Skip to player
Skip to main content
Skip to footer
Search
Connect
Watch fullscreen
Like
Comments
Bookmark
Share
Add to Playlist
Report
3 return to office tips for business leaders
Fortune
Follow
9/22/2023
Return to work mandates are happening. Here’s everything managers need to consider when bringing employees back to the office.
Category
🤖
Tech
Transcript
Display full video transcript
00:00
Return to work is top of mind for a lot of people
00:02
because it is important and it's happening.
00:05
The mandates are rolling out.
00:07
I'm seeing largely negative reactions to mandates.
00:11
There sometimes is a lack of clarity around the purpose
00:15
and value of being physically back in offices.
00:19
Folks that have been called back into the office
00:22
question the reason because they're not doing
00:23
anything differently than what they would be doing at home.
00:26
They're just physically at a desk,
00:28
typing on their computers, answering emails.
00:30
The most important piece of this is backing it up.
00:32
We can't just say it, send the memo,
00:34
and then have everyone come back.
00:35
It is because of this, because of this purpose,
00:39
collaboration of connection,
00:41
and we see these results because of that.
00:43
That's more of the conversation
00:45
I think leaders should have.
00:46
I think the burden of proof sits with leaders
00:48
that are unveiling these transitions.
00:55
Something that leaders should be really cognizant of
00:58
is not stopping at just bringing people
01:01
physically back together.
01:03
How are you cultivating the social proximity,
01:06
a social connection, a social thread, a fabric of trust,
01:09
particularly amongst diverse teams,
01:12
diverse groups that are gathered for your organization?
01:15
How do you create spaces that social proximity can thrive?
01:20
Leaders assume that the happy hour, the events,
01:23
the yoga, the wellness, whatever it may be,
01:26
is doing its job, and that's just frankly not the case.
01:29
I think social proximity is built on authentic experiences
01:33
in team building exercises and retreats
01:36
in difficult conversations around collaboration
01:40
and really honoring the authentic contributions
01:43
of every team member in a space.
01:44
Anything that builds that fabric of trust and connection
01:49
builds social proximity,
01:51
that when you go to the happy hour,
01:53
you wanna be there with the people that are there,
01:55
not necessarily just assuming that because we have
01:58
a happy hour, people are connected.
02:00
The in-office experience is not the same for everyone.
02:07
We have a lot of conversations around black professionals,
02:11
leaders of color, who for them, remote work,
02:14
offered a moment of respite away from microaggressions,
02:18
navigating workplace bias,
02:20
even some hostility in some cases.
02:22
And then we can also think about caregivers,
02:24
which is largely still women who carry that load.
02:27
Remote work offered flexibility to be able to juggle career
02:32
and those caregiving responsibilities
02:35
in a way that's sustainable,
02:36
that actually could benefit them
02:39
in their career trajectory.
02:40
And so that hesitation towards coming back into the office
02:44
is not just because someone wants to work
02:47
in their PJs at home.
02:49
It can really mean a lot of different things
02:52
for different people.
02:53
In order to really make effective organization-wide policies
03:00
and practices, you must understand the totality
03:04
of the context within which folks are working.
03:07
In that, you then better design ways that all can thrive,
03:12
that is aware of the different experiences
03:16
and isn't the kind of wide swath change
03:19
that a lot of times I see
03:21
that doesn't have any consideration
03:22
of those that might be experiencing this
03:25
with marginalized perspectives.
03:26
That's gonna be the challenge of today's leader.
03:29
And I encourage leaders to really be thoughtful
03:32
and aware and grounded in the context
03:34
that all team members are coming into
03:36
to experience a workplace that they can succeed in.
03:42
We're all feeling this as the potential
03:45
of a future of work moment.
03:48
I feel like we'll look back on this
03:50
and think this is where things shifted.
03:53
We have some opportunity to really change things
03:55
and shift the direction of what work can look like.
03:58
(upbeat music)
04:01
[BLANK_AUDIO]
Recommended
1:00
|
Up next
Refusing To Go Back To The Office
Stringr
12/13/2022
2:30
Workers face return to the office
National World - LocalTV
5/8/2025
0:42
Starbucks Tells Corporate Staff They Must Attend Office Three Days A Week, As CEO Brian Niccol Ramps Up Office Attendance for Corporate Team
Benzinga
10/29/2024
1:25
Employers get creative to lure workers back to the office
ABC NEWS (Australia)
4/5/2024
1:48
Push for return to office life as property values plunge
ABC NEWS (Australia)
11/30/2023
2:00
TCS Reopens To Welcome Employees Back To Office! These Employees To Return?
OTV News
11/15/2021
0:49
Real Reasons of Why People Want to Go Back to the Office
Business-Now
6/1/2021
1:00
Amazon Workers Push Back on Mandate
Stringr
3/24/2023
3:06
Is it safe for Kent workers to go back to their offices?
KentOnline / KMTV
11/19/2021
1:00
Working From Home Dropping
Stringr
7/17/2023
1:00
Liverpool’s take on working from home
National World - LocalTV
5/8/2025
0:40
China Imposes Exit Ban on U.S. Gov. Employee Ahead Of Critical Trade Deadline
Benzinga
today
0:45
Trump's Backroom Billionaire: Bezos Meets As SpaceX Fades
Benzinga
today
1:07
Elon Musk's XAI Plans To Raise $12 Billion In Debt To Buy Nvidia Chips And Build One Of The World's Largest AI Superclusters
Benzinga
today
0:42
Sogogi Oi Bokkeum (Korean Stir-Fried Cucumber and Beef)
Food and Wine
today
0:50
Sterling K. Brown Reveals the 1 Thing Mark Harmon Told Him That Changed His Whole Perspective: 'The Nicest Man'
People
today
10:53
John Goodman Reacts To Sudden 'Roseanne' Fame, Hosting 'SNL' 13 Times & Hollywood Memories
People
today
0:44
Goncalves Family Confronts Bryan Kohberger at Sentencing: 'Kaylee Would Have Kicked Your F—ing Ass'
People
today
0:42
How to Make Sogogi Oi Bokkeum (Korean Stir-Fried Cucumber and Beef)
Food and Wine
5 days ago
0:16
3 Tips for Making Better Blender Drinks
Food and Wine
7/14/2025
1:18
The #1 schedule hack used by Fortune 500 CEOs
Fortune
4 days ago
8:50
Luxury Train Travel Is Booming — Here’s Why Travelers Are Paying Over $100K a Ticket
Fortune
7/10/2025
1:17
Gen Z is burned out on dating apps, former Hinge content lead says
Fortune
7/8/2025
0:40
Warren Buffett's philanthropy hits $60 billion mark
Fortune
7/8/2025
0:52
How a high school dropout built the $1 billion Dave’s Hot Chicken empire
Fortune
7/8/2025