Forcing a return to the office is a management aberration

Companies are forcing a return to the office for “the culture”, “collaboration”, “connection”.

Meanwhile, well-oiled full remote companies get through a heatwave, an energy crisis, a lockdown, a geopolitical rupture, without losing a single day of production.

The forced remote work of 2020 was improvised. But remote-first (tools, processes, real autonomy) is infrastructure. Invisible, but solid.

On top of that, by requiring geographic proximity, you hire from a smaller pool, and a weaker one, because the best people have the choice… and those who have the choice don’t come back to the office (except a few, it takes all kinds!).

So you are not losing people who “prefer their couch and pyjamas”, you are losing the ones your competitors are delighted to hire, remotely.

In short, by forcing RTO in 2026, you lose resilience at a time when it is becoming critical, and you lose the best profiles. A management aberration.

PS: full remote teams can have an excellent culture, very strong bonds and excellent collaboration. But it takes work, and it doesn’t happen in a rush once you’ve hit the wall. Full remote is also my own daily setup.