“What’s bringing me joy is being in an office after 5 years of WFH,” shared a delighted B2B leader who just changed companies. “I missed being around people, and having the separation between work life and home life,” she added. Another Huddler chimed in, “I’m so jealous - I started dressing up for myself just to create a feeling of separation.” My mind rattled with questions.

Q: Will CMOs (and the companies they work for) be more successful going back to the office?

A: Yes.

Q: Do you have any statistical evidence to back up your supposition?

A: No.

Q: Then what makes you so sure that in-office companies will outperform 100% virtual companies?

A: Human nature.

Q: Can you be a little less pithy?

A: Certainly. Most humans do better when they are surrounded by others who share common goals, values, and experiences. Casual in-person “water cooler” conversations spread information faster and lead to the sharing of nascent ideas. It is easier to build accountability in person. It is easier to read the room when you’re in the room.

Q: Do you at least have “anecdata” to support your argument?

A: Sure. I was speaking to a partner at a big law firm and asked him about the development of their associates during the first two years of Covid. He said without blinking, “They are a full 2 years behind past associates. They missed hours of training they would have received just by being in the partner's office.”

Q: That’s a very specific situation. Can you broaden the aperture?

A: Sure. It is just easier to build a team that works in sync when they are physically together. Critical non-verbal feedback doesn’t come through Slack, email, or even Zoom.

Q: Wait, isn’t your company, CMO Huddles, 100% virtual?

A: Guilty as charged. We make it work, but I have no doubt we’d be even more effective if we were in an office together.

Q: Going back to the office is not the CMO's decision. Why are you even bringing this up?

A: You may have heard that CMOs change jobs often (perhaps more frequently than they’d like). I’m just saying that when considering your next opportunity, add “has an office” to your criteria. And not just because it suits you, but also because that company is likely to be more successful.

Q: This feels like retro advice, especially in the GenAI era. Does the proliferation of GenAI and agentic workflows change your opinion?

A: No. It enhances my argument. Famous futurist Alan Toffler projected that as our world becomes increasingly hi-tech, the need for hi-touch interactions also grows. Bots can’t build culture. And culture famously eats strategy (AI-enhanced or otherwise) for lunch.

Q: Isn’t hybrid a better solution?

A: Perhaps. The ? becomes how much face-to-face time the CMO gets with their boss, board, peers, and direct reports. If everyone is in the office on different days, it becomes quite challenging to meet regularly and build strong, productive relationships.

Q: It feels like you’re barking at the moon.

A: I’m a penguin. I don’t bark.

Written by Drew Neisser