Over the past several years, employers are increasingly encouraging employees to return to the office, often citing the importance of collaboration, communication, and building stronger workplace relationships. But new research suggests that bringing employees back into the workplace doesn't necessarily mean they're spending more time working together.

An October 2026 report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Remote Work from the Office, reveals that employees are commuting to the office only to spend much of their day attending virtual meetings, communicating through messaging platforms, and working independently, often without seeing the colleagues they came to work alongside.

The researchers describe this as "remote work from the office," and their findings raise important questions about how employers approach return-to-office policies.

The Office Isn't Always Bringing Employees Together

The study, conducted by researchers Natalia Emanuel and Emma Harrington, surveyed 1,835 college-educated American workers in September 2026. The findings suggest that physical attendance and meaningful in-person interaction are increasingly two different things.

On their most recent day in the office:

• 70.6% had at least one teammate who wasn't in the office.
• 48.8% had no fully in-person meetings.
• 37% attended at least one virtual meeting even though all participants were in the same office.
• 15.1% had no casual face-to-face conversations with anyone.

These findings highlight a disconnect between the goals of return-to-office policies and what employees actually experience once they arrive.

For an employee who spends an hour commuting to work only to participate in the same video calls they could have joined from home, the value of being physically present seems pointless.

The study identified several factors contributing to the rise of remote work within traditional office settings:

Organizational Sprawl – As companies have expanded their geographic reach and hired employees in different locations, many teams are no longer based in a single office. Even when everyone follows the company's attendance requirements, colleagues may still be separated by hundreds of miles.

The study found that 37% of surveyed workers with teams of 15 or fewer had at least one teammate who was fully remote or assigned to another office.

Lack of Coordination – Another factor is the lack of coordination around in-office schedules. Employees may be required to work onsite several days a week but allowed to choose which days they come in. As a result, teammates can end up commuting on entirely different days, limiting opportunities for face-to-face interaction.

Technology – Video meetings and digital messaging have become so routine that employees sometimes continue using them even when their coworkers are just down the hall. In fact, 45% of respondents reported that their organizations followed a practice the researchers called "One Zoom, All Zoom," meaning that when one participant joins remotely, the entire meeting moves online.

What Does This Mean for Employers?

The findings challenge employers to think more carefully about what they hope to accomplish by bringing employees together.

If the goal is stronger collaboration, mentoring, relationship-building, and knowledge sharing, simply requiring employees to be onsite may not be enough.

HR professionals and organizational leaders should consider how their return-to-office policies support those objectives. Some helpful tips include:

• Coordinate in-office schedules. Rather than allowing employees to choose their office days independently, consider establishing shared days for teams that regularly collaborate. This can create more opportunities for meaningful interaction.
• Make in-person time purposeful. Team meetings, brainstorming sessions, mentoring conversations, and collaborative projects may provide greater value when employees can participate face-to-face. Independent work may not always require the same physical presence.
• Evaluate how meetings are conducted. When everyone is onsite, encourage teams to consider whether meeting in person would be more effective than joining another video call. At the same time, ensure remote participants can contribute fully.
• Ask employees about their experiences. Attendance data can show how often employees come into the office, but it doesn't reveal whether they're connecting with colleagues. Employee feedback can help identify opportunities to make onsite time more valuable.
• Recognize that one approach may not work for every team. Organizations with geographically dispersed employees may need different strategies than those whose teams work primarily from one location.

As organizations continue evaluating remote, hybrid, and onsite arrangements, the research offers an important reminder that bringing employees into the same building is only part of the equation. Employers also need to create opportunities for employees to work together, share ideas, and build relationships that make their time in the office worthwhile.

ASE Connect
ASE has added a new training course in 2027 - Management Essentials for Remote and Hybrid Teams. This new course will explore practical strategies for managing remote and hybrid teams, including setting expectations, improving communication, leveraging technology, managing projects and performance, and fostering employee engagement. Through real-world examples and hands-on exercises, participants will identify common challenges and develop actionable solutions they can apply within their organizations. View 2027 dates and times here.

Source: Emanuel, Natalia, and Emma Harrington. Remote Work from the Office. Federal Reserve Bank of New York Staff Reports, No. 1211, October 2026.