The remote work debate is old news.
Working in an office has inherent benefits for innovation and culture. However, numerous studies have now discredited the idea that remote work reduces overall productivity.
And workers themselves welcome the new culture of flexibility that offers them a better work-life balance.
There is no doubt that the transition is underway, Ravin Jesuthasan, a renowned future-of-work expert and author of “The Skills-Powered Organization,” told Business Insider.
However, some organizations exhibit a certain amount of inertia when it comes to adapting to the new working culture.
“When you are trying to drive a lot more efficiency and productivity, there is a very natural tendency to default to mechanisms that afford you the most control and oversight.
“That’s true of any evolution that we as a species go through,” he said.
Hybrid and remote work is probably one of the more visible areas where that control can feel compromised, Jesuthasan explained.
“It requires some radically different leadership muscles,” he said. “In many organizations, a lot of leaders feel they just don’t have the visibility to that.”
The rapid changes in the labor market are giving employers more leverage in the battle over hybrid work.
“We’ve gone from during the COVID years, when it was a real seller’s market, to now, with the economy being where it is in many countries, it being a buyer’s market,” said Jesuthasan.
This is enabling organizations to gravitate back to the processes that they know rather than having managers spend time and attention on restructuring work.
Using harsh policies
Plenty of organizations are highly progressive in how they manage their workforces, striking the right balance between flexibility and ensuring people are aligned.
However, other companies have introduced punitive policies, such as limiting bonuses and promotions or monitoring their workers, as part of strict return-to-office policies.
The tight management style has left some employees feeling disrespected and infantilized. For others, a lack of flexibility at work is becoming a red line that they won’t cross.
These companies have calculated that they have the legroom to implement stricter policies, perhaps lose some core talent, but essentially be fine.
“Some organizations might say, you know what? We’ve got a really deep pipeline of talent. There’s lots of people who want to come work here, and so this is our culture and this is how we’re going to sustain our culture,” Jesuthasan said.
“There may be some unintended consequences to taking on some of those more punitive steps, but it’s really going to vary,” he added.
It’s often the case that corporations aren’t just trying to control workers.
Organizations are, for the most part, incredibly thoughtful about these decisions and should be given the benefit of the doubt, Jesuthasan said.
“I don’t think there is something that says the companies who do X don’t value people or anything,” he told BI. “I suspect many of these organizations have actually tried a variety of different things to make this work.”
The most important thing is that people have to understand the logic of why you create these rules,” the future-of-work expert said.
“It can’t be just because I don’t trust you, that can’t be the message. Because right there, if that’s either the explicit or implied message that really starts to break down the organizational culture.”
Return-to-office mandates could backfire
While return-to-office fights may seem largely settled at this point, the growing importance of automation and Gen AI in the workplace means that this conversation isn’t going away.
Although bosses have the upper hand now, the labor market may well swing back to the seller’s hands, creating challenges for organizations that continue to dictate employees’ working patterns, said Jesuthasan.
As skill shortages for these new technologies become even more pronounced, it’s the organizations that meet people on their terms that will have the best standing.
“Having the flexibility to accommodate a variety of different needs without forcing everyone into a single way of doing work is going to become even more important,” he said.
Employees need to be rational
There’s a need for rationality on both the part of the workforce and the organization, Jesuthasan told BI.
“I’m not sure of any scenario where flexible working was ever conveyed as a right to the workforce,” he said. “It’s become a new normal, but I don’t think it’s a right.”
“Unfortunately, when you’re working for an organization, it’s not just about it working for you.
“You are a steward of the organization’s broader culture. You’re there to collaborate and make others better as well,” he said.
As this cultural shift continues, what’s most important is striking the right balance.
If it’s heads-down work, employees should have the flexibility to do that in the comfort of their own homes. But there is value in coming together to innovate, collaborate, and build true trust and empathy, said Jesuthasan.
“The savvy ones will understand why it’s important and why it needs to be somehow retained.”
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