In his first week, President Trump has ordered federal employees to return to offices full-time. The announcement has added fuel to the already fiery debates on RTO. Glassdoor's CEO Christian Sutherland-Wong and Chief Worklife Expert Adam Grant recently joined CNBC's 'Squawk Box' to discuss the topic along with insights surrounding workplace flexibility, productivity, and diversity. Here are four key takeaways from their conversation about the future of work.
1. Employees may retreat from employers who neglect worker well-being
The current workplace dynamics can best be described as a "pendulum shift" between prioritizing people over performance or profits, said organizational psychologist Adam Grant. "Caring about people is the best way to drive performance," Grant explained. In addition, data reveals that employee-centric cultures often outperform traditional, strictly results-driven approaches.
2. Job seekers demand more transparent workplace cultures
Glassdoor CEO Christian Sutherland-Wong discussed the transformative change he’s seen in workplace dynamics over the years. "10 years ago, [employers] had their heads in the sand saying, ‘I hope this thing kind of goes away,’ You fast forward to today, I think employers are much more constructive," he said. "They’ve started to really understand the whole premise of the view and engaging your employees…the narrative has changed." Companies that prioritize employee satisfaction gain a competitive edge in talent acquisition and retention.
3. Workers prioritize roles with flexible work arrangements
The return-to-office movement isn't about physical presence — it's about reimagining work culture. “One of my biggest frustrations with both corporate and government policy is that people make choices based on opinion as opposed to based on evidence,” said Grant. He pointed out a study of federal workers, specifically patent examiners, which showed that remote work increased productivity. “I worry that we're not learning from that kind of evidence,” he added.
4. Employees could pull back from employers who scaled back DEI
Sutherland-Wong emphasized diversity as a business imperative, particularly in a global economy with changing demographics. "I think DEI is not just a fad that kind of began in 2020. If you go back to 18 years ago when we first started having workplace reviews, the key topics people wanted to talk about were [around] diversity," he explained. Diverse teams foster innovation and adaptability.
On the original intent of DEI, Grant added, “It was to say ‘we want to create opportunities for people who are motivated and talented but didn't have access, and we want to make sure that everybody has a sense of belonging.’ And I don't think those imperatives go away.”
Check out the full CNBC interview here.