Sentinel Net Lease’s Post

“Time to get your butt back in the office.” – Your CEO, probably   Amazon announced that staff are to completely return to office (RTO) in 2025.   This is a notable trend. - Boeing - Goldman Sachs - UPS - Tesla Are all following suit. Expect the list to grow substantially.   According to KPMG’s 2024 CEO Outlook: — 83% of CEOs expect a full RTO within the next 3 years, up from 64% just a year ago   What’s driving this? As job growth slows, employers are gaining leverage again.   CEOs are betting that in-office collaboration will drive innovation and culture. The data backs this up: — 90% of CEOs plan to reward employees who RTO with promotions and key assignments   For commercial real estate, this signals fresh demand for high-quality offices.   The office is regaining importance as a strategic asset, especially as companies try to support culture and long-term growth.   It’s one of the pillars of Sentinel's investment strategy. But productivity is playing a major role in this.   Employees often argue they’re more productive at home - but is that really the case?   On average, work from home productivity can be 30-40% lower compared to working in the office, particularly for jobs requiring collaboration and innovation (World Economic Forum).   Anecdotally, visit your local pickleball court at 11am on a Tuesday and you'll wonder where all these 28-year-old retirees came from... Oh, the benefits of remote work! — What do you all think? Are leaders right to be calling their staff back? What does this mean for the CRE sector?

Is it just us or does it look like more companies are requiring that their employees spend more time in the office? From the recent announcement by Amazon's CEO that their employees will be returning to the office five days a week, to the federal government mandating a minimum three days a week in the workplace (four days a week for managers), to this article that highlights a KPMG study showing that 64% of CEOs worldwide think everyone will be back in the office by 2026, the RTO momentum is definitely heading in the right direction!  #rto #returntooffice #cre #commercialrealestate https://bit.ly/3ZZ37xY

Is your business RTO to boost “spontaneous idea generation” ? The RTO (Return To Office) versus WFH (Work From Home) Wars are fascinating! We know that these boardroom debates are not new. They have been going on for the last 3 years. I am watching  the clash that’s recently come to the fore with Amazon in USA. They have  ordered their corporate staff to all come back to the office five days a week from the beginning of 2025. Apparently ,73% percent of Amazon employees are now considering switching jobs.  Hmmmm this is interesting. Flip this statistic  on its head, and think about this from another perspective.  MAYBE that’s exactly what Amazon wants?  Maybe this ‘back-to-office’ call is an easy way to slash their headcount without paying severance or retrenchment . Other companies in USA are asking their employees to come back three days a week: Microsoft, Apple, CitiBank, and Goldman Sachs. KPMG.’s research is showing that CEOs who expect companies will shift to full-time in-office work in the next three years jumped to 83% from 64% the last year. Is your team working ‘hybrid’? What’s your plan for 2025?  The argument for RTO ignites ‘spontaneous idea generation”, which leads to innovative thinking, which in turn can boost team collaboration ,and strengthen business culture. Will fulltime in the office stimulate this? Or are there other alternatives? My suggestion is to think imaginatively about HOW and ‘IN WHAT VARIOUS WAY/S’ you can #BounceForward and improve the many measures of team collaboration, and business performance. #WFHVersusRTO #BounceForward #PeoplePerformance #TeamCollaboration

Is it just me or does it look like more companies are requiring that their employees spend more time in the office? From the recent announcement by Amazon's CEO that their employees will be returning to the office five days a week, to the federal government mandating a minimum three days a week in the workplace (four days a week for managers), to this article that highlights a KPMG study showing that 64% of CEOs worldwide think everyone will be back in the office by 2026, the RTO momentum is definitely heading in the right direction! #rto #returntooffice #cre #commercialrealestate https://bit.ly/3ZZ37xY

Step By Step, Inch By Inch While people who work remotely generally sing its praises & don’t want to return to the office full-time, it’s beginning to seem as if more & more CEOs don’t care. Companies like Dell & Amazon already have mandated full returns (Dell gave workers just 4 days notice) – & a new KPMG report shows 9-in-10 corporate CEOS may soon lure workers back to the office 5 days a week with promises of "favorable assignments, raises & promotions.”  That means career punishment for workers who don’t return – a passive/aggressive way of forcing compliance. While many studies show people working hybrid schedules are no less productive compared to full-time office workers, CEOs (perhaps living in “executive nostalgia”) believe creativity, collaboration, learning – & even performance – is better in the office. Consequently, CEOs seem more & more likely to end the discussion & return their companies to pre-pandemic norms. https://lnkd.in/gbeTij6A

