Inside Lucy Guo's Workplace Strategy for Building Retention

"“I think it's really hard to build culture remote. There's no emotional retention-and if there's no emotional retention, people are just going to hop on to where they think they're going to make the most money.”"

"“Even though she believed that some individuals would be more focused and productive working from home, the potential losses from the reduced emotional retention were a risk that Guo wasn't willing to take, she says: "It's a loss every time someone that's actually good leaves the company."”"

"“So, a year ago, Guo shifted the Passes policy to four days per week in the office. At first, she admits, employees weren't happy. But she stuck with the policy, while also doubling down on in-person activities. Now, she says, she's seeing more team members willingly come into the office five days per week and stronger connections flourish between them: "I think we've created a really, honestly, great culture. People really enjoy spending time with each other now."”"

"“At this point in the company's growth, Guo realized that expecting everyone to be willing to work five days per week in person was no longer reasonable. So, she implemented a hybrid schedule with three days per week in the office.”"

A founder and CEO focused on creating an effective work environment by targeting emotional retention. After moving offices and growing from an early scrappy stage to a Series A business, expectations for five in-office days became unreasonable. A hybrid schedule with three office days led to weaker team connection and collaboration. The founder concluded that culture is difficult to build remotely because emotional retention declines, increasing the likelihood that people leave for higher pay. To reduce this risk, the policy shifted to four office days per week, paired with more in-person activities. Over time, employees became more willing to attend more days, and stronger connections and enjoyment of time together increased.

Read at Inc