Bonding

I dislike the company-wide “come to the office” mandates — the secret location tracking, the soft threats of lost bonuses.

But I also know that showing up matters. Culture and cohesion grow from time spent together.

In my last team, I “enforced” one in-office day a week. Not with rules, but with a simple “I expect it from you”. Being there was part of who we were — how we showed up for each other.

All 1-1s were in person. So were the key brainstorms. We had lunch together — easier to commit to than a dinner. Coffee catch-ups filled the gaps. Sometimes, breakfast just happened.

Did it have to be this way? Maybe not. You can create culture remotely, too. What matters is finding ways to meet face-to-face — to look each other in the eye, to talk beyond work. Those low-stakes moments, over a sandwich, a joke, a complaint, are where trust forms.