The return-to-office debate has become a noisy distraction. Senior leaders in large organisations are often the loudest voices, calling for blanket mandates that force people back to their desks. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: being able to see people in the office doesn’t mean they’re being productive.
Walk around any open-plan office and you’ll see it: people scrolling the news, shopping online, or — most commonly — sitting on Teams calls. And often when I say “on Teams calls,” I mean they’ve dialled in, left their mic muted, and are half-listening while doing something else.
Presenteeism has always been a poor proxy for output. As far back as 2016, I told my teams: “If I think that you being in the office means you’re automatically being productive, I’m living in a fantasy world.”
Rows of employees at desks may reassure a manager pacing the floor, but they reveal nothing about whether meaningful work is being done. And in an era where AI is transforming how work gets done, clinging to outdated measures of productivity is not just unhelpful — it’s dangerous.
The Wrong Debate
The question isn’t remote vs. office. It’s how do we enable people to be more productive? Location is a variable, not the solution.
Blanket return-to-office policies risk indulging the worst instincts of leaders who lack the skills to manage in a hybrid context. Rather than learning to set clear goals, build trust, and measure outcomes, these leaders default to control: “If I can see you, I know you’re working.” But leadership in the 21st century demands more.
Leaders in 2025 need to learn to leverage technology to build culture, manage time and workload, and inspire performance without relying on physical presence.
The office still has a role to play, but leaders must make it a place people want to go — a hub for collaboration, creativity, and connection — not a place they’re forced to commute to simply so a manager can keep watch.
We’ve been talking about lifelong learning for over a decade. It’s not acceptable for senior leaders to stop developing their skills and demand that everyone else work the way they did when they started their careers. The world has moved on.
It’s been five years since the pandemic accelerated this shift. If you’re a leader who hasn’t yet adapted, you need to ask yourself why. You’ve had plenty of time to learn to swim; demanding that the water stop rising is no strategy.
The AI Shift
A more profound change is already underway — one that has nothing to do with where people sit, and everything to do with how they work.
Microsoft research has shown that an individual using AI can outperform an entire team working without it. That single finding should make every leader pause.
If you’re still trapped in the past — insisting your teams come in so you can watch them work — chances are you’re also among the 60% of workers and leaders who have yet to meaningfully adopt AI.
But here’s the reality: if large portions of your workforce are spending 40 hours a week in the office without integrating AI into their workflows, they — and you — are on the fast track to irrelevance. Just as Excel mastery in the early 2000s reshaped careers, AI fluency will now redefine them. Those who know how to automate and augment with AI will quickly outpace those who don’t, regardless of where they sit.
Teams and leaders who fail to embrace AI won’t just be less productive. They’ll be obsolete.
What Leaders Need to Do
If leaders want to build truly productive organisations, they must stop arguing about location and start building the skills that matter:
- Redefine productivity – Stop measuring presence. Start measuring outcomes. Focus on what people achieve, not whether you can see them achieving it.
- Invest in hybrid leadership skills – Learn how to build trust, coach performance, and inspire people you don’t see every day. It can be done. I’ve seen it, and I’ve done it.
- Champion AI adoption – Create space for experimentation, learning, and application of AI tools. Build channels where teams can share openly, show curiosity, and learn from one another.
- Model adaptability – Show that you’re willing to unlearn old habits and embrace new ones. Don’t insist on “the way things used to be.” Recognise the shadow you cast when you do.
A Call to Action
The workplace is already hybrid. The technology is already here. The question is whether leaders are willing to catch up.
Those who equate visibility with productivity will end up with offices full of busy people delivering average results. Those who embrace hybrid leadership and AI will unlock a step-change in effectiveness — individuals and teams doing more meaningful work, faster, and with greater impact.
It’s time to stop debating where work happens and start focusing on how leaders can create the conditions for productivity in the world we actually live in: hybrid, digital, and AI-powered.
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