Companies are reluctant to give up their 9-to-5 in-person schedules for"more emotional than intellectual reasons," says Kaplan.
CEOs also justify their stance with the belief that workers are more productive in the office. Amazon's Andy Jassy, for example,that"it's easier to learn, model, practice and strengthen our culture when we're in the office together most of the time and surrounded by colleagues." "The individual free-for-all work policy doesn't work," says Brian Elliott, an executive advisor on flexibility and the founder of the research consortium Future Forum."There really is some benefit to getting people together on a regular basis to drive relationship-building, mentorship and collaboration."
"I think the concept of spending five days a week in the office is dead," says Elliott."That top-down, one-size-fits-all approach can lead to a lot of resentment among workers."