What companies have learned about in-person time when work is flexible

Leveraging original case studies conducted with Allstate and Zillow as well as research from Atlassian, BCG, Microsoft and others, this column summarizes how companies are adapting to flexible work arrangements by strategically investing in in-person team connection. It highlights successful strategies, emphasizing regular, planned quarterly gatherings and smaller, targeted in-person events as key to boosting employee engagement and satisfaction, even with largely distributed teams. Continuous experimentation and improvement and the cost savings from reduced office space and return on investment in fostering team cohesion are both demonstrated. Successful flexible work models require deliberate investments in building and maintaining in-person connections, rather than assuming that remote work eliminates the need for them.