The office is still important for professional communicators

Video calls, fully remote teams and the end of business travel—is this the new standard for the professional business world?

Thanks to advances in technology, companies have been able to withstand many of the impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic by pivoting to short-term mitigation strategies, like full-time remote work. While many of these strategies prove to have benefits, the campaign against the physical office is in full swing. While not a repudiation of remote work, here are three reasons to build a case on the importance of the office for communicators:

1. Communication is easier in-person.

“You’re on mute” might be in the running for “Most Used Phrase of 2020.”

Let’s face it: Humans are uniquely designed to communicate with other humans. In fact, a HBR study found that “face-to-face requests were 34 times more effective at getting completed than emailed ones.”

2. Team camaraderie is important—and easier to build in-person.