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Let's be clear once more: this whole "return to the office" (RTO) charade is absolute insanity.
In this (exceptionally indignant and mercifully short) episode of our Secret Society for Human Work Advocates and Human Debt Fighters Podcast, Dr. Allessandria Pollizzi and I break it down in much more detail than I will do in writing here complete with a “Dear Jeff” note on my part so give it a listen and subscribe on our preferred platform
Unfortunately, much as we would like to maintain levity, this is monstrously serious because the Amazon RTO flare will signal to the rest of pack and unless something drastically changes to course-correct soon, this will all start spelling disaster.
We were already on the precipice of a monumental human tragedy in the workplace as I argued in my latest book, with burnout rampant, leadership capability insufficient, and mental well-being in a state of utter crisis. But instead of addressing these urgent issues, some corporations seem hell-bent on dragging us back to the soul-crushing paradigms of the past. It's as if they've learned absolutely nothing from the forced experiment in remote work these past few years and like all the previous talks of the value of their people was a pack of utter lies.
The audacity of some organizations to bemoan productivity while ignoring the data and simultaneously attempting to stuff the "work-from-home genie" back into the bottle, is simply astounding. Did they really miss the memo where Stanford University found a 13 percent productivity boost among full-time remote workers? Or the FlexJobs survey where 77 percent of respondents reported increased productivity when working from home? What about the Timewise findings of 9 out of 10 workers that are keen to keep remote with attrition rates reduced by 50%? There are literally hundreds of data points to show the extent of "productivity paranoia" of out-of-touch executives who mistake physical presence for actual work and yet they are all wilfully ignored and that's not right.
This isn't about some theoretical debate on work-life balance; it's about basic human decency. We are not (yet!) robots to be switched on and off at the whims of some archaic office schedule imposed with no rhyme or reason. We have lives we have redesigned on the basis of the so-called progress we were promised when hybrid and remote entered our lives and they don't magically disappear because some middle manager with a spreadsheet fetish thinks we're slacking off. And yes, everyone who mandated RTO in the last year is that same middle manager at heart be it that they were one or a fancy CHRO or even Bezos himself.
Of course in Amazon’s case, the degree of deception is possibly far higher and the intent may well simply be that of shaking personnel. Coupled with the market moment where hundreds of thousands in STEM have been made redundant, it is only serving to further paralyse everyone into submission. Have they stopped to consider the effects this will have on Psychological Safety and the willingness to speak up at large? Have they modelled what this will mean for innovation and growth? Have they wondered how they will ever attract the new generation? Have they asked themselves what this does for their ever so precious “employer brand” of yesteryear?
Have they considered that when you chase good people off with unimaginably arbitrary decisions, the ones left are neither happy nor the highest quality of talent?
They either haven’t, which doesn’t speak highly of their capabilites or, more likely, they have, and concluded it doesn’t matter. That they can do the job with “resources” not “capital”. That having the creme de la creme of minds is unessential to their business model that demands unhappy bums on existing office seats in lieu or engaged minds anywhere.
And what about the "Human Debt" – that ever-growing chasm between what organizations owe their employees in terms of well-being and the paltry scraps they actually provide? Losing talent and then forcing people into rigid structures that actively erode their mental and emotional health without as much as a decent explanation as to “why” is not just bad for business, it's morally reprehensible.
We've seen the positive effects of flexible work arrangements. We know that empathy, emotional intelligence, and psychological safety are the cornerstones of high-performing teams, not endless meetings and mandated facetime. Yet, the powers that be seem intent on ignoring the very things that can actually move the needle on both well-being and, yes, even their precious productivity.
Instead of this "RTO or else" insanity, organizations should be investing in a "Human Work" revolution!
- Immediately raise everyone’s EQ for better collaboration and uniquely human capability in the age of AI. (Come speak to us at People Not Tech about our new EQ Trainer for Coaches and Leaders for example)
- Aggressively and urgently train leaders in the principles of "Servant Leadership" and equip them with the tools to foster good behaviours and psychological safety within their teams.
- Empower employees to design their own hybrid work arrangements based on their individual needs and rhythms.
- Create a culture where self-care isn't seen as a luxury but as an essential component of a sustainable and high-performing workplace.
This isn't rocket science, folks. It's about treating your employees like the valuable human beings they are, not cogs in a machine. I thought we all claimed that’s our goal? I thought we were past the “resources or capital” debate. It's about creating a work environment where people feel safe, supported, and empowered to do their best work, wherever that may be. It's about finally acknowledging that success cannot sustainably exist without putting "People Before Tech."
Is this also an opportunity for those who can remain the stewards of sanity and make fully remote (and even better, “Work from Anywhere, Anytime”) a sustainable pillar of their success? 100% and the market is responding that way with more and more small and mid-sized companies we work with are scooping talent from the tone-deaf Amazons of the world, and those who don’t understand their needs, but there’s no way to re-balance the scales when even start-ups like ours get multiple CVs a week from top people either thrown out by an abusive RTO mandate or fearful that one is on its way.
So, to those CEOs and HR executives who wonder if they are doing the right thing to ignore the noise and keep up the good work around firmly landing remote-first and the Human Work thus demonstrating people are valuable and not dispensable - yes you are! You’re on the right side of history on this.
And to those clinging desperately to the outdated relics of the past and too afraid to understand the data and help move forward I say this: wrong turn, admit it and correct the course! Unless your talk of “Human Capital” was always nothing but PR, you will accomplish nothing but lose good people, this shall not stand, there is no “going back to before” and no need for these senseless fear-driven moves. The world has changed, and the only way to thrive in this new reality if we still believe “talent” as a condition of success exists, is to embrace a genuine human-centric approach that is firmly hybrid. Otherwise, eventually, you'll be left with a semi-empty office filled with an utterly demoralised workforce, and a business rapidly heading towards obsolescence.
And frankly, you'll deserve nothing less.
Related: Oh No, “Agile Is Dead”! Again.