by Kate Lewis for fluxo
Back in 2020, remote work appeared to be a quick fix for teams and companies right at the start of the covid lockdown. It was new, it was weird, it was funny.
It stuck around, though, once the lockdown was lifted. And it continued once masks were no longer mandatory. And, though there were a few pushes to get back into the office at various points through the last few years, it has established itself as something that will probably, in some capacity, never go away.
Now, in 2025, there are fully remote companies. And there are teams that are scattered across the country, with some members fully remote and others living in the same city, able to see each other and work together in person as they please. But most common are the hybrid structures—the companies that require all employees to live close enough to be in-office a few days a week, but not all five.
The hybrid work structure is the sweet spot. You give your employees one or a few days to enjoy the work-from-home lifestyle, the freedom, time, and autonomy it provides. But then you still get the in-person energy, impact, and connection.
Even though I enjoy working from home, I think that in-person aspect is still so important. For the work, sure, but also for people’s mental health. It’s refreshing, after a day or two at home, to go into the office and get to talk to your coworkers, whether it’s about a project you’re working on, or just about your weekend, life, etc.
And working from home doesn’t have to literally mean your home. On your remote days you could go to a spot in your neighborhood (love those third places) with your laptop and get some work done. You could meet up with your coworkers, or even your friends, who are also working remotely that day.
The thing is, remote work doesn’t have to be isolating. That’s how much of society views it because it absolutely has been for the last few years. But that’s because we don’t yet have the structure in place to make it easy to be social while you work from home. And social doesn’t have to mean distracting—it can be productive and energy-inducing, like how working in an office amongst your coworkers can be (not always, but sometimes).
Let’s meet each other for work on our remote days, and make the most of that work-from-home freedom.
