I understand why offices exist.

I understand that some jobs require people to be physically present. I understand that teams sometimes work better when everyone is in the same room.

What I don’t understand is why so many companies seem determined to bring people back to the office five days a week when the job can clearly be done from home.

We already proved that it can.

For years, millions of Americans worked from kitchens, bedrooms and home offices. Meetings continued. Emails were answered. Projects were completed. Companies survived.

Some even had record years.

And now we’re being told that sitting in traffic again is somehow necessary for productivity.

I’m not convinced.

When I work from home, I don’t spend an hour commuting in the morning and another hour coming back.

That’s ten hours a week.

Think about that.

Ten hours.

That’s more than an entire workday spent sitting in a car just so I can open the same laptop at a different desk.

At home, I can start my day without already being frustrated by traffic. I can make my own lunch. I can concentrate without someone having a conversation three feet away from me.

And yes, sometimes I can throw a load of laundry into the washing machine during lunch.

Apparently, that’s supposed to be evidence that remote workers aren’t working.

But nobody talks about what happens in an office.

Coffee breaks.

Walking around.

Talking about last night’s game.

Standing in someone’s office for twenty minutes discussing absolutely nothing related to work.

People waste time everywhere.

The difference is that when you’re sitting inside an office building, wasting time somehow looks more professional.

I don’t want offices to disappear.

There are days when meeting in person makes sense. There are projects that are easier when everyone is together. New employees probably benefit from spending time around experienced coworkers.

That’s why hybrid work makes sense to me.

Come in when there’s a reason to come in.

But making someone drive 30 miles just to sit at a desk, put on headphones and join a Zoom meeting with coworkers in three other cities?

That’s not collaboration.

That’s attendance.

Maybe companies need to stop asking where employees are sitting and start asking a much simpler question:

Are they doing their jobs?

If the answer is yes, I’m not sure why the chair they’re sitting in matters so much.