Not the OP but chiming in as someone who has worked remote almost exclusively since 2015.
In my opinion that's the crux of this debate: social needs vs social remedies.
If you have high social needs but don't have a strong personal social network, then an office is a great remedy. It solves the problem for you by default.
Remote only seems to work for the inverse. Lower social needs, or a strong social network outside of work, or some mix of the two.
I'm fairly extroverted (as far as engineers go) and I'm grateful to have a social network I've cultivated personally. So remote has fit well for me. I can get my work done to a high standard without the obligation, then turn around and spend purposeful time with friends and family.
It's perfect for me, but not for everybody, and you can see that in the comments here.
What remote really did was expose how many people were relying on office culture to meet their social needs. That's not a bad thing. It just surfaced something that went under-noticed for a long time.
alt Hacker News
Not the OP but chiming in as someone who has worked remote almost exclusively since 2015.
In my opinion that's the crux of this debate: social needs vs social remedies.
If you have high social needs but don't have a strong personal social network, then an office is a great remedy. It solves the problem for you by default.
Remote only seems to work for the inverse. Lower social needs, or a strong social network outside of work, or some mix of the two.
I'm fairly extroverted (as far as engineers go) and I'm grateful to have a social network I've cultivated personally. So remote has fit well for me. I can get my work done to a high standard without the obligation, then turn around and spend purposeful time with friends and family.
It's perfect for me, but not for everybody, and you can see that in the comments here.
What remote really did was expose how many people were relying on office culture to meet their social needs. That's not a bad thing. It just surfaced something that went under-noticed for a long time.