Or its to emphasise where you actually make your money. A lot of people in offices far away from where the money is earned end up making up convoluted versions of reality to fit their processes, applications and such. Making everyone do a day on the floor of the business emphasizes that this part of the business is key.

It can be done the right way too. My wife’s company does something similar and it helps a lot with how the back office thinks of processes. They also are encouraged to use these informal contacts to check new things they imagine would be helpful. They have scrapped entire projects after collecting feedback and running fields tests this way. At the same time their front line feels they can actually provide feedback that is heard.