Does working from home really kill company culture?

In this week’s episode, Steve tackles a question that just won’t go away: Does working from home damage company culture? Inspired by a recent article in The Economist — “Does working from home kill company culture?” — Steve unpacks why this debate is still alive years after the pandemic “officially” ended, and why the return-to-office narrative isn’t as clear-cut as some leaders might think. Key takeaways from the episode: Culture is complicated. Everyone agrees it’s important… but no one fully agrees on what it is. Is it energy? Values? Trust? Decision speed? That ambiguity makes it a tough scapegoat for in-office mandates. The data tells a different story. Research from the University of Pittsburgh shows that forcing employees back into the office led to lower engagement and higher turnover — not the cultural boost leaders hoped for. Maybe it’s not culture that’s the issue… it’s leadership. Remote and hybrid environments don’t kill culture, but they do expose weak leadership. If your direction is vague, your communication is inconsistent, or your team doesn’t feel seen — it shows up fast in a remote setup. Most companies are already hybrid. Whether leaders realize it or not, if you have teams across time zones or offices in different cities, you’re already managing remotely. So why treat working from home like a radical shift? It’s time for better questions. Instead of asking “Where should people work?” Steve suggests asking things like: “What kind of experience are we trying to create?” “What do our people need to do their best work?” “Is it really the culture that’s struggling… or our ability to lead in new ways?” Ultimately, Steve challenges us to stop seeing proximity as a proxy for culture — and to start seeing trust, clarity, and intentional leadership as the real drivers. 🎧 Final thought: The future of work isn’t about one-size-fits-all answers. It’s about choice, context, and the courage to keep evolving.