It's not just you. I cannot manage to do people stuff over videochat. Not to mention virtual whiteboards are a frustratingly poor imitation of the real deal. On the other hand, I do work better on my own, when I just need to grind out some work.

I guess my ideal would be 2 or 3 days remote and the rest in office.

Whiteboarding has been a real loss here. It feels like ages since I picked up a marker and made a data model.

There really is no remote alternative that isn't super expensive or lacks the responsiveness of in-person.

Have you tried Miro? It's $8/month if you want to invite others to edit your board. I find it offers good value at that price point. I'm a UX/product manager though, so I tend to pull in a lot of external visuals while I'm working. So YMMV.

I am worried that Miro is becoming the new Jira.

Sure - but what's best for the worker bees is ultimately important.

If they're more efficient, then it just sucks for you.

If they're not more efficient, then there's a business case for bringing the worker bees back to the hive.

You know one way and doing anything different is difficult. It also will challenge you and make you a better manager and person. Do you really need a crutch like the white board? Do you really need that employee right beside you? Take all of that away and you can still be a good manager.

> Do you really need a crutch like the white board?

Umm, what? Having been a manager and an IC I don't see a white board as a crutch at all, I see it as a highly effective tool for a specific set of problems.

I definitely prefer working at home when I'm heads down, I know what the problem is and I just need to crank out a solution. When I'm designing the solution to a problem with a group of people, or heck even just trying to fully clarify the problem, having an in-person session is just much more productive and efficient. What's more, having now done lots of remote design/problem solving sessions, both as the leader of the meeting and the participant, I find them always less effective in every way when there are at least 3 people in the meeting.