While the past year and a half have led to seismic shifts in the way we think about work, we still don’t know the benefits of remote employment and decentralized teams. A new study from Microsoft reveals that remote work has damaged the organization’s ability to collaborate, jeopardizing the company’s productivity and innovation. “Without intervention, the effects we discovered have the potential to impact workers’ ability to acquire and share new information across groups, and as a result, affect productivity and innovation,” wrote Microsoft’s researchers in a blog post. “In light of these findings, companies should be thoughtful about if and how they choose to adopt long-term work-from-home policies.” However, Microsoft’s researchers caution against demanding a return to traditional arrangements. The goal, they feel, is to help employees achieve a meaningful work-life balance and empower them to work in ways that make the most sense for them. Ultimately, it’s a balancing act, and one Microsoft feels needs more discussion.