Remote vs. return-to-office: Why purpose beats location in a big-company world🧭

Somewhere between the “Zoom forever” era and the recent wave of return-to-office memos, a lot of remote workers—myself included—started asking the same question:

“Does where I work matter more than why I work?”

And let’s be real: when you work for a large company, the pressure to show up in person—physically and politically—can be intense. But after years of doing meaningful work from both the kitchen table and the corporate cubicle, I’ve come to believe one thing:

Purpose > Place. Always.

🏢 The illusion of visibility

A big reason leaders want people back in the office is visibility—the idea that physical presence equals productivity, alignment, and contribution.

But here’s the catch: just because someone’s in the building doesn’t mean their work matters. And just because someone’s remote doesn’t mean they’re disconnected.

Showing up for a purpose—whether that’s a project, a customer, a milestone, or a team outcome—will always beat showing up just for the sake of it.

---

🧠 What your manager (probably) really wants

In most big companies, your manager isn’t tracking how many steps you took to get to the office. They’re tracking:

• Are you adding value?
• Are you aligned with what matters?
• Are you visible in the right ways?
• Are you making life easier for the people around you?

You can hit all of those whether you’re on the 27th floor or the second stool at your favorite café.

---

🧩 My approach: lead with outcomes, not attendance

Here’s what I do to keep purpose front and center:

• Start the week with intention: I align my calendar to the 1–2 highest impact priorities first
• Make results visible: I don’t just do the work—I also show the work (in updates, summaries, wins)
• Use office time intentionally: When I go in, I focus on what’s better in person: 1:1s, workshops, strategy sessions
• Push back respectfully: If a request to “come in more” feels performative, I ask: “What would success look like for this?” Nine times out of ten, it’s not actually about presence—it’s about clarity.

---

🔮 The future isn’t remote vs. office — it’s purpose-aligned work

The companies that will thrive in the long run? They’re not just asking where we work. They’re asking:

• What work actually matters?
• What drives customer impact?
• What helps people do their best work sustainably?

The truth is: a soulless day in the office feels worse than a focused day at home. And employees know it.

---

💡Purpose gives your work power

Whether you’re fully remote, hybrid, or back in the building more than you’d like—your location doesn’t define your value.

Purpose gives your work power. And the more you align your actions to that, the less it matters where your chair is.

(Though let’s be honest—my chair at home is way more comfortable.)