Stop Underestimating the Power of Face Time: The Case for In-Person Collaboration in Remote-First Teams

"Velocity, trust, and creativity don’t always fit on a spreadsheet—but they show up in your outcomes."

We’ve all heard the phrase “this meeting could have been an email.” And in many cases, it’s true—many meetings should be emails. But there’s a rising risk in swinging too far to the other extreme—over-rotating to remote-first, decentralized work cultures that undervalue in-person collaboration.

In product teams especially, where success hinges not just on execution but also on alignment, creativity, and speed, we need to rethink what “value” really means.

The Many Forms of Value (It’s Not Just Revenue)

When we talk about value, finance teams tend to zero in on hard numbers: revenue growth, cost savings, operational efficiency. But product teams know that value comes in many forms:

• Revenue: Yes, of course.
• Velocity: How fast we move ideas from insight to iteration to outcome.
• Quality: Of ideas, of execution, of decision-making.
• Trust: Among team members, partners, and stakeholders.
• Engagement: Employee satisfaction, retention, and belonging.

In-person collaboration doesn’t just boost one of these—it accelerates all of them.

Face Time Fuels Momentum

A product team’s job isn’t just to build features—it’s to solve problems, navigate ambiguity, and ship products that drive results. That kind of work thrives on connection.

You can absolutely move projects forward over Zoom and Slack. But certain things still work better face-to-face:

• Rapid decision-making in a live room, without the delays of async back-and-forth.
• Creative energy from collaborative whiteboarding sessions (and yes, the real whiteboard matters).
• The serendipitous side conversations that spark unexpected ideas.
• Deepening relationships that carry over into more productive remote work.

In fact, a recent quote from Laszlo Bock, former SVP of People Operations at Google, captures it well:

“The best ideas don’t happen in scheduled meetings. They happen at lunch, or walking to your car, or grabbing coffee.”

Making the Case (Especially to Finance)

Here’s the challenge: leadership and finance teams are under pressure to cut costs, and travel budgets are often first on the chopping block. So how do you make the case?

Focus on outcomes, not just events:

• Employee Retention: Teams with stronger relationships are less likely to lose top talent—turnover costs are well-documented and high.
• Speed to Market: Getting product teams together in person can shave weeks off project timelines—what’s that worth to the business?
• Quality of Decisions: In-person workshops often yield more robust, well-rounded strategies—especially for cross-functional challenges.
• Morale and Belonging: Happier employees = better performance. It’s not soft; it’s strategic.

Even if it’s just twice a year, structured in-person collaboration creates momentum that remote tools alone can’t replace.

It’s Not Either/Or. It’s Both/And.

Remote work is here to stay—and it should be. Flexibility is vital for today’s teams. But that doesn’t mean we can afford to ditch in-person interaction altogether.

For product teams navigating complex decisions, uncertain roadmaps, and fast-moving markets, the most valuable tool isn’t just Jira or Slack. Sometimes, it’s a shared table, a few markers, and an honest, face-to-face conversation.