Remote Work: Great, But Not Perfect
And why so many companies mandate RTO
Running a fully remote company is an incredible experience, and I say this as someone who’s been working remotely for the past 15 years and managing a remote-first company, Mergify, for the last five. Yet, after a week of in-person collaboration with my team in Toulouse, I feel compelled to reflect on what makes remote work great—and where it falls short.
Let me start by saying this: remote work is fantastic, but it’s not perfect. It’s a trade-off. Depending on your company’s stage, your team’s roles, and the challenges you’re facing, the choice between remote, hybrid, or in-office work can make all the difference.
What Makes Remote Work Amazing
The benefits of remote work are undeniable:
Focus and Efficiency: Remote work allows individuals to dive deep into their tasks without the distractions of an open office.
Work-Life Balance: Cutting out commutes and office hours lets people design their schedules in ways that suit them best.
Access to Global Talent: A remote model lets you hire the best person for the job, no matter where they are. At Mergify, this has been invaluable.
Flexibility and Autonomy: Remote work naturally fosters a culture of trust, where people take ownership of their time and deliverables.
But here’s the catch: communication in remote work isn’t as fluid as in-office communication.
Why In-Office Communication is Superior
Face-to-face communication is powerful in ways that virtual communication simply can’t replicate. It’s not just about words—it’s about body language, energy, and subtle nonverbal cues that humans naturally pick up when we’re in the same room.
When you’re remote, everything has a higher latency. Sure, you can make video calls, send Slack messages, and send emails, but it’s like having a conversation with poor reception. You’ll get your message across, but it’s less fluid and often lacks the nuances that make communication easy and productive.
Now, this might not be a problem, depending on where you work.
For startups, this trade-off is especially magnified. When you’re building something new and need constant alignment, the lack of spontaneous coffee chats and hallway conversations slows you down. Good ideas often spark from casual interactions—something much harder to replicate remotely.
The rollercoaster, that a startup is, requires sharing the energy and adrenaline that you get from awesome news and the comfort that everyone needs when some cloudy day happens. But it’s hard to get the vibe from your coworkers when they are far away. The connection is more difficult to make and maintain.
The Remote vs. Office Matrix
Consequently, the choice between remote and office work isn’t one-size-fits-all; it’s a matrix of role and company size:
Large Companies: For individual contributors, remote work can be as effective as being in the office. In large organizations, communication often requires structure anyway, and remote tools can handle most of this. However, for managers in these settings, the lack of face-to-face interaction can make it harder to truly understand what’s going on in their teams.
Startups: For smaller companies and startups, where speed, creativity, and alignment are critical, remote work becomes trickier. It’s harder to maintain momentum and cohesion when everyone is isolated. Founders and managers need to be proactive, creating systems for communication and connection that compensate for the lack of in-person collaboration.
Of course, it’s an oversimplification, and it requires nuance, but you get the gist.
The matrix also applies to roles:
Individual contributors, particularly in large companies, the need to be physically present in an office can feel unnecessary. Their work often revolves around tasks that require focus rather than constant communication or managing teams. Sitting behind a desk all day in an office doesn’t necessarily enhance their productivity or add value to their contributions.
On the other hand, managers, especially in startups, face unique challenges with remote setups. Their roles demand frequent interaction, gauging team dynamics, and fostering collaboration. Without the ability to observe non-verbal cues or engage in casual, spontaneous conversations, understanding the team’s morale and addressing issues proactively becomes significantly harder.
The same goes for seniority:
Junior employees typically require more hands-on management, regular feedback, and frequent check-ins. Without the autonomy or experience to navigate challenges independently, they benefit greatly from close guidance and structured oversight.
In contrast, senior employees tend to be highly autonomous. They often need minimal direction, excelling at managing their own work and making decisions. They are comfortable raising issues or seeking input when needed, allowing them to operate effectively with little interaction from their managers.
This is one of the reasons there has been so much vociferation against Return to Office (RTO) mandates promulgated in recent years, especially in larger companies and amongst senior individual contributors.
The Mergify Experience: Remote, But Not Alone
At Mergify, we’ve been fully remote from the start, and we’re committed to staying that way. But we know it’s not without challenges. Here’s how we’ve managed the trade-offs:
Intentional Connection: We schedule regular virtual coffee breaks to foster camaraderie and maintain a sense of community.
Quarterly On-Sites: Every few months, we bring the team together in person. Our recent week in Toulouse was a reminder of how valuable these moments are—not just for productivity but for bonding as a team. Sharing meals, brainstorming in person, and simply spending time together are irreplaceable experiences. Nothing beats your team being yelled at by the game master of an escape game for having hacked your way around the solution, in true startup spirit. 😅
Focus on Proactivity: Remote work requires deliberate communication. Everyone on the team needs to take the initiative to keep each other informed and aligned.
Hiring for Autonomy: A remote model of self-motivated, independent individuals who excel without constant oversight. Building a team with these traits has been crucial for our success. Not everyone is made for remote work.
RTO and the Future of Work
The current trend of companies mandating a Return to Office reflects the challenges of remote work—particularly for management. It’s easier to see what’s happening, build trust, and foster collaboration in person. Yet, for many roles and organizations, remote work remains a superior option.
The reality is that no single model is perfect. For some, the trade-offs of remote work are worth it. For others, the benefits of in-office collaboration outweigh the flexibility of remote setups. What matters most is that companies recognize these trade-offs and build systems that suit their unique needs
Remote work is here to stay, but it’s not a panacea. It’s a trade-off between flexibility and connection, efficiency and spontaneity. At Mergify, we’ve embraced remote work with open eyes—recognizing its strengths while finding ways to address its weaknesses. Whether remote, hybrid, or in-office, the key is to adapt, experiment, and keep evolving.
What’s your take on the remote vs. office debate? Let me know in the comments or reach out—I’d love to hear how others are navigating this shift.