Can someone explain why sales leaders love saying remote work hurts productivity… while never actually tracking productivity? My team has been fully remote for two years. We’ve hit quota, crushed our KPIs, and saved hours every week by not commuting. But now, all of a sudden, leadership is obsessed with “getting back in the office.” Why? “We want to foster collaboration.” “It’s just better for culture.” “We can be more productive.” None of these are real reasons. If they cared about collaboration, they’d listen to our feedback. If they cared about culture, they’d stop forcing people into an office they don’t want to be in. And if they cared about productivity, they’d actually measure it instead of just assuming “being seen” equals working. I know some people love in-office work, and that’s fine. But if I’m making my number and keeping my pipeline healthy, what does it matter where I’m sitting?
The in office mandate is likely driven by companies being tied into office space and feeling like they need to utilise it, or leaders that don’t have the leadership and communication skills to understand how to manage a remote team effectively. Change is scary, and this will hold leaders back if they don’t embrace remote work and creating environments for reps to thrive. Great remote leadership is the same as great leadership. Set expectations, coach, develop, support, provide accountability etc Remote work will become more of a decision making criteria for individuals and if companies can’t provide it, reps will find somewhere that does.
A lot of it depends on the experience level. There's a big difference between an AE with 5 to 8 years experience (just let them work wherever - they're still accountable to the number) vs. an early career SDR team (need lots of supervision). IMHO, no, it doesn't matter where you're sitting. Unfortunately many leadership teams are too influenced by their investors and/or board. There are certainly advantages to working alongside others, but for AEs hitting their number, like I said, I'd be good with them doing whatever/wherever/whenever!