Every week, I see a new headline about return-to-work policies and the benefits of working in an office. Maybe it’s my algorithm, but it seems like a lot of big organizations have suddenly decided to head back to the office “or else.” What bothers me about these return-to-office headlines is the “or else” part. If you don’t comply, you’re fired. 

Their PR teams put it far more gently than I just did. They say things like “transitional periods” and “evolution of the business” to describe this sudden shift. They also don’t mention the part about making record profits when people worked from home while still laying people off. 

While I hate the idea of returning to work and the bullshit way of burying the lead that they’re just trying to make money—I do think there are some benefits of working in an office. It’s just not the “collaboration” that they oversell and under-deliver on with all these useless policies. 

The Bottom Line Benefit of Being in the Office: A Network 

For junior and mid-level careers, I think working at a company with an in-office policy has value. I know. I can’t believe I’m saying it, either. Can you do this without going into an office? Sure. I’m not going to give you absolutely bullshit.

This is where most articles will try to incentivize you with some random percentage of jobs filled through networking. Typically, it is a number between 70% and 85%. Reality check: That number isn’t real. How do I know? Well, it’s next to impossible to calculate in the first place. People don’t report the source of hire accurately. But here’s what I know from my own career. When I was looking for a job, the most influential call was always to someone I worked with before. 

More than half of the seven roles I held before starting Three Ears Media were from people I knew. People I met in real life and built a relationship with. People from different departments that I likely would never have met had I worked in a remote environment. Now, are there downsides too? Yes. The traditional model of working onsite in an office environment comes with a lot of drawbacks. But knowing who to call when you need to get hired is a big pro.

Don’t Be Afraid to Make the Connections

Don’t just take the job and expect people to be networking contacts. You don’t get the benefits of working in an office just because you show up. Oh, and please don’t contact strangers to ask if they will refer you. That doesn’t work, either. 

Here’s what I would do to make the most of an in-office policy and build my network if I were early in my career. 

• Talk to strangers. Sorry, but that’s generally how you make friends at work. We see each other so often that it gets weird that we don’t know each other’s names yet. Say hi. Tell them they look nice. Ask what they do and who they work for. Especially when you work in recruiting, this is an important relationship builder. You never know which hiring manager you’ll work with next. 
• Speak up in meetings. Ask questions. Research shows that highly effective communicators tend to ask 10 to 20 times as many questions as everyone else. Source. Curiosity will get you noticed and help you connect with them. 
• Connect before every meeting. This goes for everyone, whether you work in an office or not. The day before each meeting, connect on LinkedIn with the people you are going to meet the next day. Say, “Looking forward to meeting you tomorrow,” and ask to connect. No more in-depth than that. Build relationships digitally. 
• Go to the social stuff. I hate myself a little for giving this advice but look. Even if you stand with the other people who begrudgingly decided to attend, you can make friends over mutual hatred. Go to the family event. Go to the happy hour. 

I can almost assure you it will pay off later in your career when going into an office sounds like the worst thing in the world to go to one now. It pays off in choices and access to people who influence hiring. In fact, in most cases when I was referred—the interview process was shorter and more direct. 

Use the office to your advantage if you’re stuck going to one. Hell, maybe even seek one out if you’re looking for a safety network to help with transitions throughout your career.

Read More:

• Remote Company Culture Building In A Crisis
• Return To Work: What Do You Say When Work From Home Is Over?
• Why Aren’t Entrepreneurs Creating The Future of (Office) Work?

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