On Thursday, while I was watching the NBC Nightly News, it was reported in one of the segments that many major companies, which included Starbucks and Amazon, would soon be requiring employees to return to the office, be it full time or part time.

The reason being, they feel productivity will increase when workers are in the office together.

But it was also noted during the reporting that this decision was not popular among those folks who work from home. So-much-so that 37,000 workers have joined a Slack channel to complain.

Like me, I am sure these employees have found the work-from-home lifestyle is quite comfy. For me, I have a larger desk, a second screen from which to work and it is much easier to get information over the phone without the goings on in an office.

That being said, I do see the importance of having an in-person work environment. Having a background in communication, I know the value of collective thinking and when sitting in the same room with your fellow employees it can be more easily generated.

But I am old school and not sure the younger generation would agree. Between the pandemic — which isolated us all — and the culture of video games, cell phones, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and the likes, kids don’t seem to require much interaction with others and seem content as long as they have some type of “device” in their hands.

I worry about how this new age of communication, or non-communication if you will, will affect us/them in the future.

Will the lack of dialogue produce less talent? According to Culture Partners Chief Strategy Officer Jessica Kriegel, who was interviewed during the NBC News segment I watched, if companies require folks to come into the office, they could lose out on talented employees.

I understand what she meant. A company’s labor pool could be narrowed if people are staunch about not coming into an office, thus limiting creative resources.

But, what Kriegel may not have realized is that perhaps an office environment could bring out or enhance someone’s creativity. If an employee only works from home, they could be losing out on expanding their inventiveness, which covers all fields.

I think this is the perspective companies are taking. And if they lose an employee or two because he or she doesn’t want to suit up and come in, there will always be someone waiting in the wings. Perhaps a someone who may not have gotten a chance to blossom otherwise.

So, my advice to these folks on the Slack channel, you may want to think long and hard about complaining and drawing boundaries around where you will work, because an employer could call your bluff.

And who knows, if you go into the office a few days a week, you may meet a good friend around the coffee machine.

Terri Cowart Frazier writes features for The Vicksburg Post. She can be reached at terri.frazier@vicksburgpost.com.