Back to the future RTO: Misconceptions About Relationships and Synergies in the workplace
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"Many people around the world are back in the office, at least in a hybrid capacity. That should be good, right? Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem that way. Although many former non-essential employees have acquiesced to returning to the office (RTO), their presence has often been reluctant, and resentment is festering, particularly in low-trust environments. To their detriment, many employers are ignoring this undercurrent of bitterness—or, worse, doubling down in ways that damage trust even further. Let's explore two reasons for this disconnect.
One common justification for RTO is that being physically together is necessary for positive relationship-building. Employers claim that proximity will allow colleagues to bond easily again and that synergies will naturally be restored. Unfortunately, there are some issues with these supposed benefits, and your employees are aware of them. Let's start with the misconception about positive relationships.
First, RTO assumes that relationships formed between colleagues are always positive. That simply isn’t true. At one of my previous organizations, a director told us that the best thing to happen to her team was the pandemic’s forced remote work protocol. In all her years as their director, she had never seen her team get along as well as they did while working remotely. She said she experienced less daily stress because she no longer had to mediate their frequent bickering. For her, physical separation improved team harmony. Real relationship-building focuses on team and interpersonal dynamics, which aren’t guaranteed by physical presence. In a different job, I built great, trusted relationships with colleagues entirely over Zoom, even though we only met in person once or twice in two years. I’ve also spent years sharing physical workspaces with people without forming any close professional relationships. We’ve all had similar experiences. Add the complexities of culture, race, gender identity, geographic identity, and religion, especially if your workplace overlooks inclusivity or lacks a integration strategy, and you have even more factors that can prevent positive connection.
Next, let’s address the idea that colleagues working in the same building will naturally create synergies. In reality, they don’t—especially in low-trust environments. You may not be aware, but even within teams, there are micro-cultures beyond just distrust. There are two that I’ve encountered the most in my career. I call them “the library” and “keep it to ourselves” cultures. The library culture is just what it sounds like: you can walk through any factory, office, or institution, see rows of employees, and barely hear a word exchanged among them. Synergies generally don’t thrive in these environments (and if they do, it’s a rare occurrence worthy of Freakonomics). Then there’s the “keep it to ourselves” culture. In these spaces, small groups of employees gather, perhaps at a desk or workstation, to discuss how to help one another do their jobs better. The issue here is that these employees rarely share their insights with anyone outside their small, insular group—and certainly not with management. After all, it’s a low-trust environment.
What you can do?
Organizations and leaders would be well-served to communicate that camaraderie and synergy are not automatic outcomes of RTO. Let your teams know, whether you’ve done so or not, you are or will be strategizing ways to foster a trust-filled team environment to eventually reach the camaraderie and synergies that every one secretly wants. Being honest about the overall culture is a powerful first step in building trust. While it may not eliminate the reluctance around RTO, it can at least make the adjustment a little easier to accept.