Originally published on Welcome to the Jungle.
There’s no shortage of perks when it comes to remote working—cut the commute, more time for yourself, the privilege of working from anywhere … maybe even in your pajamas. But as more and more people return to the office, young workers in fully remote arrangements are feeling the FOMO. Strong bonds with colleagues seem more difficult to form out of Zoom calls or Slack chats, and some worry that those who are in the office are able to collaborate and progress in ways that aren’t possible from their living rooms. While remote working may offer a better feeling of work-life balance, thoughtful consideration is needed from employers when it comes to creating connections between team members and fostering growth.
Gen Z, largely childless and with their whole careers (and lives) ahead of them, are more likely than any other generation to be craving the office. And it’s no surprise—after beginning their careers during the pandemic, many have missed out on a huge chunk of in-person interaction. Nearly half of them said office working increases their quality of life, and millennials are not far behind them at 30%, followed by only 16% of baby boomers according to a survey by consulting firm Big Chalk. Nick Huges, who has worked remotely as a content editor since 2019, says he feels the social impact. “I definitely do think I’m missing out by working from home. Finding people to start friendships with in your 30s is not easy, and your workplace is a natural place for that to happen. It complicates things without having that.” That begs the question: what can we do to allow young people to thrive socially and collaborate professionally while working from their living rooms?
Impact on collaboration and connection
Remote work lessens the opportunity for collaboration. According to a study by Nature Human Behaviour that analyzed Microsoft employees working remotely throughout the pandemic, employees were 25% less likely to collaborate in groups than when they were in the office. It also found workers to be more siloed and less interconnected. That has taken its toll on digital natives Gen Z. Having grown up in a tech-driven world and starting their careers during the pandemic, young employees are less likely to have the opportunity to develop their interpersonal skills in the workplace. The Ottawa Business Journal found that 53% of managers report a lack of in-person communication skills among younger workers. This is not good news for productivity, as McKinsey reports, productivity boosts by 25% when workers feel connected and aligned with each other.
Lisa Weber, Vice President of HR at HSP Group, a remote-first company, responded to this issue by creating avenues for employees to connect on a personal level online. “We created something called an HSP social media, which allows individuals to talk socially with each other, whether someone had a baby or a grandchild or got married or went on a trip, it creates a space to be able to talk with each other on a more personal level,” she says. “We also have a group called our Employee Engagement Committee. It’s a cross-section across all of HSP, anybody can join and be part of the group. The main goal is to promote meaningful employee engagement across all levels of the company. We want the group to be a space where people can come and bring their ideas and initiatives and strategies and really help us to improve collaboration and ensure everybody stays and feels connected to our mission and values.”
While younger workers’ interpersonal skills may have suffered due to a lack of in-person interactions during the early days of their careers during the pandemic, they are better equipped to overcome that hurdle than they get credit for. Having grown up with technology, they are more capable of seizing opportunities to create connections online. Hughes says he feels better equipped to create friendships online because of his upbringing as a digital native. “I’m 33 now, but when I was 15 and we first got broadband, I started making friends on Windows Live Messenger with whom I had shared interests. Communicating through text chat has been second nature to me for a very long time. So I think that has probably made it easier for me now to find validity in those kinds of relationships.’
A camera-on culture is another key way of creating comradery and keeping engagement high, says Weber. She’s backed up by a survey from KornFerry, with 60% of respondents saying having the camera on increases engagement and three quarters saying it increases productivity. Research shows that being able to see someone’s facial expressions and body language helps people understand each other better and pick up on things that may be missed in voice-only communication. Seeing each other helps foster trust, and improve communication.
Missing opportunities, and finding them
With connection, collaboration, and growth comes the ever-important promotion. And those are harder to come by when you are working off your laptop. Studies by the Wall Street Journal found that people working from home experienced a 31% lower rate of promotions and received less mentoring than their colleagues in the office. This is particularly impactful for junior staff who don’t already have established relationships with leadership.
Weber has a workaround for this. She says that her company invests time monthly in creating opportunities for staff to connect with upper management through coffee chats. “The coffee talks are with members of our executive committee. It’s open for anybody to sign up to have meaningful discussions and ask questions. Normally people don’t have many opportunities to get in front of a CEO, but we have a half-hour session that we take for people to meet and connect.”
For companies that do have physical offices, hiring junior staff in those areas can help them thrive and bypass some of the pitfalls of being fully remote. When possible, Weber also says that her company tends to try to hire junior staff in cities where they have offices to give them the option of a hybrid working arrangement. “We’re mindful of the fact that when you’re hiring somebody right out of college, it is difficult to be fully remote. So we try to make sure to create that hybrid opportunity.”
Remote work is a trade-off
Ultimately, remote work is a balance between freedom and the challenges it presents. Yes, working from home brings flexibility and autonomy—allowing you to set your own pace, skip the commute, and work from anywhere. But it also requires some trade-offs. Without the natural connections that happen in an office, you may have to be more intentional about building relationships, staying visible, and ensuring your work gets recognized.
The reality is that remote work is about choosing the kind of work-life balance that best fits your priorities. If flexibility and independence are most important to you, remote work offers a lot. But if you value daily in-person interaction and rapid career advancement, seeking hybrid opportunities or using extra strategies to stay connected could be essential.
Understanding these trade-offs can help you make conscious choices about how and where you work, so you get the most out of your career without sacrificing the things that matter to you. At the end of the day, knowing what you gain—and what you might miss—can help you shape a work life that truly fits.
