"So, are we coming back to the office?"
Do we still listen to the radio even though we could watch TV? Yes.
Do we still email colleagues when slack rolled out? Yes.
Will we still go to the office even though we can work from home? Yes
"So, are we coming back to the office?" Yes. But as a tool, not as a rule...
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Second by second, day by day, no one at TravelPerk has ever dictated which work tool you need to use. Every tool you log into in the morning has its advantages and disadvantages. After some coaching, and plenty of practice, you know which tool is best suited to the task you need to get done.
That's not the same for the tool we call "the office". We were an office-based company, so most of us thought of the office as a de facto place of work rather than a tool. We've never had to think about how best to use an office before. And we're not alone in that! But right now, literally, Right. Now. is TKs chance to assess what The Office work tool is most useful for. We get to decide what the most expensive of work tools is most useful for. Not accidentally useful for. Or historically used for. But actually useful for .
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With our newfound physical freedom, we intend to make the most of the flexibility. Physical freedom that's advantageous for TK, its teams, and its people.
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So what is the office useful for?
It's clear from our own experience over the years, as well as plenty of scientific studies, that coming together builds trust more deeply and more quickly than remote work. It also creates an incredible sense of belonging. A sense that as a tribe, we are all pulling in the same direction toward something important.
Coming together is useful for speed.
We're a startup, so speed really matters. It's a critical advantage of any start-up and we're no exception. It has to be an advantage we maintain for years and years and years to come if we are to fulfil our goal of a million happy travellers a day. If we get slow. If we lose focus. We will be killed by the much slower, but much bigger, competitors.
Coming together in person is the quickest way to build trust. It's been proven over and over again. Meeting in real life in the office to connect with teammates will help you build and maintain trust. Not just trust that they are competent in their job, but trust that they know you and will have your back when things get tough.
How long would a jazz band take to play something amazing if they did it async? A day? A month? Ever? More often than not, we’re creating something new together. And frequently we’re a new team that’s come together to do it. Chances are meeting in person is a quicker way to make that sweet music.
Coming together is useful for belonging, and belonging is useful for....well, life.
I don't know a single person that has felt closer to their family and friends having had 18 months of being physically apart.
Sure, TK isn't a place where you have to love the job you do. Nor is it a place where you have to love the people you do it with. Nor is it even a place where you have to love what we're trying to achieve.
But isn't it better when you do?