The Office Vendetta
Why leaders Kvetch instead of offering a Carrot
Monday 25 March. Good Day to you, whatever time zone you are in.
A brief one from me as I’m heading into the studio to record extracts of my forthcoming book Working Assumptions exclusively for subscribers. Before I get to that, some headlines on a Monday on - what else - the politics of returning to the office.
“The book with its finger on the pulse of the world of work. Things are shifting fast - read Working Assumptions if you want to know what’s happening and what matters right now” - Herminia Ibarra, Charles Handy Professor of Organizational Behaviour, London Business School pre-order now
You would think that this topic has been exhausted. I’m exhausted by it, certainly. But not so. Dell is telling its employees that they can kiss goodybye to promotion if they work remotely. The Times of India reports that they are not alone: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is also waving the big stick, with “consequences” being threatened by its boss NG Subramaniam, apparently citing “work culture as well as security issues” for those not present in the office.
Look, I get it. It’s a pain in the neck for many managers to choreograph presenteeism (according to Fortune lack of training is becoming a problem, and I can well imagine it is) and it makes a bit of a mockery of all that office investment.
But look, leaders are supposed to a) lead and b) read the room. Here’s why.
The global leadership cohort of multinationals who are continuing to zig zag back and forth on editcts which then get withdrawn, extended, or extended into threats from an original ‘cajole’ position are all looking weak. They are supposed to be the MBA-enhanced, fully equipped, locked and loaded to take their teams into tomorrow.
This is failing to even deal with today.
Furthermore, they are misunderstanding something. New technology, new generational cohorts, generational AI and post-Covid habits: they all point to a new model of work, whether we like it or not.
This is NOT to suggest fully remote works (it doesn’t). Hybrid work is what’s at issue.