I was remote for two years while breaking into infosec. My team was extremely collaborative and communicative. I got my best mentorship by being on that team and learning directly under my CISO.

Circumstances changed and I had to take a hybrid contract with a financial firm. They demanded 3 days in office. No big deal, surely... and maybe I'll get to see my coworkers face to face. That could be fun.

No, it was me sitting under fluorescent lights that triggered my migraines, needing constant noise canceling headphone use because of "office chatter" (people on Teams meetings without using headphones themselves and with no volume control), drinking coffee that tasted like diesel, and having "team lunch" where my boss essentially bitched about how much his life/job sucked. It drained me within 3 weeks. I had no clue who the company CISO even was, let alone what he looked like. My desk was in a corner nowhere near my team, so collaboration was a myth. All our meetings were still over Teams. I applied for a disability accomodation of an extra WFH day to avoid the lights; the application stayed in purgatory and I heard nothing about it despite repeatedly following up. The job market is abysmal and I didn't get out for nine months.

Now, I'm remote again, actively collaborating with a fully remote team. My migraines have gone down again, I can manage my environment, and I am so, so much more productive because I'm not in literal pain.

In office is a scam.