As Amazon and Starbucks begin enforcing return-to-office policies, CEOs everywhere are asking if bringing employees back will save their company culture. I recently sat down with NBC’s Christine Romans for a segment on Nightly Newswith Lester Holt, tackling this very question. We recorded 20 minutes of content but only a few minutes aired so this newsletter goes deeper into this complex subject.
The quick answer on whether a forced return to office will revive culture? No, it won’t.
Here’s the real issue: culture isn’t a switch you flip by mandating physical presence. It’s not some elusive magic that appears just because everyone’s sitting at their desks. Culture is about how people think and act to get results. And if leaders believe that bringing everyone back will solve the real issues facing today’s workplaces, they’re missing the point—and the opportunity to lead for the future.
This misconception that “more face time equals better culture” is a relic of outdated thinking. During my conversation with Christine Romans, I made it clear: if culture needs to be “saved” by a physical return to the office, the problem goes much deeper than employees’ locations.
It’s time to challenge the assumption that proximity leads to productivity. These past few years have shown that remote work doesn’t diminish an employee’s ability to perform. In fact, many teams have proven they can work better outside the traditional office. So if the concern isn’t productivity, what is it? The reality is that hybrid work has exposed a gap in management practices—one that the old office environment might have masked but never solved.
Managers now have to measure results, not just hours clocked in the office. This shift requires a new level of accountability and trust—qualities that, frankly, some leaders struggle with when they can’t monitor their team’s every move. Forcing employees back is, in some cases, a way for leaders to avoid the discomfort of managing from a distance. But adapting to this new reality doesn’t fall on employees—it falls on managers to lead differently, think creatively, and drive performance through outcomes, not mere attendance.
While COVID-19 might have accelerated the remote work trend, it’s technology that will redefine the future of work. As I shared, the world’s trajectory isn’t leading us back to a 9-to-5 office life—it’s advancing toward digital workspaces where AI, avatars, and new tools will shape how we work, collaborate, and create. We’re facing a transformation, and the only way forward is to embrace a vision of work that transcends physical spaces.
This isn’t about trying to reassemble a fractured workplace in the same office where it once stood. It’s about using our tools and our leadership to create a dynamic culture that reaches beyond the four walls of a building.
The truth is, today’s workplace challenges won’t be solved by mandating an office return. Culture can’t be saved through force; it’s built through intention. The future of work isn’t confined to an office address. Forward-thinking leaders recognize that culture is alive—it thrives on innovation, adaptability, and purpose, not proximity.
In this fast-evolving landscape, we can choose to lead boldly or stay tied to models that no longer serve our employees or our business. The decision is ours: step up to build a culture that can thrive anywhere, or stay in the past, thinking culture is simply a byproduct of physical presence. The future isn’t just about “coming back”—it’s about moving forward.