Three years after the global peak of COVID 19 cases, and two years after it was declared “over” by both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States Government, the pandemic is still casting a shadow over the corporate world.
As of April 2025, estimates from Stanford economist Nicholas Bloom suggest that only about 60% of the U.S. workforce is now back in the office full-time. Another 30% are engaged in hybrid work, spending part of their week in the office and part of it working remotely. The remaining 10% continues to work remotely.
Clearly, the pandemic has changed the work landscape irrevocably. Depending on the goals and culture of an organization, remote work may allow employees to be just as—if not more—productive than being in the office. The resulting flexibility and work-life balance is a significant benefit.
But for a business like OnFulfillment, there is no substitute for in-person work. Face-to-face collaboration allows us to accomplish so much more than if we were all working remotely. It fosters a sense of creativity and cooperation that can’t be captured over Zoom.
We’re not alone in thinking this. While there are numerous reports that show how both in-person and remote work have equally good and bad aspects, for some organizations, gathering everyone in one place makes them more productive, successful, and fulfilled. In our experience, OnFulfillment is just such a company.
How an In-Person Workforce Helps One Company Thrive
Currently, 90% of OnFulfillment employees are back in the office at least four days per week. Warehouse workers and management, as well as some other office staff, are in the office five days per week or, during particularly busy times, even more.
Why is our in-office attendance so high? We have an idea. Here at OnFulfillment, we pride ourselves on our diversity. Our employees speak eight different languages and represent 12 countries. Some team members have worked their way up from very modest beginnings, while others have attended and/or graduated from prestigious universities around the world. The average tenure is just over 12 years, and we attribute that longevity and loyalty to that fact that our employees consider their co-workers friends. There is a spirit of camaraderie that permeates the company.
Recently our geographically distributed team convened in our West Sacramento facility to attend training seminars, tour the facilities, learn some new software processes, and just enjoy each other’s company. After two-plus years working remotely and feeling disconnected, events like these were a welcome relief. Even employees who held remote positions prior to the pandemic were excited to visit the office and get reacquainted in person.
This event taught us something: that when we all get together, it reinforces our culture and our sense of camaraderie. Throughout our quarter-century history, we’ve seen individuals looking for ways to contribute to the company’s overall success. We’ve watched as teams actively sought opportunities to help other teams achieve their objectives. We’ve noticed that, generally speaking, no one simply does their job and hands it off to the next person; they are constantly looking for ways to make their colleagues’ jobs easier, more effective, more efficient. We are proud to say that OnFulfillment fosters a highly collaborative environment that prioritizes empathy, communication and continuous improvement. With a culture like that, OnFulfillment becomes an unstoppable force—one that our customers appreciate and love.
The Benefits of In-Person Employee Events and Gatherings
Our experience was not unique. In this post-pandemic world, many organizations have discovered a newfound respect for the in-person workforce. A year of forced isolation and separation has convinced us that if you don’t work together, respect each other, constantly learn new skills, and—perhaps most importantly—take care of our customers, you won’t last. When everyone gets together, it solidifies friendships and helps newer team members create strong bonds with their teammates.
These benefits are articulated in an article titled “9 Powerful Benefits of a Company-Hosted Employee Party.” The benefits that are most relevant to OnFulfillment include the following.
Improve Productivity
Meeting face-to-face allows rapid, immediate feedback. Delays imposed by waiting for a response from a remote co-worker can have a huge (and potentially negative) impact on business. When all your employees are together in one place, getting an answer is as simple as walking over to a person’s desk, or visiting the production facility or warehouse. It takes mere minutes.
Additionally, when everyone is gathered in one place, it allows for informal and spontaneous socializing—important for breaking up the day and helping everyone recharge.
Improve Communication and Understanding
When departments interact and bond in person, it helps them understand each other’s jobs. When someone in sales can observe the challenges that customer service deals with daily, it improves cross-department communication and problem resolution. It also helps individuals understand how their job fits into the overall process, providing critical perspective that could result in a smoother operation.
Show Appreciation and Increase Loyalty
In-person gatherings show that companies care about their team by ensuring that everyone knows one another. When companies build a collaborative and bonded workforce, it makes it easier to retain those employees over time.
Similarly, companies that demonstrate their appreciation for a job well done, whether through a gift, a meal, or some other reward, build a highly loyal workforce that will do their best to get the job done right.
Maintain Team Engagement
Keeping employees engaged with company activities and operations instills a sense of belonging, ownership, and accountability. If employees are invested, they are more likely to work harder and stick around.
For instance, the recent gathering in our West Sacramento facility included a tour of the onsite print shop, product trend meetings with our vendors, and catered team meals. By getting everyone involved in company activities, providing insights into the operation, and bonding over shared meals helps with communication and creates an environment where problems can be identified and resolved faster.
Let Our In-Person Workforce Help You
OnFulfillment’s in-person workforce is fully engaged and ready to help you realize your marketing fulfillment and event management goals. To learn more about what we can do for you, click below and schedule a meeting—in person or virtual.
