The Pandemic’s Workplace Revolution
The COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally altered workplace dynamics across industries, with remote and hybrid work arrangements becoming increasingly common in the financial sector. While these flexible options offer undeniable convenience, financial expert Levi Pettit has observed both benefits and potential drawbacks for professionals at different career stages.
“I think COVID changed a lot of things,” Pettit notes. “I think now you’re seeing a lot of hybrid or remote opportunities. When you think about people coming out of undergrad or college, they may see their older friends or family who have these remote jobs or these hybrid jobs, where they can live a certain lifestyle, or travel or work from home.”
While acknowledging the appeal of this flexibility, Pettit’s own career journey has convinced him that in-person office culture provides irreplaceable benefits, particularly for those in the early stages of their professional development.
The Irreplaceable Value of Mentorship
Through his experiences in commercial banking and at a family office, Pettit has come to recognize that some of the most valuable professional development happens through spontaneous, in-person interactions that simply cannot be replicated in virtual environments.
“In my experience, that’s where I learned the most and that’s how I grew the most,” Pettit explains, referring to face-to-face workplace interactions. “You want to surround yourself with people you look up to and leaders, and being able to just shadow them or be next to them when they’re going through some type of decision making process, or just seeing how they carry themselves on a day-to-day basis is extremely important.”
This type of observational learning often happens in moments that would never be scheduled as formal meetings or training sessions—the impromptu conversations, the chance to observe how senior colleagues handle unexpected challenges, or the nuanced interpersonal dynamics that can only be witnessed firsthand.
Communication and Clarity
Beyond mentorship opportunities, Pettit values how in-person work environments foster clearer communication and stronger team dynamics. His time at a family office highlighted the advantages of direct communication channels.
“It really had to do just a lot with not being in a huge corporate setting where there’s office politics involved,” Pettit reflects. “It never felt like I had to talk to a boss who had to talk to their boss, who had talk to somebody else’s boss. If I wanted to talk to something, I could be completely open and honest to even the managing partner about what was going on.”
This culture of transparency is more challenging to maintain in remote settings, where communications are often more formalized and spontaneous interactions are limited. The ability to have quick, direct conversations without scheduling a video call or drafting an email contributes to both efficiency and clarity.
Team Culture as a Career Accelerator
For young professionals entering finance, Pettit emphasizes that team culture should be a primary consideration when evaluating job opportunities—even above the convenience of remote work options.
“If I rewinded, and if I was graduating today and I was looking for an opportunity, I would try to find something that required me to be in a seat five days a week, and make sure that there was some type of team culture, there was mentorship available, like on-site mentorship,” Pettit advises.
He acknowledges that this perspective may run counter to current trends: “I don’t know if that’s still available, but I think it’s something that’s probably either being prioritized or should be prioritized.”
The Hidden Knowledge Gap
One of the most significant disadvantages of remote work, particularly for those early in their careers, is what Pettit calls the knowledge gap—not knowing what you don’t know.
“When you’re starting out or early in your career, some of those things, if you have a question and you’re working remote, sure there’s someone you can reach out to, but you don’t even know you have questions about things,” he explains. “Sometimes it’s just this knowledge that they impart as you’re walking around and bump into them or they hear something at an office.”
These casual teaching moments and “overhead” learning experiences are virtually impossible to recreate in remote settings, where interactions tend to be more purposeful and scheduled. For early-career professionals who haven’t yet developed a solid foundation of industry knowledge, these incidental learning opportunities can be invaluable.
Finding the Right Balance
While Pettit strongly advocates for in-person work environments, particularly for those in the early stages of their careers, he recognizes that remote and hybrid arrangements can work well in certain contexts and for professionals at different career stages.
“I’m not saying that it doesn’t work in some industries or some roles, it absolutely does,” he concedes. The key, in Pettit’s view, is to be intentional about seeking environments that provide the specific elements needed for your current career stage.
For those looking to build a strong foundation in finance, he believes the advantages of face-to-face learning, relationship building, and cultural immersion outweigh the convenience of remote work. As he puts it, “That’s where I learned the most—and how I grew the most.”
The experienced financial professional suggests that young people entering the industry should prioritize environments that offer meaningful mentorship and immersive learning experiences, even if that means sacrificing some flexibility in the short term. The investment in professional growth, Pettit believes, will yield returns throughout one’s career journey.