Portrait of male CEO in large corner office, looking out the window, at sunset
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy is right. Not because back-to-the-office (RTO) is the best policy in our new era of work, but because he, like many leaders, is grappling with how to deliver success in a radically changed environment. With shareholder expectations, customer demands and an evolving workforce, CEOs like Jassy face an impossible equation: delivering short-term results while managing a workforce that resists old rules.
Why leaders feel lost without an office
For executives like Jassy, who have spent years mastering this environment, their authority and expertise are often communicated through the power dynamics of an office environment. Face-to-face conversations, strategy tables and daily office observations give them confidence that operations are running smoothly, that employees are aligned and that the culture is strong. They think that the decisions made in this environment are cohesive, responsible and, above all, effective. It is a structure that has produced reliable results, promoted innovation within a controlled space, and led to their personal advancement.
When the pandemic hit, these leaders found themselves in an unusual situation—they didn’t get the word out about transitioning to a new way of working. The pandemic forced their hands, pushing their organizations into remote work almost overnight. Leaders like Jassy adapted as best they could, but the truth is they are still figuring out how to drive success when everything they relied on has been upended. Over the past few years, they have seen the cornerstones of their leadership erode. Employee expectations shifted dramatically, and the personal office—once the foundation of corporate life—became negotiable, optional, even irrelevant for many. Remote working, hybrid models and distributed teams have disrupted these established methods.
Suddenly, leaders like Jassy are being asked to believe that the organization can thrive without everyone congregating in the same physical space. They are being challenged to inspire, engage and manage remotely, without the “control” they once relied on. This change is not only uncomfortable, but creates a feeling of vulnerability. They may feel they are sacrificing the stability, accountability, and direct supervision they believe are essential to delivering results. There is a palpable fear that the intangible aspects of work—engagement, culture, collaboration—will weaken without the gravity of the physical office.
CEOs see the future but struggle to adapt
So it’s not really surprising that as soon as in-person work became possible again, many leaders, including Jassy, are striving for what is popular. Not because they don’t understand that the world is changing, but because they lack a proven model to deliver results at scale in a fully remote or hybrid setup. The reality is that these leaders are not blind to the future; they can read the writing on the wall. These leaders are astute, having seen the macroeconomic forces and cultural trends shaping their industries for years. They know how to read the landscape and see that the workplace is being radically reshaped. They recognize that in five years, organizations will need to operate as ecosystems rather than hierarchies, managing talent that is globally distributed, with teams that dynamically form around projects. They envision a workplace driven by self-motivation and confidence, where culture needs intentional design rather than occurring naturally in the office.
But without a roadmap to get there, they’re falling back on what they know works in the short term. From their perspective, these leaders support the RTO as a decision rooted not in stubbornness but in strategic pragmatism. Despite understanding that the future points towards flexibility, they would argue that the RTO’s current mandate is about addressing immediate organizational needs and maintaining a sense of stability as they adapt.
What a CEO MUST Tell the employees about the RTO
So the real problem isn’t that they’re asking employees to return to offices, it’s that they’re not framing it as a step to provide immediate operational stability, a temporary bridge, a way to regain a sense of control as they navigate uncharted waters. . If these leaders were to openly communicate RTO as a bridge between today’s realities and tomorrow’s opportunities, positioning it as a transitional phase that keeps the organization grounded as they evolve, the message would resonate very differently.
Imagine if Amazon’s CEO aligned with his teams, acknowledging the need for today’s stability and the vision for tomorrow’s flexibility in a message like this:
- We ask you to come back to the office because we are in a transition. As an organization, we are faced with the challenge of finding new ways to deliver value in an ever-changing environment. The traditional in-person work model has its drawbacks, but it’s also been proven to deliver results that we’re still working out how to achieve remotely.
- But make no mistake – we see the future and know it is one that embraces flexibility, autonomy and hybrid models that respect the needs of employees. Our back-to-office policy is not the end goal, but a stage in our journey. Over the next few years, we will invest in the technologies, tools and structures that will allow us to operate at our best, no matter where we are.
- This is a call to action, not just to return to the office, but to help us build a new model that allows us to preserve our culture, drive innovation and achieve the results that our customers and shareholders want. wait We need your feedback, your ideas and your commitment to create a workplace that works for everyone. Together, we will move from this transitional phase to a future-ready organization that respects business needs and personal fulfillment.
Ultimately, this is the real message that employees want and management needs: not a return to the past, but a collaborative and forward-looking plan. Leaders who communicate a vision that goes beyond the RTO can transform today’s policies into stepping stones to a workplace that meets tomorrow’s demands. That means leaders who aren’t afraid to be authentic and say that while they envision a more decentralized, hybrid organization in a few years, they’re not ready to jump in there just yet. They need time to put railings in place around productivity, culture, and innovation—outcomes that are harder to control in a fully remote facility without a strong foundational structure.
Leaders must understand that the new social contract is a win-win between people and organizations. Their best people work not because they have to, not because they are told to, and not because they measure up to it. They work because they want to. Because working towards what they are trying to achieve together is their way of achieving their purpose in life.