This is obviously a topic that a lot of people have an opinion on, but in my mind both of what you're writing above are compatible with each other.
"Raw output" by which I mean things on the level of "code written/tickets resolved" probably scales pretty directly with undisturbed hours of work, which WFH isolation + no commute is great for. So I can see that type of productivity going up.
However there's a short term trap involved in that - since by optimizing for the above, you are neglecting the ability to get stuff done as an organization - ie benefit from everyone's insight, have things properly stress-tested and socialized, planning company-wide programs, etc.
The second bucket of things benefits from activities that hurt the first bucket (namely, in person meetings.)
Now, it's possible that most of the company is in role that are measured for #1 only, however #2 matters to the overall health of the company and long term excellence. So it may seem weird, if one is accountable for churning out tickets, that they are being asked to work in a way that's not optimized for that, but the answer may be - this enables other work to happen in the company which is required for your work to be meaningful.
"ability to get stuff done as an organization - ie benefit from everyone's insight, have things properly stress-tested and socialized, planning company-wide programs, etc."
Unless they're running a good ol boys network, I really dont see that as a valid concern. They certainly dont care about us lower people's insight and the important people socialize things virtually.
// Unless you eat lunch with senior leadership your in person socializing through meetings is meaningless and relationship can be fostered over slack.
Objectively not true. Say hi to someone at the coffee machine, chat, what do you do, etc - learn he's worked on something similar to what I am trying to do now - get some help.
If not for coffee-machine run-in, wouldn't know he exists, wouldn't know he's done that thing. Multiplied by a hundred micro-interactions like this a day.
Zoom/slack is less serendipitous, more planned. But if I don't know I need to meet you ahead of time, I won't.
100 times each day you are saying hi and finding out someone is working on the same project you are and now that you connected you can get help?
Would you be better off in support forums for your specific issue.. reading about how others solved similiar issues? or asking a collection of people around the world going through similiar problems?
Talking to a 100 people a day for 5 minutes would be 500 minutes a day. Hard to get any work in.
I don't believe that. When you are working with a group of people that you don't know very well, real face-to-face meetings work better. A lot of our communication is non-verbal. You lose that when you are using slack.
"Raw output" by which I mean things on the level of "code written/tickets resolved" probably scales pretty directly with undisturbed hours of work, which WFH isolation + no commute is great for. So I can see that type of productivity going up.
However there's a short term trap involved in that - since by optimizing for the above, you are neglecting the ability to get stuff done as an organization - ie benefit from everyone's insight, have things properly stress-tested and socialized, planning company-wide programs, etc.
The second bucket of things benefits from activities that hurt the first bucket (namely, in person meetings.)
Now, it's possible that most of the company is in role that are measured for #1 only, however #2 matters to the overall health of the company and long term excellence. So it may seem weird, if one is accountable for churning out tickets, that they are being asked to work in a way that's not optimized for that, but the answer may be - this enables other work to happen in the company which is required for your work to be meaningful.