CEOs’ RTO push ignores evidence, expert says
NEW YORK, UNITED STATES — Brigid Schulte, director of the Better Life Lab and author of Over Work, has observed that many CEOs who are pushing for a full return to the office are doing so based on personal beliefs rather than concrete data.
The expert shares this on Business Insider, in the wake of Amazon and Dell announcing strict return-to-office policies, requiring employees to work on-site five days a week.
This trend reflects a growing sentiment among CEOs, with 83% of big-company CEOs expecting full-time office returns within three years, according to a KPMG US survey.
The ‘echo chamber’ effect
Schulte argues that CEOs pushing for full-time office work are operating in a “circular echo chamber.”
“Return to office is so based on a leader’s belief. It has nothing to do with the evidence. It often has nothing to do with the performance and who’s a really good worker or innovative or coming up with great ideas. It all has to do with confirmation bias,” Schulte tells BI.
Schulte suggests that many leaders believe their path to success is the best way to work, reinforcing their views through conversations with like-minded peers. This mindset is particularly prevalent in male-dominated industries such as finance, tech, and law.
Breaking the cycle
To challenge this trend, Schulte recommends:
- Companies should engage with employees at all levels, not just the C-suite.
- Organizations should run internal pilots and gather data to make a case for flexible work arrangements.
- Employees should focus on clear communication and accountability in digital work environments.
Schulte suggests that organizations could benefit from leaders willing to break out of this mindset. Companies that succeeded during the pandemic did so by adapting to change, often by listening to employees and testing new strategies.
“The future of work requires brave leaders,” Schulte says, “and a willingness to pop that echo chamber bubble.”
She also highlights the potential role of public policy in shaping the future of work, stating, “That can have some important guardrails that can then create the pressure for leaders to change, for organizations to pay attention to what they’re doing rather than just going on with this inertia of the status quo.”
