Welcome to the LSE IQ podcast, where we ask social scientists and other experts to answer one intelligent question.
I'm Joanna Bale from the IQ team.
We work with academics to tell you about their latest research and ideas.
This month, we're asking, has COVID killed the office?
We're going to hear from one academic who says that those who work remotely tend to work much harder.
Another who says
that remote working can amplify our negative thought processes and a third who reveals her vision for the fourth industrial revolution.
But first, I spoke to Haley Griffiths, head of public relations at Buffer, a leading social media management company.
Her 84 colleagues are based in 15 countries around the world and work remotely,
only meeting in person once or twice a year.
Their way of working was established well before COVID forced many of us to desert our offices and work from home.
But could it be the future for many more of us?
In normal times, when it is safe and easy for everyone to be able to meet together,
ideally you will see your immediate team twice a year.
So for me,
I would see the marketing team once a year and then I would see the whole company including the marketing team another time for a year.
So ideally twice a year, you would see each other in person.
Haley was talking to me over Zoom from her home in Charlottesville, Virginia.
I asked her to explain more about how she connects with colleagues she rarely meets in person.
So we generally have a full week together and at first we're really focused on meeting each other,