RTO Needs to be a Magnet Not a Mandate

Plain and simple, leaders at Neiman Marcus Group (NMG) get it.  After filing for bankruptcy during the COVID pandemic, the company became remote-first, allowing employees to work from anywhere, with no in-office requirement.  They also permanently downsized their corporate offices in Texas, which were re-designed to appeal to workers who choose to drop in at their leisure.

The Dallas corporate hub has been retrofitted for 70% collaborative space and 30% individual space.  It can fit 800 people at any given time, and no one – not even executives – has a permanent desk.  The theory?  With shared-use and connection spaces that serve employees’ needs, people will ‘come together’ in Dallas because they want to, not because they’re required to.

Compare this approach with the one taken by IBM, Google, Amazon, Meta, Apple, Chase and millions of other companies that are sticking with unpopular Return-to-Office (RTO) mandates.  Their results?  Ninety-nine percent of companies that had an RTO mandate saw a drop in employee satisfaction.  Ninety-nine percent…

Is the jury out on the correlation between productivity and work location?  Yes, you can find data to support that employees are more productive at home and the office.  It depends on who you ask.

Buy there’s no denying the fact that there’s a correlation between employee engagement and work location.  Neiman Marcus’ flexible workplace policy has led to a 34% improvement in employee engagement and a 31 percent improvement in time to hire for new roles.  Why?  Flexibility is a top attraction and engagement/retention driver.

What Can You Do?  If your organization wants to succeed in the long run, you must be flexible and build a work culture that meets the needs of your employees.  It’s that simple.  RTO mandates are toxic – they lead to mistrust in leadership and an environment ripe for employees to revolt.  The choice is yours.