Dr. Gleb Tsipursky – The Office Whisperer
Nirit Cohen – WorkFutures
Angela Howard – Culture Expert
Drew Jones – Design & Innovation
Jonathan Price – CRE & Flex Expert
- Employers risk creating dissatisfaction and disengagement by demanding a return to office after remote work flexibility has become the norm.
- Successful hybrid policies require analyzing tasks to determine which need in-person collaboration and which thrive remotely, focusing on results over office time.
- Rigid hybrid policies and lack of remote work tools can lead to low morale, but transparency and pilot programs offer better solutions.
The resistance to growing pressure to return to the office is impossible to ignore. In fact, when faced with a return to the office mandate, data show 51% of workers would quit immediately.
For many employees, the newfound freedom and flexibility of working remotely have transformed their daily routines and expectations. So, when companies push to reverse this change, the backlash can be swift — and costly.
We spoke to Dr. Gleb Tsipursky, The New York Times lauded “Office Whisperer” who helps leaders successfully maneuver through hybrid work challenges, to understand the challenges organizations face in designing hybrid work policies — and to find solutions.
Resistance to Hybrid Policies: Understanding the Core Issues
According to Dr. Tsipursky, one of the main drivers of resistance to hybrid work policies is because of the way that employees have comfortably adapted to remote work.
Over the past few years, employees have experienced the freedom and flexibility that remote work provides, and many now see this as the new normal.
Abruptly reversing this transition can lead to dissatisfaction, burnout, and disengagement.
“Many organizations underestimate how profoundly remote and hybrid arrangements have shaped employees’ daily lives,” Dr. Tsipursky explained. “There’s often a growing expectation that flexibility is the new norm, so any abrupt mandate for employees to come back onsite can be perceived as disregarding the well-being, autonomy, and productivity gains many have experienced working remotely.”
For businesses, this resistance is often exacerbated when policies focus on surface-level logistics, such as specifying how many days employees should be in the office — without considering the deeper emotional and psychological needs of the workforce.
“The main pitfall for businesses is focusing on the number of days employees must be in the office rather than building a culture of mutual trust and support,” Dr. Tsipursky said.
Balancing Flexibility and In-Office Collaboration
Achieving the right balance between flexibility and in-office collaboration is essential for creating a hybrid model that actually works.
Dr. Tsipursky suggests that businesses need to take a thoughtful, data-driven approach to understand which tasks require in-person collaboration and which can be performed remotely.
“It’s not enough to simply designate ‘collaboration days’ in the office if there’s no genuine alignment on which activities actually require face-to-face interaction,” he said. “Instead, successful models emphasize analyzing role-specific tasks to determine which truly benefit from an in-person environment — brainstorming, creative problem-solving, or sensitive conversations — versus those that thrive remotely, such as deep-focus work or routine reporting.”
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By focusing on results rather than time spent in the office, companies can move away from outdated productivity metrics and toward a performance-based model.
“I’ve seen that companies do well when they establish measurable performance outcomes rather than time-based attendance. This fosters a shared understanding that time in the office isn’t what drives success; it’s the quality of collaboration and the genuine results achieved,” Dr. Tsipurskys said.
Common Mistakes in Hybrid Policy Design
Given the high personal and professional stakes, designing a hybrid work policy is not without its pitfalls. One of the most common mistakes, according to Dr. Tsipursky, is adopting a rigid stance without providing flexibility.
“Even if employees comply initially, a mandated approach often leads to diminished morale and elevated turnover over time,” he warns.
Another mistake that organizations often make is failing to invest in the technology and training necessary for remote work to function effectively. Dr. Tsipursky stresses that for hybrid work to thrive, companies need to ensure that employees are equipped with the right tools and skills to communicate and collaborate virtually.
“A distributed workforce only prospers if it has reliable tools and the skills to use them effectively, whether for virtual communication, project management, or real-time collaboration,” he said.
Transparency about the rationale behind hybrid policies is also critical. When employees understand why certain decisions are being made, they are more likely to trust the process and feel motivated to engage.
Handling Differing Opinions Among Leadership Teams
In many organizations, leadership teams struggle to find common ground on the best approach to hybrid work. Some executives prioritize maximum flexibility, while others insist on a full return to the office or a more rigid hybrid structure.
Dr. Tsipursky advises that achieving consensus in these situations requires objective data and structured dialogue.
One effective strategy is to pilot small-scale variations of hybrid policies. Dr. Tsipursky recommends testing different approaches and gathering continuous feedback from employees to assess their impact.
“Leadership teams that invest in a short, well-facilitated pilot phase, accompanied by continuous feedback loops, typically find a middle path that blends flexibility with on-site synergy — and then have the data to back it up,” he explained.
Basically, a short, well-facilitated pilot phase gives executives the opportunity to gather insights that can lead to a more balanced and effective policy.
Designing a Hybrid Work Policy That Works
The future of work will undoubtedly involve some form of hybrid work structure, but achieving the right balance between flexibility and collaboration is not a simple, one-dimensional solution.
By taking a thoughtful, data-driven approach, businesses can craft hybrid policies that align with employee needs while still achieving their unique organizational goals.
In the end, Dr. Tsipursky’s key guidance is clear: creating a thriving hybrid model hinges on cultivating trust, investing in the right tools, and prioritizing measurable outcomes over rigid attendance policies.
By steering clear of common missteps and embracing a culture of collaborative leadership, companies can conquer the challenges of hybrid work and lay the groundwork for lasting success.