The recent directive by Amazon’s CEO Andy Jassy that all its white-collar staff be expected at their desks full-time from January 2 next hasn’t gone down all that well, as one might expect. Responses from Amazon’s people have likened it to “an abdication of our role as one of the world’s most innovative companies”, and “silencing critical perspectives and damaging our culture”. Ouch. This recent episode of the ABC podcast "This Working Life" examines what’s behind Amazon and other large organisations electing to leave behind hybrid work arrangements in favour of the “command and control” return to full-time in the office. As with everything, there is nuance behind these decisions. Maybe some companies never took hybrid seriously, and didn’t invest sufficiently to help make it work. Maybe there are genuine productivity problems that need addressing. Maybe the leadership are tired of paying expensive rents for rows of empty desks. Maybe they just don’t sufficiently trust their people. What we do know though, is that it’s very difficult to put a genie back in a bottle. Hybrid working, in my view, is the biggest step forward for trusted knowledge workers in a generation. Many well-paid and marketable people now expect a flexible offering as part of any new work opportunity. We also know from extensive research, and personal experience, that knowledge workers crave autonomy, variety (including work settings), and above all, to be trusted. Are these “return to office” directives just another meander in our working lives, or is the hybrid era seriously under threat? What do you think? https://lnkd.in/gK7VJXm4 #HybridWorking #Trust #Productivity #OrganisationalCulture #KnowledgeWorkers #Leadership #CadenceLeadershipAdvisory Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) 🎤 Lisa Leong

With Amazon’s recent decision to bring employees back to the office five days a week, it re-sparks questions about how organisations should approach flexibility. In a recent NBR - National Business Review article, I shared some thoughts on this: 💡 At Humankind, we find flexibility is one of the top 3 priorities for employees, especially in knowledge-based environments. 💡 Even in this market, top talent always has options, and having a level of flexibility can help maintain a competitive employee value prop. 💡 This shift reflects a broader movement—from a goods-based economy to a knowledge-based one, with many households having two full-time working people. The value of building an exceptional, flexible team has never been higher! Finding a balance between employees’ desire for flexibility and an organisation’s strategic goals requires a reexamination of the kinds of work that need to be done in person, rhythms, meetings, and tools. We do this constantly for ourselves at Humankind and still, I was reflecting the other day and realised our business has changed so much over the last six months. We need to adjust our ways of working again to support this. There's a lot of data showing hybrid firms outperform those fully co-located. A permanent call back to the office five days/week requires a compelling reason 'why' and I haven't seen this yet. Has anyone else?

Return to Office: Progress or Regress? I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when I saw Amazon's latest move. They're mandating a full-time return to office come January. But that's not all - they're also planning to increase the employee-to-manager ratio and flatten the org structure. Their claim? It'll speed things up and cut down on red tape. https://zurl.co/KzFq Now, I'm all for efficiency, but something doesn't quite add up here. Is this really about streamlining operations, or is there more to the story? In the age of remote work, RTO mandates aren’t just about where you sit—it's about who stays. Are we witnessing corporate clarity or calculated culling? Harvard's Prithwiraj Choudhury hit the nail on the head when he called it "regressive leadership." He pointed out that companies often use these tactics as a sneaky way to trim their workforce without the PR nightmare of layoffs. Here's my take: It's high time we cut through the corporate jargon and get real. If there are business challenges, let's talk about them openly. If performance isn't up to par, let's address it head-on. And if we need to reassess our staffing? Well, let's have that conversation too. Action steps for leaders: 1. Be transparent about your business goals and challenges. 2. Clearly communicate performance expectations and metrics. 3. Involve your team in discussions about resource allocation and work arrangements. 4. Consider flexible solutions that balance business needs with employee preferences. Remember, your team isn't just a bunch of names on a spreadsheet. They're real people with real lives. Treat them with respect, and you might be surprised at the loyalty and productivity you inspire. What are your thoughts on this? Have you experienced similar mandates in your workplace? Let's chat in the comments! #ReturnToOffice, #RTO, #CorporateCulture, #RemoteWork, #LeadershipTransparency

