Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, believes that in-office work is essential for effective management: "I don't know how you build great management virtually."

Google employees are returning to the office at least part-time after more than two years of remote work and multiple return-to-office delays, and ex-Google CEO and chairman Eric Schmidt is thrilled about it.

In Schmidt's view, it is crucial for these individuals to be present at the office, as he is a traditionalist and believes that the in-office approach has been proven effective for decades.

Google's hybrid work arrangement began on Monday, with most employees expected to be in the office at least three days a week. Schmidt, who served as Google's CEO from 2001 to 2011, helped transform the then-young Silicon Valley start-up into today's $1.9 trillion global tech behemoth and attributes much of that growth to in-office work.

Schmidt recalls spending decades discussing the importance of people being close, with conversations taking place at the coffee table and over coffee. Now, he wonders if all of that was misguided.

Schmidt argues that working together in person has practical implications, such as the difficulty of having conversations about professionalism, particularly in companies with a large number of young employees.

Schmidt recalls that when he first joined Google, the company was filled with college students who treated the workplace like a college environment. He would often remind them that this was a professional setting and their actions could be illegal, so they should stop.

Schmidt advises that younger employees, specifically those aged 25 to 35, can enhance their management skills by utilizing in-office settings. He suggests that they should focus on developing their meeting etiquette, presentation skills, workplace politics, and competition management, both internally and externally.

If you miss out on the age when they learn because you are sitting at home on the sofa while working, you won't be able to build great management, according to him.

Schmidt points out that some employees may have specialized roles that do not require much in-person communication, others may deeply dislike the office's social nature, and many may not be looking forward to reintroducing lengthy commutes into their schedules.

Schmidt argues that a significant shift towards remote work would deprive at least 30 to 40 years of workplace experience.

He argues that while there is substantial proof that humans are social beings, the current virtual tools do not replicate the informal networks that take place within a corporate setting.

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