--- title: Why You Shouldn't Let CEOs' Nostalgia Drive Remote Work description: Breaking news and analysis from time.com. Politics, world news, photos, video, tech reviews, health, science, and entertainment news. canonical: https://time.com/partner-content/charter/why-you-shouldn-t-let-ceos-nostalgia-drive-remote-work/ author: Brian Elliott article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-06-30T10:30:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-07-07T17:06:24.024Z og:title: Why You Shouldn't Let CEOs' Nostalgia Drive Remote Work og:description: Breaking news and analysis from time.com. 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Politics, world news, photos, video, tech reviews, health, science, and entertainment news. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2dcf7982c1a1627d/6a4d31d421e4756623472edb/charter-rto-ego-02.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- The information presented here is created by Charter, independently from the TIME editorial staff.  Time charter * [flexibility](/partner-content/charter/tag/flexibility/) ## flexibility # Why You Shouldn't Let CEOs' Nostalgia Drive Remote Work by [Brian Elliott](https://time.com/author/brian-elliott/) Executive-in-residence, Charter Brian Elliott is Charter's executive-in-residence and CEO of Work Forward. Jun 30, 2026 10:30 AM UTC  Illustration by Charter · Photo by Clay LeConey, Unsplash by [Brian Elliott](https://time.com/author/brian-elliott/) Executive-in-residence, Charter Brian Elliott is Charter's executive-in-residence and CEO of Work Forward. Jun 30, 2026 10:30 AM UTC All of a sudden this summer, remote work is back in the headlines, and chances are your CEO has forwarded you a few. Remote work, [headlines](https://www.wsj.com/pro/central-banking/remote-work-may-be-fueling-youth-unemployment-5a69a240) [blared](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/01/remote-work-youth-unemployment-new-york-fed.html), explains most of the increase in youth unemployment. It’s also one of the causes behind [loneliness](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/17/opinion/remote-work-depression.html) and deteriorating mental health among Americans living alone, at least according to a new [paper](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165032725018981) featured in The New York Times. Then last week came a viral headline your boss likely _didn’t_ send you: [Return-to-office demands are tied to CEO narcissism](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/22/opinion/office-work-wfh-bosses.html). Researchers found the only personality trait that consistently predicts full-time in-person mandates is a leader’s tendency to be self-centered. After six years at the center of the debate about remote work, I’m not surprised to see this research get so much attention. I regularly get calls from CHROs on the pros and cons of office mandates, driven by CEOs who think people are slacking off. [Most firms](https://www.flexindex.com/stats) have settled into a flexible hybrid middle ground. But simmering beneath the surface of today’s anxiety over AI and layoff threats is a persistent divide between leaders and workers about flexibility, autonomy, and trust. Even all these years later, people leaders remain caught between CEOs’ desires and workers’ realities. Sign up for Charter's newsletter to get the handbook for the future of work delivered to your inbox. Email Address You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our [Terms of Service](https://www.charterworks.com/terms-of-service/) and [Privacy Policy](https://www.charterworks.com/privacy-policy/). To navigate the renewed attention on the issue, leaders need to be able to explain what the new research really tells us, understand what’s really changed, and frame flexibility in a way that speaks to business outcomes that benefit everyone—rather than perks reserved for a few. **The research looks scarier than it is** Why the sudden rush of headlines? Research releases are prompting some of it, of course. They’re also landing at a time when the burden of in-person office demands feels especially acute. For [working parents](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/21/upshot/remote-work-parents-mothers.html?), summertime is a game of calendar Jenga as they juggle week-to-week schedules, camps, and coverage. The more flexibility is reduced, the more challenging those logistics become, exacerbated by a[ child-care crisis](https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2026/04/childcare-costs-affordability-crisis-expert-solutions). But before organizations go and change policies, it’s worth putting the research in context and checking in with a few experts. The [loneliness epidemic](https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf)—driven by [overwork](https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/usable-knowledge/24/10/what-causing-our-epidemic-loneliness-and-how-can-we-fix-it), technology, and an individualistic society—is real. But a concern about one of the new[ studies,](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/17/opinion/remote-work-depression.html) says [Heejung Chung](https://www.linkedin.com/in/heejungchung/), a professor at King's College London who has studied flexible work for two decades, is _who_ the paper’s authors actually observed. “They're heavily relying on this whole 'remote-workable jobs' as a factor, rather than people _actually_ remote working," she told me, meaning the people holding the jobs that were studied might not have been working from home. Stanford University economist [Nick Bloom](https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-bloom-stanford/), meanwhile, notes that the impact seen