff meetings that help me get a better understanding of my colleagues and the state of our clients, and the brainstorming sessions that have produced several great story ideas, most notably the idea for what would eventually become a big GMA3 story for Great Jobs KC. 

Still, I’m not advocating for a permanent return to the office five days a week. Working from home does have its advantages. I enjoy waking up for my 9-5 at 8:30 and being able to lay in my bed during my lunch break. I feel like it goes a long way into making me a productive employee. But the happy medium is what works, and we should not take these in-person days for granted. Some days it pays to come into the office and connect with the people in your workplace.