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As the business world tries to define its post-COVID landscape, the media is full of news stories about the CEOs who want their employees to return to the office after working from home for two years. Many of these stories seem to paint these CEOs as cruel “monsters” for enacting back-to-the-office policies. But this interpretation is a mistake.  

Although working from home provides many freedoms and benefits, it is undeniable that company culture, with workplace camaraderie and creativity, has suffered from the lack of in-person interaction. As inflation rises, the economy trends toward recession, and employees continue to consider other job opportunities, these CEOs recognize the negative impact that remote work has had on their businesses—and on the vital function of company culture. Employees are much more engaged when working alongside each other and interacting socially with their colleagues in break rooms, in elevators, and in other office spaces. Such interactions are almost impossible to achieve when people are working remotely. 

For most organizations, some form of a return to the office is inevitable. There will continue to be room for hybrid work, and perhaps having everyone in the office five days a week might not make sense any more. But having employees in the office at least one day a week will be extremely beneficial to both organizations and their employees.  

How a leader frames their desires has a big impact on how their employees respond to them. No one likes to be told what to do; people prefer encouragement and a well-framed case for why they should do something. CEOs who want their employees to come back to the office need to entice them to do so. (For example, to persuade its workers to return to the office, Google is offering them free electric scooters to use as part of their work commutes.) Additionally, by focusing on the positives of having employees in the office, such as its impact on company culture and the opportunities it creates to connect with colleagues and to learn and develop, CEOs will be more likely to convince more employees to embrace the return. 

Hopefully, the media will look at the big picture and reframe how they present “return to the office” stories. Many employees actually do miss going to an office: they enjoy the routines there, the interactions with people from different departments, and the opportunities to collaborate in person. So rather than talk about “office monsters” who are forcing everyone back to their desks, perhaps the media should leave the monsters at home under the bed and instead talk about the “culture crusaders” who are motivating their employees and getting them excited to return to the workplace.