Leadership Kung Fu · Sandi Verrecchia and Jennifer T Long, Business coaches

58 - Leading Hybrid and Remote

·33 min·3 clips

Leaders are mandating five-day workweeks while employees still love hybrid work, creating a flashpoint for companies.

This episode focuses on the ongoing debate around hybrid and remote work policies from a leadership perspective. Hosts Sandy Varekia of Satori Consulting and Jennifer Long of ONAP are leadership consultants who examine this workplace flashpoint. They frame leadership challenges through the metaphor of Kung Fu, emphasizing discipline and patience. The hosts reference a KPMG survey indicating 79% of CEOs anticipate a full return to five-day in-office work by 2027. They cite specific mandates, like the Canadian government requiring employees back five days a week and Amazon's stance for office employees. Conversely, they note 20% of Australian employers have no office attendance requirements. The discussion covers the financial lens of office costs, suggesting some companies treat rent as a variable cost by renting out unused desk space. They explore the tension between equity—treating everyone the same—and tailoring policies to how different teams' work is best accomplished. The conversation touches on massive layoffs in the U.S. and Canada potentially shifting employee willingness to comply with office mandates. A key insight is that forcing a return can backfire, with data showing it increases employee disengagement. The hosts argue the core issue is often managers' capabilities, not physical presence, and advocate for investing in leadership training. They list new workplace terms like "coffee badging," "quiet vacationing," and "productivity theater" as symptoms of problematic policies. They suggest creative alternatives to a fixed office, like funding team summits or off-sites to build culture. The hosts emphasize that effective decision-making requires including middle managers in the conversation, as they are closest to the actual work. They conclude that hybrid work is an investment in culture, not just policy, and warn of deep, long-lasting negative impacts from poorly handled mandates. The tone is conversational and advisory, blending personal anecdotes with references to surveys and current events. The style is educational, offering practical tips for leaders while critiquing common corporate approaches. This episode is ideal for managers, HR professionals, and executives navigating return-to-office decisions or seeking to improve hybrid team dynamics. Listeners interested in workplace trends and leadership development will find it valuable. Those seeking a highly structured, data-heavy analysis or a debate with opposing viewpoints might find it less suited to their needs.

As heard by us

Hybrid work comes through as a leadership problem, not just a scheduling one.

This episode treats hybrid work less as a scheduling argument and more as a test of leadership judgment. Sandy Varekia and Jen Long keep asking what problem leaders are trying to solve when they push for office time, especially while layoffs, job insecurity, and tariff…

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Why you'd press play

You need a sharper way to think about hybrid work under real pressure.

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