Let people choose where to work

Being in the office is sooo 2000 and late, but in 2023 more and more senior leaders are pushing their teams back into the office. Companies are starting to require teams to return to the office multiple days per week or fully for five days and their teams are not having it. By forcing in person mandates, these companies claim that they’re creating better conditions for outcomes, but are they? We’ll explore that because all is not what it seems!

Let's get curious and understand the position being made for in office mandates. These organizations are citing ‘Culture’ and ‘Communication’ and ‘Efficiency’ needs as the basis for these decisions. Large organizations such as Amazon and Meta are saying that they have data to back this all up, with productivity metrics and lots of CEO observations about how bringing teams in person makes everything better.

There is what's being said and what’s really being said here.

To support a strong culture we need our teams in the office!

...We don’t have culture so we need a fancy office to make it feel like we do.

Communication is stronger when we’re in person and can connect directly.

...We suck at sharing and disseminating information, and making sure you have support

People just aren’t productive at home and some people are just abusing the system.

...We don’t have a solid operational foundation so we want you where we can see you

And as for ‘The data’, the likes of Amazon, The Zuck and Meta, and Google are all providing it in droves, but this data might be missing, omitting, or overlooking important information that doesn’t tell the whole story. People are more than data points. When we reduce performance to pure productivity we’re diluting the contributions of our people, and by proxy their potential. If we want to talk about the bottom line we need to take the considerations beyond the veil of productivity.

These mandates, and the announcements that come with them all seem to be missing one very crucial element: People. What about People? The perspective seems to be pretty fully supporting why it seems to make sense for the business (albeit from those at the very top too), but only mentions People so far as to recognize that many will not like it but that it’s been deemed ‘best’ for the company. We cannot have these conversations without balancing the business need with the relevant People considerations.

To lead People First is not to support People at the expense of the business, it is to make People as important of a consideration as the bottom line business considerations. This IS possible and is required for strong teams that support strong culture. This also will define the most successful organizations moving forward.

Instead of just talking about the perceived gain from senior leadership by being back in office, we need to balance understanding what people gain by getting the flexibility they want and how that can support the business too. The reality is that the pandemic forced a perspective that at home can work, and many people have become accustomed to it and prefer the greater balance it provides. People have moved, they have to care for families/children, they value the time they get back and the money they save from commutes. When people are fulfilled they will perform better and support better business outcomes.

These companies are missing one major realization: Performance and communication issues with remote work is not a People problem, it's a leadership problem. Forcing people back into the office is a bandage for a bullet wound as the saying goes. It’s a solution that doesn’t address the real core deficiencies of leadership, support, communication, and collaboration. The real question is not ‘how can being in office help the business’ but rather ‘how can business evolve the support of their teams so that they are able to perform from anywhere’

Through the course of the pandemic we also experienced a lot of dialogue about resilience. When people are allowed the flexibility that works for them, we create more resilient teams. The spirit of knowing there will be hard work required but also knowing that success is possible and will ultimately better serve the team and the organization. People that feel that their employer really sees and supports them are going to be more likely to step up when it's needed, which makes the entire organization more capable to handle the burden of daily business.

The point here also isn’t that remote work is the only and best way to work, it's really just that it does work and has a place in the modern corporate world. There may be ways that you or your teams do or could benefit from being in the office which are certainly important to explore. Back to the themes of Communication, Culture, and Efficiency, there are ways in which being in office supports all of these, but it's just not the only way.

Communication in the office feels like it can happen more on the fly, and while that might be true it also can be more disruptive to the person on the receiving end of a fly by. The question becomes how to create communication that can happen in the moment other than someone stopping by someone else’s desk?

Culture can be reinforced in the office through face to face relationships, but to build those relationships our teams don’t need to be face to face every single day. There are plenty of ways to support in person time to cultivate relationships and then continue to grow those relationships in a digital environment.

Efficiency is the big one that seems like it might be better in person, but we can put more intention into how we create systems and still get the same effect. The problem is that the senior most leaders are going to have to adapt their means of checking in on this which becomes a bit of a challenge on their end to overcome, but shouldn’t be a deal killer for remote work.

‘Flawed 5’ - five ways to support sustainable remote options that are People First and balance business needs.

1 - Culture

You gotta start with culture and your culture has to have purpose; you have to have it all mean something. A vision for your culture and the ways in which you invite leaders and people to contribute to it. This needs to happen in an authentic way where you’re building relationships and community. You’re not building a ‘family’ here but a real community where people understand what you stand for and can connect/engage to the extent they want to or don’t want to (which also means you have to be okay when people don’t want to!)

2 - People

LET THEM CHOOSE; I promise this is a better way! Instead of focusing on the office as the place where only this work can happen and forcing them in, create a space in the office that people want to come in and then allow them to do so at their discretion, and only require it when absolutely necessary. Don’t force them in and say ‘well we provide lunch’, rather provide a lunch and use it as a way to create a moment for people to come in and build relationships. While we’re talking a bit about perks here it goes beyond the idea of a ‘pizza party’ and is really about how the real perk is flexibility, so use other so-called perks to be of value in whatever way they are. Again anyone who still doesn’t come in need to be allowed to do so free of any resentment or judgment.

3 - Communication

You gotta put in the work! There must be regular 1-1s, regular (planned and intentional) meetings that have purpose with clear agendas and stakeholders, systems for feedback/frustrations so that the pulse of the team can be taken by more than just the CEO looking out from their fancy office. Most importantly there needs to be safety; people need to be rewarded for speaking up and speaking out, and even if the communication is rough, the act can be celebrated and then refined later. When our teams are being open with us we are better able to support them.

4 - Systems

You gotta have a plan and a process that is more than a manager stopping by someone's desk like the guy from office space asking about some report. Productivity management tools that are coupled with communication and support. This includes providing consistent 1-1s, meetings with purpose, intention with how and when support happens. Which brings us to the last piece…

5 - Support

You gotta show up. Remote work will require intention on the part of leadership. It will require curiosity and a little effort. That effort though is a slight investment compared to the collective effort spent and wanted by forcing people in. The best leaders will be in tune with their teams

If you’re thinking about bringing teams back into the office or if you’re on a team that has been forced into the office, you can advocate for change! Advocate for your team, advocate for yourself, advocate for your organization! Make the business case for why it's in the best interest of the organization to allow or continue flexibility. Get the team involved and start a conversation. Great leadership and People First culture can start with one person!

Let’s keep the conversation going!