It seems with every new year, the return-to-office debate gets a little more fuel. What’s interesting to us is that it keeps getting framed like a binary choice: office versus remote.
But the evidence doesn’t back the idea that mandates magically lift performance.
In fact, recent studies suggest return-to-office mandates can come with real trade-offs: higher turnover risk, slower hiring, and a “brain drain” effect, particularly among more senior and highly skilled people. Some research also finds the impact is more pronounced for women.
The deeper issue is this: we’re still running Industrial Revolution defaults.
A lot of modern work systems were built around visibility, control, and physical presence from a time long gone. Remote work didn’t create the cracks, it simply made them easier to see.
If we want improved performance and creativity, we need to improve:
how we collaborate
how we communicate
how we make decisions
how we create real connection
how we protect focus and deep work
That work matters whether your team is in one building, hybrid, or fully distributed.
So, if “everyone back in the office” isn’t the lever, what is?
Here are five practical ways to lift productivity and creativity that work in any setup.
1) Agree what “good” looks like (in plain language)
Pick 3-5 outcomes that matter for the next 90 days. Not things like “be more strategic” - actual outputs, measures, and decision points.
Try this: If we fast-forward 12 weeks, what would we be proud we shipped, solved, or improved?
2) Reset meetings (less volume, more value)
If calendars look like a traffic jam, creativity dies.
Try this:
lock in two meeting-free focus blocks each week (and protect them)
shorten recurring meetings by 10-15 minutes by default
require a one-line purpose + expected decision for every invite (or don’t attend)
default to async updates unless discussion is genuinely needed
3) Clarify decision rights (so work stops stalling)
A lot of “productivity issues” are actually decision bottlenecks.
Try this:
who decides? who advises? who executes?
write it down in one sentence per decision area
if a decision keeps bouncing, assign a single owner
4) Build connection on purpose (not by accident)
If you want collaboration, you have to design for it.
Try this (hybrid or office):
pick one anchor day for co-creation (not Zoom meetings from desks)
use in-person time for messy problems, innovation, team learning, conflict repair
protect remote days for deep work, writing, analysis, delivery
5) Create working agreements that reduce friction
People don’t need more rules. They need fewer misunderstandings.
Try this:
response-time expectations (what’s “urgent” vs normal?)
where decisions get captured
what “done” looks like. Make the picture clear.
None of these require a mandate. They require intent.
Don’t be fooled that a call back to the office is what will create innovation and growth - it’s your systems that matter more.
If you’re in the middle of this conversation internally and want help turning it into a simple, practical ways-of-working reset, send us a Direct Message. We can help map what’s actually getting in the way and leave you with actions you can implement immediately.