Tech employers are calling their teams back to the office full-time, but it’s a misguided attempt—and a long-outdated tactic—for innovation. Businesses will get the best of both worlds by investing in their leaders and hosting in-person events for collaborative learning.
There’s no point in speculating about remote work versus in-office attendance because we already have the data. 98% of employees want to remain remote where they feel more creative and less burnt out. There’s a mutual benefit too: companies with flexible work models see 63% more innovation.
Employers who ignore the stats will find out the hard way what happens to engagement and culture when mandates come into play. Years post-pandemic, we’re seeing tech giants like Amazon issue the call for employees to return to the office five days a week, to “invent, collaborate and be connected.” Amazon isn’t wrong to seek innovation, collaboration, and culture from in-person interactions—but to point the finger at remote work and see full-time in the office as a cure-all isn’t the right answer either.
We’re met with conflicting data at this crossroads: employees want remote work and flexibility to stay and are drastically less engaged when forced back into the office, but 87% believe the office is important for collaborating and building relationships. The obvious answer might be a hybrid approach, but that’s not feasible for remote-first companies or teams that attract talent from across the country. Or even companies that don’t want to implement a mandatory minimum and leave the choice to their employees.
How can tech companies maintain a truly flexible work model and still reap the benefits of in-office culture and collaboration? And, how do they do it without corralling employees against their will?
That’s the question we asked ourselves at Redbrick, and the result was our annual Leaders Summit. We bring together all tiers of management across our entire portfolio of companies for a three-day in-person event. Over those three days, we host speakers and run workshops to inspire, connect, and equip leaders with the strategies they need to accelerate growth. This year, we focused on building the right team, focusing on execution over perfection, and leveraging data for faster decision-making.
Think of it like a sprint—you’re giving employees focused time, set aside from everyday work responsibilities to focus solely on upskilling as managers, as contributors, and forward-thinking members of your industry.
After our 2023 Leaders Summit, 84% of our leaders strongly agreed the event was a valuable experience, whether they took something away from the workshops, were inspired by another leader, or enjoyed the time to build team relationships.
This year, we doubled down on the Leaders Summit and it paid off. 97% of our leaders strongly agreed the event was valuable to them.
As an employer, it was valuable to us too. We watched as our team connected organically, solved problems that stretched across multiple departments, and learned from industry experts. We invested in our team and they invested in us.
Upskilled managers have 22% higher engagement and 28% lower turnover. Upskilling, peer learning support, and strengths-based leadership are all folded into the fabric of events like a Leaders Summit. And the truth that some tech companies seem unwilling to recognize, is that these conversations don’t happen around a water cooler.
Similarly, innovation doesn’t just spring up on the sides of desks. Innovation has to become ingrained in company culture—and that requires a more creative approach than herding all your employees into the same space. Employers aren’t wrong to be seeking in-person connections between their teams. But they can achieve it more meaningfully by breaking out of an all-or-nothing mindset. Employers who maintain hybrid working aren’t exempt. Every employer, regardless of their working model, needs to ensure they have ways to intentionally connect people. The key to facilitating collaboration is intentionality.
If a job can be done remotely, aside from the innovative collaboration so many tech companies are in search of—then the job can still be done remotely. It’s that second piece; that is our job as employers to make room for.
Is it possible that focused sprint time, dedicated to problem-solving and upskilling, is better than expecting employees to do it on their own time?
Christine Tatham is the Chief People Officer at Redbrick.
