WFH and hybrid aren’t perks anymore. They’re the standard. Across industries, companies figured out that flexibility drives better output, better retention, and better talent. The only places still clinging to strict five-day mandates are the ones falling behind.
Forcing people back five days a week doesn’t create culture. It doesn’t create collaboration. It creates resentment. And when you measure badge swipes instead of results, you get exactly what you’re asking for — people doing the minimum required to check the box.
Pair that with a compensation model where effort barely moves the needle, and the incentive is obvious. Stop pushing. Stop caring. Just show up.
That’s how you lose your best people without even realizing it. They don’t argue. They just leave.
You don’t build the future of a company by ignoring the market, ignoring your workforce, and doubling down on a model everyone else has already moved past.