If your job involves managing others, you probably have to create or follow policies about where employees work. A decade ago, working from home was uncommon. Most employees still went to an office or production facility or laboratory. The last pandemic changed that for everyone whose job didn’t require maintaining equipment or interacting with the public.
More recently, large employers have told employees they must return to the workplace. Executives talk about collaboration and productivity. But surveys show that forcing employees back to the office doesn’t make companies more profitable.
Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, with Ph.D. candidates Marissa Shandell and Courtney Elliott, published an opinion piece in the New York Times titled “The Secret Reason Bosses Want Everyone Back in the Office, Every Day of the Week.” Their research paper in Science Direct says there is a clear correlation between executives’ opposition to remote work and narcissistic traits.
Where employees work is just one example. We encourage you to think about any number of policies you can influence or change. How many of them exist to protect power, reinforce hierarchy, reduce employee autonomy or limit independent decision making? Do you see any conflicts between what’s good for the people on your team or for the organization, and what’s good for senior management—or for you?