Return to Office? This Leader Treats Employees Like Adults

Initially published on Forbes Jan 8, 2025

Stop quoting CEOs debating return-to-office policies.

You’re better off learning from those who’ve already moved on and are redefining how—and where—we work.

And according to data, there are plenty of them. New research by Dr. Mark Ma and Yuye Ding from the University of Pittsburgh found only 10 U.S. firms enforcing five-day RTO policies in 2024, up from 8 in 2023. For example, Dell’s five-day RTO policy applies only to its global sales team. AT&T is the only company fully adopting Amazon’s five-day RTO plan.

The Q4 2024 Flex Index found 68% of U.S. companies now offer location flexibility, a notable shift from 2023’s near-even split between flexibility and full-time office requirements. In other words, over the past two years, more CEOs have shifted toward enabling flexibility in where employees work—not the other way around. Even in the least flexible industries like restaurants and food services, 39% of companies now offer work location flexibility for employees where it’s feasible.

So maybe it’s time to stop focusing on the few leaders clinging to outdated models and start learning from the successes—from those who are moving from best practices to next practices, innovating not only in what they’re doing but also in how they’re doing it.

Redefining Work for a Flexible Future

Jack Hidary, CEO of SandboxAQ, is one such leader. His company, valued at $5.3 billion after raising $300 million, pioneers innovative leadership approaches. In a recent conversation for an upcoming podcast, Hidary challenged the traditional RTO narrative and suggests we start treating employees like adults. “What if we stopped asking employees to return to the office and instead empowered them to decide where and how to meet?” he asked during our discussion, proceeding to suggest it’s leadership’s role to meet people where they are, and no the other way around.

This flipped model is more than just a logistical adjustment—it’s a fundamental shift in how we think about work and leadership. It redefines not only the role of the office but also how leaders approach collaboration, onboarding, and culture. And it treats employees like adults—capable of managing their time and responsibilities—while fostering a culture of accountability and alignment.

Collaboration Requires Meeting, Not Offices

As Jack Hidary explains, “If they’re already thriving in a place where they have their support structure—their friends and family, childcare, the gym they go to, their walking paths, their community—why would you want to uproot that? It just makes no sense.” Leaders are correct in recognizing the need for organic, cross-functional meetings. Rather than assuming these meetings must happen in offices, leaders should ask: What does it take to make these meetings happen?

By treating employees like adults, Hidary suggests we let them own where, when, and how these meetings should take place, and make sure they have the budgets to do so. He advocates the Three Cs approach for empowering employees to shape their work environment: Collaboration focuses on teams meeting where it best suits their goals, prioritizing outcomes over location; Customer encourages employees to embed with customers or meet at customer locations, fostering deeper relationships; and Community supports employees in their chosen environments.  

This approach does require a budget, but it leverages existing resources by reallocating funds from static office spaces to dynamic, team-chosen collaboration locations. Whether it’s a remote retreat for brainstorming or a local venue for cross-functional workshops, teams have the autonomy to decide what works best for them. This reallocation saves costs and enhances productivity by aligning meeting spaces with team needs.

Leadership as a Service: Going to Where the People Are

If the people are meeting when and where they choose, how do leaders meet them?

This question stems from traditional models that expect employees to gather where leaders are—in the office. As part of this broader shift, Hidary emphasized during the conversation, “Leaders should reverse the traditional flow: rather than employees coming to them, they should meet employees where they are.”

This approach redefines leadership as service-oriented. Senior leaders become connectors, traveling to team-chosen offsites or cross-functional meetings to build cohesion and alignment. By being present in these moments, leaders demonstrate commitment to their teams and foster trust in a way that traditional office meetings cannot achieve.

Enabling Cross-Pollination Without Centralization

The same goes for cross-functional collaboration, often cited as a reason for RTO policies. However, in the flipped model, instead of meeting in offices, teams are encouraged to cross-pollinate by attending offsites with different departments, engaging in customer-focused collaborations, or even networking externally. Hidary encourages employees to give external talks annually, fostering idea exchange and expanding networks. Employees are provided with tools and resources to design their presentations, reflecting the company’s trust in their ability to represent Sandbox AQ effectively.

This trust extends to how new hires are immersed into the company culture. Managers and team leaders are expected to own this process, identifying opportunities for new employees to participate early in team offsites and collaborative events. These interactions accelerate integration by allowing employees to connect with peers and leaders in meaningful ways, bypassing the impersonal nature of large office environments.

The True Breakthrough: From Control to Empowerment

The flipped RTO model challenges the very foundation of traditional corporate culture: control. Instead of micromanaging how and where employees work, leaders focus on empowering their teams with autonomy and trust. Outcome-driven frameworks, like OKRs (Objectives and Key Results), provide clear goals while leaving the path to success open to individual innovation.

It also puts the ownership of employee, team, and work success in the hands of direct managers. As Hidary explained, “As a leader in the company, whether you’re managing one person or a whole team, your job is to make your team succeed. That means paying attention to each person, doing one-on-ones, noticing how you can help them, and addressing challenges proactively.”

Leaders who embrace this vision can create organizations that are not only more agile and innovative but also more human-centered. By meeting employees where they are, empowering them to decide how and where to collaborate, and focusing on results rather than rigid processes, leaders can redefine work as a true partnership between people and organizations.

As the workplace continues to evolve, the question is no longer whether employees should return to the office. It’s whether leaders are ready to flip the model and meet the future of work head-on. Because the future of work is a win-win between people and organizations. Your best people work not because they have to, not because you tell them to, and not because you measure them on it. They work because they want to—because working for you is their way of achieving their purpose in life.

Note: This article includes insights from a conversation with Jack Hidary, recorded as part of “The Future Of Less Work” podcast.