"But, he said, in-office networking, like so-called "water-cooler conversations," can be a crucial part of career advancement. "Where's your bump in the hall where you say, 'Let's go have lunch or join us?' It's that human nature of knowing people and trusting them. So you have to be visible to do that. On the screen - Zoom or Teams, or whatever - it's not the same," Blair said."
"Recent data suggest men and women aren't returning to the office at the same rate. According to a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics survey released in June 2025, more men are returning to in-person work over women. That survey shows 34% of men worked remotely in 2023, but that number dropped to 29% in 2024. During the same time frame, the share of women working from home stayed largely the same at 36%."
The pandemic shifted many jobs toward remote and flexible schedules, changing norms around presence and networking. Employers increasingly accept flexible hours and locations, helping retain employees, while in-office interactions like spontaneous hallway or lunch invitations remain important for building trust and career advancement. Bureau of Labor Statistics data show men returned to in-person work at higher rates between 2023 and 2024, while women's remote-work share remained steady. Some women exited the workforce because of return-to-office mandates. One-size-fits-all management approaches can be ineffective. Elizabeth Lyons researches organizational economics and co-founded Amplisal to help companies design hybrid and remote work policies.
Read at KPBS Public Media
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