in the paper is primarily among those living alone ([31% of remote workers](https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aec7671)) during the pandemic, and that prior [peer-reviewed experiments](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07500-2) show remote work _improves_ [wellbeing](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/hrm.70080). Other [research](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/hrm.70080) has shown in-office mandates can decrease people’s energy, passion, and excitement about work, as well as whether they find it meaningful. Chung also takes issue with a [blog post](https://libertystreeteconomics.newyorkfed.org/2026/06/remote-work-leaves-younger-workers-sidelined/) by the loneliness study’s authors that links remote work, [instead of AI](https://fortune.com/2026/06/27/what-is-ai-impact-entry-level-jobs-stanford-adp-canaries-brynjolfsson-richardson/), to increased unemployment for new grads, pointing out that [correlation isn’t the same as causality](https://www.charterworks.com/the-debate-over-whats-driving-entry-level-hiring/). Remote jobs are far more prevalent in industries like information and business services that have had the [highest white-collar layoff rates](https://www.hbs.edu/ris/Publication%2520Files/22-063%5F639195cc-e7b5-47d3-9281-62d192c5b916.pdf) since 2023 due to over-hiring during the pandemic, industry disruption, and cuts linked to investments in AI. (In an email to Charter, the authors of the studies connecting remote work with loneliness and unemployment, researchers [Emma Harrington](https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-harrington-b4ba43147) and [Natalia Emanuel](https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataliaemanuel), disputed the concerns. They argue that looking at occupations rather than remote workers avoids selection bias and captures the impact on colleagues, and that other studies have used self-reported survey data, which may have biases.) **What's really changed?** Headlines focus on full-time office mandates, but they’re still not the majority. Data from [Bloom](https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-bloom-stanford/) show that while days worked from home have [fallen slightly](https://wfhresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/WFHResearch%5Fupdates%5FJune2026.pdf)—from about 30% in 2022 to roughly 26% now—they’re still largely[ flat over the last year](https://wfhresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/WFHResearch%5Fupdates%5FJune2026.pdf). The current figure is also nearly four times as high as the pre-pandemic average. Meanwhile, recent BLS data show RTO demands aren’t having a big impact, either. People [worked from home more in 2025 than they did in 2024](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-06-25/more-people-worked-from-home-in-2025-despite-rto-mandates?), despite all the attention to mandates. The delta between CEO desires and reality might come down to executive nostalgia for a past that didn't exist. Pre-pandemic, people weren't in the office five days a week either. As Gensler's [Janet Pogue McLaurin](https://www.linkedin.com/in/janet-pogue-mclaurin-faia-fiida-604b913/) says, they want a return "to something that never was." Her team's research shows that even back in 2016, people in the most innovative companies spent two-thirds of their time in the office, and the rest on the road or working from home. CEOs who focus on office attendance might miss that many of their best employees are taking a broader approach to where they work. Gensler’s [latest work](https://www.gensler.com/gri/global-workplace-survey-2026) finds that heavier AI users spend less time in the office than average (51% of their week vs 62%), but the same amount of time working at home. The difference is they’re also spending time on the road with customers, in coworking facilities, and connecting and gathering ideas, which McLaurin said mirrors the patterns her pre-pandemic research found were common among people who worked for the most innovative companies, too. None of that stops some CEOs from pressing harder for what they want, especially if peer pressure and egos are factors. Logical arguments and real data don’t always work with CEOs looking for control and visual signs of hustle culture. But people leaders can at least try to lean into data that matter to CEOs. Try digging into performance and promotion rates to see where real productivity problems exist, instead of letting them default to anecdotes about slackers working from home. More fundamentally, start by asking them, “What problem are we trying to solve?” **Framing flexibility as a caregiver issue hurts everyone** A few years ago, those conversations often prompted leaders to set “anchor days” for people to be onsite together or upgrade office space to make it more of a draw. Today, I'm hearing more leaders concede to CEOs’ demands, picking their battles as they try to reshape their organizations with AI and manage CEOs’ push for productivity through layoffs. Employees and leaders are all under pressure, and if "let the boss have his number" has shades of "[let the Wookiee win](https://www.starwars.com/video/let-the-wookiee-win)," so be it. But the data suggest it’s still a battle worth fighting. There's plenty of evidence linking return-to-office demands with decreased[ employee engagement](https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract%5Fid=4675401) and increased[ turnover](https://hankamer.baylor.edu/news/story/2025/return-office-mandates-and-hidden-cost-brain-drain), notably higher among [top performers](https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract%5Fid=5031481),[ women](https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract%5Fid=5031481) and[ caregivers](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/08/11/mothers-leaving-workforce-large-numbers/). Studies also show executives [give themselves far more flexibility](https://futureforum.com/research/pulse-report-fall-2022-executives-feel-strain-leading-in-new-normal/) than they do their own employees. Other studies show[ women face more bias and discrimination](https://theworkforward.substack.com/p/return-to-office-return-to-bias) working in-person. A big mistake is tying flexibility back to gender or caregiving rather than to needs that all employees have. Chung’s research has found that fathers and childless workers pay just as [steep a price](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gwao.70115?af=R) as mothers face from the [motherhood penalty](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gwao.70115?af=R%23gwao70115-bib-0037). When flexibility is positioned as a benefit for caregivers, manager perceptions of other workers’ commitment and productivity fall, too. In an era when empathy increasingly gets mistaken for being "soft," connecting with what others are thinking and feeling—and letting that guide decisions about flexibility—helps lead to business benefits like higher [retention](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07500-2), [productivity](https://www.hbs.edu/ris/Publication%2520Files/Work%2520from%2520Anywhere%5Fforthcoming%2520SMJ%5Fee8cc7c5-c90e-4ad9-a1f4-47309d693a5c.pdf), collaboration, and [employee engagement](https://www.gallup.com/401384/indicator-hybrid-work.aspx). Flexibility, it turns out, is a business strategy that drives the outcomes that matter to CEOs—not just a workplace perk. **What leaders should do** If you're a people leader caught between a CEO's desires and your team's reality, the path forward is more concrete than the headlines suggest. **Audit before you concede.** Dig into performance and promotion data before changing policy. Most of the time the "people are coasting" story is a handful of anecdotes. Find the real problem if there is one, and solve that instead. **Frame flexibility as universal, not a caregiver perk.** When hybrid work options are positioned as a smart standard for everyone, the stigma drops. When it's a parents' or mothers' policy, the bias intensifies. Firms[ including Standard Chartered](https://www.sc.com/en/global-careers/about-us/flexible-working/) have done exactly this. **Design in-person time around connection, not attendance.** Gensler's data show your most valuable people—the innovators and AI power users—aren't in the office more. They're using their time differently—collaborating, learning, and gathering ideas. Build office days around the moments that warrant being together, and grant exceptions like a reasonable adult. **What else to read:** * Why AI is [pushing some workers back to the office](https://www.charterworks.com/ai-is-pushing-some-workers-back-to-the-office-and-others-out-of-it/)—and others out of it * What you should know about the return-to-office [reality gap](https://www.charterworks.com/the-return-to-office-reality-gap/) * Why mastering [hybrid work](https://www.charterworks.com/remote-work-ai/) can also be an advantage for AI adoption --- ## Read more from Charter [READ MORE](https://time.com/partner-content/charter/) [Open article: AI Is Pushing Some Workers Back to the Office—and Others Out of It](https://time.com/partner-content/charter/ai-is-pushing-some-workers-back-to-the-office-and-others-out-of-it/)  ### AI Is Pushing Some Workers Back to the Office—and Others Out of It [READ MORE](https://time.com/partner-content/charter/ai-is-pushing-some-workers-back-to-the-office-and-others-out-of-it/) [Open article: Why We Can’t Stop Talking About Remote Work Nearly Six Years Later](https://time.com/partner-content/charter/7339495/why-we-cant-stop-talking-about-remote-work-nearly-six-years-later/)  ### Why We Can’t Stop Talking About Remote Work Nearly Six Years Later [READ MORE](https://time.com/partner-content/charter/7339495/why-we-cant-stop-talking-about-remote-work-nearly-six-years-later/) [Open article: The Sweet Spot for Hybrid Work](https://time.com/partner-content/charter/6300303/the-sweet-spot-for-hybrid-work/)  ### The Sweet Spot for Hybrid Work [READ MORE](https://time.com/partner-content/charter/6300303/the-sweet-spot-for-hybrid-work/) --- ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/partner-content/charter/why-you-shouldn-t-let-ceos-nostalgia-drive-remote-work/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/partner-content/charter/why-you-shouldn-t-let-ceos-nostalgia-drive-remote-work/"},"headline":"Why You Shouldn't Let CEOs' Nostalgia Drive Remote Work","datePublished":"2026-06-30T10:30:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-07-07T17:06:24.024Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/partner-content/charter/why-you-shouldn-t-let-ceos-nostalgia-drive-remote-work/","keywords":[],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2dcf7982c1a1627d/6a4d31d421e4756623472edb/charter-rto-ego-02.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Brian Elliott","jobTitle":"Executive-in-residence, Charter","url":"https://time.com/author/brian-elliott/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2dcf7982c1a1627d/6a4d31d421e4756623472edb/charter-rto-ego-02.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"charter-rto-ego-02.jpg","caption":"","creditText":"Illustration by Charter · Photo by Clay LeConey, Unsplash","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/partner-content/charter/why-you-shouldn-t-let-ceos-nostalgia-drive-remote-work/","name":"Why You Shouldn't Let CEOs' Nostalgia Drive Remote Work"}}]}] ```