Return to office? LOL
Hi ya,
Sooo I have a hot take, and if you’ve listened to me for more than five seconds, it won’t surprise you:
I don’t care if you work from the beach, the couch, or a spaceship, as long as the work gets done!
And if I’m being too trusting? Cool, I’ll deal. 🤷♀️
But forcing people into the office just to prove they’re working?! It’s giving micromanagement. It’s giving we don’t trust our employees.
I do love in-person events a few times a year but every day I’m meh on.
This week’s ✨ mood boost ✨ takes a rare break from AI to revisit the RTO debate!
Also…I lowkey think it would be really cool to write my newsletter sitting in a spaceship all of a sudden.
Let the discussions begin! 🚀
🗞️ Here’s the Tea:Copy anchor linkCopied
🚗 AT&T CEO issues ultimatum: “Return to office full-time or leave”
The TL;DR: AT&T CEO John Stankey told employees to return to the office full-time or leave, ending the company’s hybrid work model. Despite acknowledging a drop in engagement, he’s standing firm, calling the move essential for AT&T’s culture shift and operational transformation. It’s not a suggestion… it’s a mandate, and there’s no wiggle room.
My POV: Listen, not every company can (or should) be fully remote forever, especially in complex, customer-facing operations.
BUT, there’s a difference between leading a cultural transformation and issuing an ultimatum that reads like, “Get in or get out.”
If people are performing, collaborating, and hitting goals from home, why force them into a cubicle just to prove a point?
Not every job needs to be remote, but blanket mandates ignore the nuance, kill trust, and send a clear message: we don’t care how you work best, we just want to see you sitting here. 😑
When engagement drops and good talent walks, guess who’s left cleaning up the morale mess and trying to rebuild trust? (Hi, it’s you. It’s always you.)
🎙️ Mic Drop Moment:Copy anchor linkCopied
“People can smell BS from a mile away. If you’re not authentic, they’ll know.”Copy anchor linkCopied
On the mic this week: Joel Lalgee is an internationally known recruiting leader and coach who's built a powerhouse personal brand across LinkedIn, TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram—reaching nearly 900K followers and racking up over 2 billion views. Through his agency and coaching work, he's helped thousands of recruiters grow their brands by staying real and rejecting the fake-it-till-you-make-it playbook.
Pin this:
- Remote ≠ One-Size-Fits-All: Don’t say you’re pro-remote for headlines, then walk it back—just be honest.
- Authenticity Wins Long-Term: Joel’s entire brand was built on being himself, not what he thought a recruiter should look or sound like.
- Reps Matter: Creating content consistently and improving over time is the secret sauce. Perfection is not required.
- You Don’t Need to Be for Everyone: Your content should repel the wrong people just as much as it attracts the right ones.
My H*ly Sh*t Moment: When Joel said “If you were just saying remote work is the future because it was trendy, then reversed it, you didn’t just change your mind, you destroyed trust,” I felt that in my bones.
So many leaders forget that employees have receipts!
And Gen Z? They're not here for that bait-and-switch energy.
▶️ Press Play
📊 Data Is My Love Language:Copy anchor linkCopied
Stat: Six in 10 employees with remote-capable jobs want a hybrid work arrangement. About one-third prefer fully remote work, and less than 10% prefer to work on-site.
My spiral: TBH, this stat doesn’t surprise me, but it should shake a few more execs awake.
Employees aren’t just passively accepting flexible work. They’re actively choosing it!
And when there’s a disconnect between what leadership mandates and what employees value, guess who’s updating their résumé?
If your culture doesn’t reflect how people want to work, you’re not just behind, you’re replaceable.
🛠️ In Your Toolkit Copy anchor linkCopied
Wondering how to conquer the toughest challenges HR is facing in 2025 and beyond?
Presenting ✨ The Safe Space Summit ✨
The go-to event for HR leaders trying to decode work, the world, and all the beautifully messy stuff in between.
The deets:
- One day IRL in Chicago, IL
- No boring long panels or keynotes
- Every session touches on a challenge we’re facing and how to solve it
I’ve secured some of the brightest minds I know to talk about these challenges, like:
And more to come!!
Sessions include: HR’s Reality Check, Leading Through Wild Times, The CEO/CPO Relationship, The Performance Problem and AI in Use.
We're diving into how to solve our toughest problems and you'll walk away with real solutions, tips, and use cases to explore.
Are you a VP-level or above and leading your People Strategy? You won't want to miss this 1-day event.
🗣️ UNMUTE YOURSELF
We’ve been conditioned to feel guilty anytime we’re not “producing” something, like rest, joy, or just being isn’t enough.
This is especially the case in HR, where the to-do list never ends, and it’s easy to tie our worth to output, but pause with me for a second:
“How do you define success outside of productivity?”
🛠️ TRY THIS TOMORROW:
You know those people who just get 💩 done without needing applause, airtime, or a five-slide update deck?
The ones who are steady, reliable, and probably keeping half your team afloat without making a fuss? Yeah, those folks.
“Tomorrow, send a gratitude Slack to someone who’s been quietly killing it—no context, just appreciation.”
👂 OVERHEARD IN SAFE SPACE
Sounds like a nightmare out of Stars Hallow!
Feel like you’re going through something similar?
Grab a spot in Safe Space and chime in!
See ya on Friday!