Return to Office: Progress or Regress? I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when I saw Amazon's latest move. They're mandating a full-time return to office come January. But that's not all - they're also planning to increase the employee-to-manager ratio and flatten the org structure. Their claim? It'll speed things up and cut down on red tape. https://zurl.co/KzFq Now, I'm all for efficiency, but something doesn't quite add up here. Is this really about streamlining operations, or is there more to the story? In the age of remote work, RTO mandates aren’t just about where you sit—it's about who stays. Are we witnessing corporate clarity or calculated culling? Harvard's Prithwiraj Choudhury hit the nail on the head when he called it "regressive leadership." He pointed out that companies often use these tactics as a sneaky way to trim their workforce without the PR nightmare of layoffs. Here's my take: It's high time we cut through the corporate jargon and get real. If there are business challenges, let's talk about them openly. If performance isn't up to par, let's address it head-on. And if we need to reassess our staffing? Well, let's have that conversation too. Action steps for leaders: 1. Be transparent about your business goals and challenges. 2. Clearly communicate performance expectations and metrics. 3. Involve your team in discussions about resource allocation and work arrangements. 4. Consider flexible solutions that balance business needs with employee preferences. Remember, your team isn't just a bunch of names on a spreadsheet. They're real people with real lives. Treat them with respect, and you might be surprised at the loyalty and productivity you inspire. What are your thoughts on this? Have you experienced similar mandates in your workplace? Let's chat in the comments! #ReturnToOffice, #RTO, #CorporateCulture, #RemoteWork, #LeadershipTransparency

Yesterday, Amazon announced a 5-day return to office policy starting January 2025, coupled with plans for headcount reduction. The implication? Returning to the office will magically streamline management, making it possible to eliminate headcount (and those human needs that come with human employees), while simultaneously solving all productivity and innovation challenges. I think they are oversimplifying some pretty complex factors. Let's review what RTO doesn't fix: 🌱✨💼 Engagement: Stems from meaningful work and growth opportunities, not physical presence. Forcing people back doesn't automatically increase their commitment or passion. 🎯✅⏰🚫 Productivity: Driven by clear goals and effective processes, not office occupancy. Judging effectiveness by hours at a desk often leads to poor, inequitable assessments. 💡🌈🧠🔓 Innovation: Fueled by diverse perspectives and psychological safety, not shared desk space. Creativity thrives when people feel empowered, not constrained.  🗣️🕰️🔍🌍 Communication: Clarity and frequency matter more than proximity. Making the implicit explicit is key, regardless of location. Assuming colocation automatically resolves miscommunication is a fallacy. 🧭🤝🌐🔑Management: Skills for managing dispersed teams are simply best management practices. Vision and trust transcend location. Good managers adapt to any work environment. 🌱🤲🏢 Culture: Defined by shared values and behaviors, not office presence. Forced returns often undermine the empowerment leaders seek to create, potentially damaging culture instead of strengthening it. 🌟🔄🏡📅Talent Retention: Flexibility is a key attractor in today's job market. Rigid policies will drive away top talent seeking better work-life integration. 🛡️🗣️🆓🚫🏢Psychological Safety: The freedom to voice opinions and be authentic isn't guaranteed by proximity. Forced RTO might actually reduce psychological safety for some employees, hindering collaboration and innovation. The future of work is about alignment, growth, adaptation, connection, and trust—not location. Focus on fostering innovation and resilience, not mandating presence. At REworking Leadership, I use the SHIFT framework (Security, Horizon, Impact, Fluidity, Ties) to help organizations navigate these complexities. It's a reminder that success comes from creating safety, fostering growth, measuring impact, adapting to change, and building connections—wherever work happens. For a deeper dive into why RTO isn't the panacea many believe it to be, check out my latest Substack post linked below. #FutureOfWork #Leadership #RTO #SHIFTframework #AdaptiveLeadership #StopTheGreatRegression