Take the long view

In the long run, most knowledge-work will be location and time independent

Most people agree that the world of work has changed since the pandemic. Very few people want to go back to the office full time. Of course, employers are trying to arm twist employees into coming back to the office, but I’d like to wager that this will continue only till the end of the recession. Once the economy bounces back and the war for talent starts again, top talent will demand the flexibility to work from anywhere. 

“There are two kinds of companies. One is going to embrace work-from-anywhere, and the second is in denial - I feel those companies will lose their workforce. You have to make a choice, as a leader, what company you want to lead.” - Prof Raj Choudhury.

Prof Choudhury says that in a few years the distinction of remote work will cease to exist. It’ll be just “work”. The world will change, eventually. You need to take a decisive stand and make sure that you don’t end up a laggard. 

The reason I mention this about culture, is that async agile works best with a remote-first approach. It’s tough, though not impossible, to be asynchronous when you’re regularly in the office with your colleagues. Instead of writing up a thoughtful document, people can just tap each other on the shoulder. Getting an immediate response seems to trigger a dopamine hit we just can’t resist. The notion of flexibility disappears and I daresay the environment undermines the need for asynchronous work.