Why Leaders Need To Rethink The Work-From-Home Debate

"When Google, Meta and Apple each brought people back on a three-day-in-the-office model, it wasn't nostalgia. It was necessity. They saw that collaboration, creativity and innovation were all harder to sustain in fully remote teams. They recognized that mentoring, development and belonging needed more physical connection. At their best, offices aren't about attendance - they're about energy. The quick question, the shared breakthrough, the unexpected spark that builds confidence and trust. These are hard to replicate in purely virtual settings."

"Research reinforces this. A Harvard Business School study found that remote workers completed more tasks but achieved fewer creative breakthroughs. Productivity can hold in the short term, but over time, innovation and growth suffer. Few studies claim that remote work strengthens culture. Many warn instead of cultural drift, diluted values and social disconnection. Some organizations manage to offset this with intent and strong digital processes, but if it takes"

Airbnb shifted from a "live and work anywhere" stance to structured hybrid rules, limiting remote roles and requiring monthly office presence. Other major employers including Dell, Amazon, Barclays, Walmart, John Lewis and Boots are similarly reshaping remote models. Critics argue these moves reverse progress and ignore remote productivity gains. Employers cite weakened collaboration, creativity, mentoring, development and belonging in fully remote teams. Offices are presented as sources of spontaneous energy enabling quick questions, shared breakthroughs and trust-building. Research shows remote workers complete more tasks but yield fewer creative breakthroughs, risking long-term innovation and cultural drift.

Read at Forbes