Last year, some of the country’s largest organizations, from Amazon to AT&T, implemented return to office (RTO) mandates, ordering employees back into the office four to five days a week. Even federal workers aren’t exempt from these mandates and will work in person this year. While many believe these policies will contribute to better collaboration and, in turn, more successful outcomes, my decades of experience founding and leading companies have shown me otherwise.
Over the years, I have learned that a flexible work-from-home policy has many benefits and can still enable a company to achieve its goals. Additionally, I have learned that following what everyone else is doing isn’t always the best path for achieving your goals, which is why I have not and will not be ordering employees back to the office full time.
Taking a counterculture approach to the workforce doesn’t mean that an organization will fall behind; in fact, doing things differently can lead to growth and better productivity. A more flexible approach to the workforce can boost productivity and collaboration, attract top talent and avoid an exodus of top performers. The truth that many large organizations are failing to see is that sticking with the crowd often limits innovation and stifles potential.
Culture Is Key
Many CEOs bringing employees back to the office point to collaboration as a key reason for returning in person. They claim that better partnership and teamwork are only possible through being in an office. I do not argue against in-person collaboration being a fantastic way to build camaraderie. But it doesn’t have to be every day or even every week.
It makes no sense to me to force someone to spend hours in traffic, arriving at the office frustrated and drained, only to spend most of the day working alone in a cube with headphones on. If you’re going to mandate office time, make it intentional that the purpose is specifically to spend time together in order to build bonds, ideate collaboratively, look for creative solutions to problems and just enjoy the intellectual stimulation of human interaction.
That is why I encourage teams to come together in person from time to time in order to deepen relationships. With this foundation of relationships fostered by occasional time together, collaborative work can be most efficiently accomplished in Zoom or Slack meetings. If you trust your employees to work without someone watching over their shoulders, then it’s better that they spend the time working at home or with their families rather than sitting in a car.
A company can function like a small town where each person is a trusted member of the community, or at least that is what you would hope for. People know that if someone is not shouldering their share of the work, it’s important that the company takes action quickly. One person who cannot be trusted with a high degree of independence can demoralize an entire organization very quickly.
Attracting Exceptional Talent Without Borders
During the pandemic, Wasabi hired hundreds of new employees. We hired the best people we could find, regardless of where they lived. In the past, companies might have required that candidates are sometimes willing to relocate, but hiring remotely enables talent teams to source the best possible candidates, regardless of location. In my experience, this approach has allowed us to build diverse, high-performing teams that are ready to work hard and reciprocate for the flexibility that our policy offers.
Many of my peers question if it’s possible to find success with an entire workforce operating remotely and wonder how leaders can ensure that employees are getting tasks done if they are working on the other side of the country from their manager.
My approach to remote work aligns with my leadership style: I focus on the outcome rather than the process, outlining what needs to be accomplished while trusting my team to determine the best way to get there. This approach fosters creativity and ownership among employees, two things that are needed for success. Demonstrating this trust in employees encourages them to work in ways that are best for them and, in return, earn their trust in you as a leader.
Avoiding The Dreaded “Brain Drain”
In the tech world, demanding that your employees come into the office not only limits your ability to recruit the best talent, but it also results in the best people voting with their feet… and they leave. Recent research shows that talent exodus caused by office mandates results in a departure of top-performing individuals. When high-performing team members leave, often the less engaged employees remain, leading to unsuccessful outcomes.
The effects were especially noticeable among women, senior staff and highly skilled professionals. In cases where return-to-office mandates led to departures, companies struggled to refill those positions. Their hiring rates dropped, and it took much longer to attract new talent. This brain drain can severely delay projects from getting off the ground and hurt the overall productivity of the company. A flexible work policy isn’t just an option for attracting and retaining top talent—it is critical.
A flexible work policy encourages employees to do what works for them and aligns with their goals. If they feel that working in an office aligns with their goals, offer them that opportunity. If they want to continue in a fully remote capacity, that works, too. By offering flexibility to your employees, you retain top talent that produces high-quality work and engages with their colleagues.
A healthy, collaborative workforce doesn’t just happen by accident. If you want your remote workforce to succeed, you must prioritize the people who make it up. Ensure they have time not only for collaboration but also for themselves, their families and what makes them happy.
Spending hours a day commuting to an office to do the same work they have been doing from home will likely not make them happy. I urge leaders to reflect on what truly benefits their organization. How can you achieve outstanding results while maintaining a satisfied and motivated workforce?
Source-https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbestechcouncil/2025/02/25/why-a-counterculture-approach-to-rto-is-the-key-to-high-growth/