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Where are the headlines for companies keeping remote work?

For five years, headlines have screamed:

Remote work is dead!

Back to the office—NOW!

Why?

According to Brian, it’s because “we didn’t change our minds” doesn’t make a great story.

The reality? It’s been flat as a pancake.

68% of U.S. companies have workplace flexibility (per Flex Index).
That number has barely moved in the past year.
Remote/hybrid work? Flat as a pancake (Nick Bloom’s data).

Yes, some CEOs (Amazon, JPMorgan) are pushing for full office returns.
But for every CEO enforcing five days in-office, there’s another saying:

“Go ahead—I'll take your best people.”

Companies like Atlassian, Zillow, and Slack get it:

Access to more talent in more places
Lower costs with remote-friendly hiring
A massive inbound talent funnel

Remote work isn’t dying. It’s just not newsworthy.

The truth about RTOs

RTO isn’t just about “better collaboration.” The real reasons?

Here’s what Brian had to say.

1. Stealth layoffs – Big tech layoffs often coincide with stricter office mandates. Example: Dell cut 12% of its workforce, then tightened its remote policy.
2. Real estate & tax incentives – If a company is building a billion-dollar HQ, expect a push back to the office. Some cities even offer tax perks for in-office workers.
3. Trust (or lack of it) – Many CEOs don’t see a performance issue—they just feel one. The unspoken message? "I don’t trust you to work hard at home."

Problem is, treating employees like they’re slacking breeds resentment. And when trust erodes, so does retention.

If we hire adults, shouldn’t we treat them like adults?

Your CEO pushing for RTO? Ask these five questions

Your CEO wants everyone back in the office. Before that happens, Brian says to ask:

1. What problem are we trying to solve?

Is there data proving RTO fixes an issue? Example: If junior sales reps struggle remotely, how do we address that specific problem—not force a blanket policy?

2. Are our teams distributed or co-located?

If my team is spread across cities, commuting to an empty office kills collaboration, not enhances it.

3. How is our work structured?

For project-based teams, is RTO about sitting in an office—or should we focus on key in-person moments (kickoffs, milestones, deep work)?

4. What’s our employee value proposition?

Are we pushing for RTO to bring back “culture”? If so, what kind of culture—and who will we lose in the process?

5. Should the CEO really be making a one-size-fits-all decision?

A top-down mandate creates chaos for leaders managing different teams, roles, and talent retention risks.

RTO is complex. One-size-fits-all doesn’t fit anyone.

RTO won’t fix bad management

The problem isn’t remote work. Brian believes it’s bad management.

Most middle managers weren’t trained to manage well.

So they default to “management by walking around”—believing presence = productivity.

But ask this: How did you know people were working in the office?

We weren’t any better at measuring performance before.

The solution? Results > Surveillance.

Google’s OKRs, KPIs, and MBOs—structured goals & key results
Regular check-ins on outcomes, not just annual reviews
A no-excuses performance culture (like Neiman Marcus)

Example: St. Greenie Financial chose flexibility + accountability over full RTO. Their CEO said: “We’re not going back because we focus on results.”

Micromanagement won’t drive performance—trust and clear expectations will.

Why RTO mandates push moms out of the workforce

Return-to-office mandates are pushing moms out of the workforce.

‍90% of the time, moms are the default parent.
Census data shows moms still bear most of the childcare burden in dual-income households.

Now, take a 2-day office schedule and make it 5 days. What happens?

Childcare costs skyrocket – It’s harder and more expensive than ever to find quality childcare.
Commutes add new hurdles – More time on the road means more hours to cover.
Some moms are forced to move – But with 60% of U.S. mortgages under 4% and housing prices soaring, moving is often too expensive.

Some Amazon employees crunched the numbers—going back to the office 5 days a week would cost them more than taking a 20% pay cut for a flexible job.

We finally hit record employment for women with kids under 5. Do we really want to reverse that?

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Go listen to the full episode: YouTube | Spotify | Apple​
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See you next week!