[matt321]

In 3 years almost of working with some remote people, I can say for sure that remote workers are less productive than in person workers, but only in the sense that all the in person people collaborate better together. I regularly run into the mechanical engineers at my office and we bounce ideas for a new product while standing at the coffee machine and then we make it together over a few weekends and get a big bonus and the company wins big with the product!

This stuff you cant do with remote workers. When the boss needs help on testing the app, he talks to me instead of the guy who made it since I am just one desk over and its easier to work together than schedule a meeting and all that. He just let the remote guy go and gave me the project.

I doubt that remote work will really take off. I barely even know the remote workers since all our interactions are 100% focused on the job. I cant build trust with them because I just don't know them. They are just a talking head in a window on my computer.

[UmYeahNo]

It's hybrid that probably doesn't work -- It's a culture thing. I worked in a 100% remote company for 8 years, and we had all those same collaborative experiences, they were just shaped a bit differently. But, I don't think I ever heard anyone say "Darn, I wish we all commuted to an office so we could chat in the hallway!" the whole time I worked there.

I think it worked because it was 100% remote from CEO to hourly customer support. My experience is that it's the hybrid scenarios when remote people get edged out.