Last week, I was the emcee at the HR Innovators CHRO Summit. The theme was creating the conditions for performance—pretty wide open, right?
Five minutes into the first session, the first presenter said, “I’m done talking about ‘return to office,’” and I saw heads nodding and eyes rolling.
I was happy for the break because seriously, that’s all anyone wants to talk about these days. No matter what the topic of my keynote is—rituals, how to be a great human leader in the age of AI, or the retention revolution—all roads lead to RTO.
And, turns out, this event was no different. Questions about RTO and how to do it came up again, and again, and again.
Why?
Because the two most important pieces of the culture puzzle—flexibility and connection to others in the organization—appear to be in conflict.
It’s hard to solve both at the same time.
But it’s absolutely possible! And imperative.
How?
By creating a RTO plan that includes flexibility AND intentional connection for all.
What exactly does that mean?
In a nutshell: you can create a strong company culture and thriving business whether employees are together in person three days a week, three days a month, or three days a year—as long as you’re intentional.
(Because the lack of intentionality is a recipe for resentment.)
Here are some options for the week (note: this is for non-front line knowledge workers):
One day a week: One coordinated day in the office is certainly better than none. The problem with this option is that everyone gets frantic about connecting with each other AND getting their IRL work done.
Three-ish days a week: This is the sweet spot! If everyone comes in on the SAME days (give or take) there’s enough time to connect and get work done.
Five days a week: Given how great technology is, I don’t see a reason to be in five days—except for mission-critical situations.
Easy, right?
I wish. As a reader of this newsletter, you know the human stuff IS the hardest stuff. But great human leaders invest in connecting people to others in their organization, both in person and virtually—and they do it with intention.
11/19/24
