Being intentional in leading the return to office

Here, Michael Wakins, Professor of Leadership at IMD Business School and Co-Founder of Genesis Advisers; Bill Leach, leadership and development consultant; and Stella Strazdaz, Executive Coach, explore what being intentional in leading the return to office means.

Why is this happening? Too often, leaders treat the RTO process as a logistical rollout instead of the human-centred transformation it needs to be. You can’t rebuild trust or drive performance by simply mandating office days or publishing schedules. To lead this shift effectively, you require intentional leadership – a mindset that prioritises purpose-driven work design, adapts to hybrid realities, and actively supports people through the change.

But before we explore how to lead with intention, let’s first understand what’s going wrong – and why.

The pitfalls of poorly managed RTO

Even well-intentioned RTO efforts can miss the mark. Below are five traps leaders must avoid – and the reasons why they matter.

1. Office time spent on remote-appropriate tasks

Few things erode morale faster than commuting to an office only to spend the day in virtual meetings or completing solo tasks. When this happens, people feel their time isn’t respected – and that leadership is out of touch with what matters most.

2. Underutilising face-to-face time

The office should serve as a centre of gravity for collaboration and creativity. But when in-person time is used for work that could be done remotely, the opportunity to build culture and connection is lost. Without deliberate planning, energy, and engagement suffer.

3. Overloading the agenda

Some leaders overcompensate by cramming in meetings from morning to evening. The result? Exhaustion. Without space for informal exchanges or reflection, in-person time becomes draining, not energising.

4. Assuming proximity equals connection

Just being in the same room doesn’t build relationships. Leaders must create space for both structured and spontaneous interactions. Otherwise, people may feel just as disconnected in the office as they did working from home.

5. Ignoring global and matrix team realities

Many employees work in distributed teams, often reporting to multiple managers across time zones. If RTO strategies focus solely on local office attendance, they risk deepening silos and excluding essential perspectives.

The three pillars of intentional RTO leadership

Leading a successful return to the office isn’t just about logistics – it’s a strategic challenge. To meet it, leaders must rethink how work gets done. That starts by embracing three foundational pillars.

1. Be intentional about the design of work – in office and virtually

The office is no longer the default centre of work. It’s now a strategic tool. How you use it must be intentional. Different environments demand different kinds of work.

In-person time should be optimised for:

Collaboration
Creativity
Culture-building

Virtual time should focus on:

Execution
Coordination
Individual productivity

Here’s a framework to help align your team’s activities across settings:

If your people are asking, “Why am I here today?” you haven’t aligned the work with the environment. When you do, hybrid work becomes not just manageable – but powerful.

2. Lead differently in the office vs. virtually

The hybrid era requires you to flex your leadership style depending on context. In an earlier article, Michael and Robert Hooijberg made the case: Great leaders now shift modes based on where and how people are working.

In-office leadership is about depth and connection. Your role is to create an environment where collaboration flourishes and trust grows.

Focus on:

Creating psychological safety
Encouraging open dialogue
Modelling collaborative behaviours
Addressing dynamics in real time
Reinforcing cultural values
Giving timely, appreciative feedback

Virtual leadership, by contrast, demands clarity and alignment. You must keep people focused, connected, and moving forward – even when they’re out of sight.

Key actions include:

Setting clear expectations and goals
Maintaining communication rhythms
Monitoring progress and removing roadblocks
Following through consistently to build trust
Celebrating wins in creative, visible ways

Don’t confuse presence with performance. What matters is intentional behaviour – tailored to the moment.

3. Actively onboard people back into office life

Returning to the office isn’t just a change in location – it’s a change in mindset. You can’t assume people know how to “be back.” Many employees, even top performers, feel uncertain about expectations.

They’re wondering:

What’s expected of me now?
Who will I see at the office?
What kind of work will we do together?
Will it be worth the trip?

If you don’t answer those questions, disengagement will.

Here’s how to onboard your team back into office life:

Set clear expectations for in-office days
Re-establish collaboration norms
Create rituals – like shared lunches or morning huddles
Check in regularly to surface concerns
Offer support for emotional and logistical challenges

And don’t overlook the human side. Some are excited. Others are anxious. Most fall somewhere in between. Validate that reality. Create space for adaptation. Onboarding isn’t a one-and-done task – it’s an ongoing investment in culture, clarity, and connection.

The role of leadership has changed – have you?

Returning to the office isn’t about rewinding the clock – it’s about resetting your approach. If you lead with intention, you’ll turn uncertainty into opportunity.

Here’s what it takes:

Design work deliberately – don’t default to old habits
Shift your leadership behaviour based on context
Onboard people into a workplace that works – for everyone

Organisations that thrive in hybrid environments don’t necessarily have the best tech or the most lenient policies. They have leaders who understand that work has changed – and who are willing to change how they lead in response.

If you ignore this shift, your RTO plans will fall flat. But if you embrace it, you’ll unlock fresh energy, stronger culture, and deeper engagement.

In this new chapter of work, the office is no longer the centre of gravity. Leadership is. So, the real question isn’t how often your people are in the office – it’s whether you are showing up with enough intention to make it matter.

2025-04-16