The workplace has changed. Management hasn't. How to work better with your dispersed workforce

When Elon Musk issued his "hardcore" return to the office edict at Twitter, he showed how badly he missed the transformational shift in the way people view work. Instead of rallying the troops, hundreds of employees quit. The world had changed. Musk had not. 

Years of organizational psychology research could have predicted this outcome. He was essentially telling employees that he didn't trust them to work autonomously. That he didn't care for their well-being.

Had he heeded the data, he would have known there's a much better way. 

Managerial blind spots
As companies teeter in an uncertain economy, the last thing you want is a forced march back to the office. Especially if your company's goal is greater productivity. 

Read more: A 'flow state' can improve productivity. A BetterUp exec explains how

As Gallup found in a March 2022 study, many employees are happier, more engaged, less distracted and less prone to burnout when working from home. All of which makes them more productive, according to an array of studies by WFH Research.   

The same holds true for retaining talent. Among fully remote employees, a stunning 54% say they'll find work elsewhere if this benefit is withdrawn. 

The problem is that most managers are older and male, often without young children at home. They were raised under the concept that work is a place, not an activity that can often be done from anywhere. Which leaves them blind to employees living much different lives. 

Read more: The best benefit for 2023: A hybrid work schedule

Reinstating a commute means less time to balance the needs of family and, not surprisingly, work. People actually worked 2.5 hours more each week during the pandemic, according to data compiled by network access security service NordLayer. 

Then comes the blind spot of differing tax brackets. For lower paid workers, a return to the office means the hardship of more money spent on gas, parking, and clothes — all while enduring surging inflation. 

After over two years of working from home during COVID, it's akin to adding a tax to their terms of employment. Forgive them for looking elsewhere. Especially when an easy compromise awaits.  

The new workplace begins with trust
According to Gallup, only 8% of employees want to fully return to the office. Another 8% wish to return once every 10 days or less. The vast majority prefer a hybrid model, commuting 2-3 days a week. While it may not match executives' desire for full time, in-person collaboration and team building, the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages. 

Start with the all-important issue of trust. During COVID, we trusted people to work at home when we needed them to. Many companies registered record profits. To suddenly imply that trust was misplaced, despite evidence to the contrary, is an invitation to dust off one's resume.  

Read more: To build employee trust, lead with vulnerability and transparency in 2023

Trends like Quiet Quitting and the Great Resignation illustrate the increasing belief that employee values don't necessarily align with their employers'. By using a hybrid model, executives show they're listening and that they empathize with lives much different than their own. That they care for their peoples' happiness and well-being. The great employer-employee values divide begins to narrow.  

The key is clearly explaining to employees why some in-person time matters, and that you make that together time count, rather than merely replicating what could have been done from home.  

Certainly, it's easier to manage when everyone's under one roof. But presenteeism isn't the same as performance. The new workplace requires a fundamental shift in management philosophy and the way we view humans. The winners will be the quickest to adapt. 

'Command-and-control' doesn't work anymore
Critics counter by pointing to low performers, who need on-site supervision. But they're looking in the wrong place. Those who coast will do so whether on the couch or in the cubicle. Why are they working for you anyway?  

The real focus should be on your best and brightest, the engines to your company's success. They're motivated by trust, autonomy, and the flexibility to innovate. Take it all away just to monitor the bottom feeders, and they'll still work hard. It's in their nature. At least until they find work elsewhere. 

Read more: As 2022 comes to a close, employees are still craving remote and hybrid work

As Musk is discovering at Twitter, the command-and-control style of management no longer works. Simply making demands, without probing for what motivates workers, is proving a recipe for massive talent loss. 

Leadership, after all, is the art of creating an environment where employees can be their best. Now that the workplace has moved on, employees want more than a paycheck. They want a better life. This requires constantly adjusting to what motivates them, changing as they change. All you have to do is look at the data.