From Suit to Sweatpants: Navigating the RTO vs. WFH Debate

A Journey Through Workplace Evolution

I remember the days when a suit and tie were the daily uniform, and the office was the epicenter of my professional life. Morning commutes and the ritualistic coffee runs defined our work culture. I took immense pride looking crisp and walking into work each day into 33 South 6th Street or 124 Mt. Auburn Street. Fast forward to today, my dry cleaning bills have (thankfully) vanished—replaced by the comfort of working in sweatpants from my home office.

This transition from a traditional 5-day in-office schedule to a fully remote role has been both enlightening and challenging. It’s also given me a front-row seat to one of the most debated topics in today’s workplace: Should we return to the office, stay remote, or find a middle ground?

The Pandemic That Changed Everything

The COVID-19 pandemic didn’t invent remote work—but it unquestionably accelerated it.

Practically overnight, organizations across the globe had to pivot. I remember the messaging from my company back in March 2020 about packing up to leave the office to work remotely “temporarily”. We initially expected to be out only 2-3 weeks but after a month of working from my couch and dining room table I came to realize this was only the beginning stages of how we were to work for the foreseeable future. Companies that once resisted flexible work were suddenly operating entirely remote. And the surprising part? For many, it worked.

Productivity didn’t plummet. Deadlines were met. Teams adapted. Entire industries that previously insisted “this role can’t be done remotely” found ways to make it happen.

It wasn’t always smooth—but it was a foundational use case that proved remote work could scale at speed, even in traditionally rigid sectors. The pandemic didn’t just change where we work—it challenged how we think about work altogether.

The Case for Returning to the Office (RTO) vs. Working From Home (WFH)

While remote work has reshaped how we operate, in-person work still holds powerful advantages. Office environments naturally foster spontaneous collaboration, spark innovation, and help build a sense of team identity that’s harder to replicate virtually. As much as I enjoy working remotely I have to admit, I do miss being able to walk down the hall or pop by someone’s desk for a quick conversation that would save me a Slack message or email. 

For early-career professionals, in-person mentorship and on-the-spot feedback can accelerate growth. And for some, going into the office offers clearer boundaries between work and home—something many remote workers, myself included, continue to struggle with.

On the flip side, remote work has proven to be more than just a pandemic stopgap—it’s a model that works. Many employees report increased focus, better work-life balance, and higher productivity when working from home. It’s also allowed organizations to tap into a broader, more diverse talent pool across geographies. For many teams, flexibility, autonomy, and cost savings—on everything from overhead to dry cleaning—aren’t perks anymore. They’re expectations.

Yet too often, the conversation around workplace structure gets flattened into a binary: remote vs. in-office, all or nothing. The nuance—and opportunity—of hybrid models gets lost in the noise. Instead of debating which model is better, we should be asking what blend of structure, flexibility, and intentionality best supports our teams, our customers, and our business goals. Hybrid work, when thoughtfully designed, offers the chance to preserve the focus and freedom of remote work while recapturing the energy and connection of being together in person.

The Middle Ground: Hybrid Models

For many organizations, hybrid work can be leveraged as the “best of both worlds” solution—a way to blend the connection and collaboration of in-person work with the flexibility and autonomy of remote environments. In theory, hybrid models offer adaptability but in practice, they require intentional design.

When done well, hybrid models can:

• Accommodate a broad range of diverse working styles

• Improve work-life balance without sacrificing visibility or productivity

• Preserve cultural cohesion while honoring flexibility

• Support team collaboration through a mix of synchronous and asynchronous work

But hybrid work can’t be reduced to something as simple as “Tuesdays and Thursdays in the office.” It’s a complex operational shift that impacts everything from meeting cadence to performance reviews to how inclusion shows up day to day.

What Makes Hybrid Work Actually Work?

• Clear expectations about why and when people are in the office—not vague mandates.

• Team-level agreements rather than top-down, blanket policies. Letting teams define what works based on goals, roles, and rhythms.

• Tech equity that ensures remote employees aren’t “second-class citizens” in hybrid meetings. (Think: better audio setups, intentional facilitation, and inclusive scheduling.)

• Leadership modeling—leaders who show up consistently and intentionally both in-person and virtually send strong cultural signals.

The Pitfalls to Avoid

• Proximity bias: Favoring those who are physically present, consciously or not, in promotions, projects, or visibility.

• Unclear rules of engagement: Leading to confusion about availability, accountability, or team cohesion.

• Culture drift: When hybrid becomes a loophole for connection, and people end up working in silos.

Hybrid work is not a compromise. When designed well, it can be a competitive advantage. But it requires more than logistics—it requires clarity, empathy, and ongoing recalibration.

No One-Size-Fits-All Solution

To be clear, the effectiveness of RTO or WFH varies across industries, roles, and individual preferences. For instance, creative roles might thrive in collaborative office settings, while analytical tasks may benefit from the solitude of remote work.

Rigid mandates can lead to decreased morale and increased turnover. A recent Forbes article noted that return-to-office mandates often result in lower engagement, morale, and retention—without a meaningful boost in performance. Instead of forcing one model, the key is to adapt with intention.

A Final Thought: Crafting the Future of Work

The debate between RTO and WFH isn't about choosing sides; it's about recognizing the diverse needs of the workforce and the nature of the work itself. The pandemic proved that remote work could scale. Now the challenge is to evolve our structures, systems, and expectations to meet this new reality and reap the benefits for your employees and your customers.

By embracing flexibility and resisting an all or nothing one-size-fits-all approach, organizations can foster environments that enhance productivity, morale, and innovation.

As someone who has navigated the spectrum—from traditional office culture to fully remote—I advocate for adaptable strategies that prioritize both business goals and the well-being of the people behind them.

How has your work environment evolved, and what’s worked (or hasn’t) for you in this new era of work? Let’s continue the conversation.

#FutureOfWork #Leadership #WorkplaceCulture #RemoteWork #HybridWork #EmployeeWellbeing