3 Things Elon Musk Got Right About The Return To The Office (And Some He Got Wrong)

True to his persona, Elon Musk has created quite a stir with his letter to his employees about the return to the office. There’s a lot there for management gurus to analyze—and much that isn’t positive—which can be cautionary for both leaders and employees. But there are some elements which are not so wrong, and which deserve a closer look.

Some could argue that a missive which seems to communicate a lack of trust or respect for employees, and which gives ultimatums must be all bad. But there is value in the provocation of a society’s deeper thinking and collective analysis—so it’s worth the trouble to consider things based on more than just soundbites or headlines.

What Musk Got Wrong

First, there are clearly things which fly in the face of the best leadership approaches and effective management practices. For example, it goes without saying that trusting people and expecting the best from them is not only better for motivation and inspiration, but also better for results.

Multiple management theorists and practitioners over the decades have proved the value of Douglas McGregor’s “Theory Y” management in which there is a fundamental respect for employees and an assumption they want to do great work. Even the casual reader of Musk’s letter would be hard-pressed to hear it coming from a place of fundamentally valuing workers.

In addition, Musk gets it wrong in terms of the value of choice, control and flexibility for employees. One of the best lessons of the pandemic is the extent to which quality of life is linked with flexibility in one’s work schedule. And giving people more choice and greater control over where they work, when they work and how they work is correlated with all kinds of payoffs from quality of work and decisions to engagement and happiness—all of which are good for people, but also good for business.

Lessons for Hybrid Working

But there are a few things Musk’s letter got right.

Setting Clear Expectations

Many people have struggled—through the pandemic and as they come back from it—with the unpredictability, ambiguity and lack of clarity associated with business and working expectations. Neurologically, people crave certainty and tend to shy away from uncertainty. And people have become disillusioned with businesses which aren’t being clear about their expectations for how and when work will get done.

While many businesses have failed to set clear expectations about the return—trying to avoid angering employees—many employees have left them anyway—reporting they just didn’t know what to count on or that they just couldn’t deal with the back and forth of some of the decisions their companies were (trying to) make.

It’s a positive thing when leaders and organizations take a strong stand. People tend to prefer working with others who have a strong point of view and a clear perspective—even if they disagree with it. And they prefer to work for employers where there is clarity as well. Even if news is bad or uncomfortable, people would rather know what is happening and what the situation is, so they can deal with it proactively and move forward.

There’s a large insurance company in the south which recently learned from an engagement survey, 88% of their employees were highly engaged. They’re a great company and an employer of choice in the area. Their CEO announced they would be back to the office three days a week. He said, “We’re primarily a face-to-face company and if you don’t want to be in the office three days a week, then this isn’t the company for you.” He took a strong stand, and while not everyone agreed with it, they appreciated knowing where they stand and are empowered with information in case their preference don’t line up with his expectations.

The takeaway message: Build a culture of respect, communicate clearly and set unambiguous expectations. Give people flexibility, but also set guardrails people can see and respond to.

Leading for Engagement and Inspiration

Another element of Musk’s letter which is getting less attention is his point that senior leaders must be present and visible. He is right about this. Constructive productive cultures are characterized by leaders who are accessible and who model the way in terms of the choices they make. Of course, this doesn’t mean leaders have to be always on or available 24×7, but when leaders are more available, it is correlated with trust. In addition, when leaders are more present, they can demonstrate more empathy because they’re aware and connected with the people around them—and empathy is in turn correlated with employee mental health, innovation, engagement, productivity and retention.

Leaders matter to an organization because they are—whether they intend to be or not—under a laser. People watch what leaders do, listen to what they say and focus on their behaviors for signals about the culture and the organization, so leaders have an important role to play.

The new skill of leadership in a hybrid world is generating a sense of accessibility, proximity and connection no matter where they’re working and no matter how distant their employees or colleagues are. Trust and relationships are easier to build face-to-face, but they are certainly possible to build as well through technology. With intentionality, investments of time and protocols which lean toward visibility and consistency in interactions, it’s part of a new leadership toolbox.

The takeaway message: Create the conditions for leaders to be present, accessible and responsive no matter where people are working.

Building Cultures of Connection

An underlying assumption in Musk’s letter is a belief in organizational culture and connection—and the certainty that some face to face interaction is beneficial for people and the bottom line. This is also true, according to research.

Whether people are introverts or extroverts, they require human connection for physical, cognitive and emotional wellbeing. These connections frequently come from work, and they are easier to build in a face to face manner. In addition, people have an instinct to matter, and work is a fundamental way people express their skills and contribute their talents to the community. Often people feel more valued when the work side by side with colleagues, because they can make the casual connection during the coffee break, gain the positive non-verbal validation from a co-worker which would be missed on a virtual call or receive a positive nod from a leader at the coffee bar.

Of course, people can connect virtually as well, but the nuance of culture, the learning that occurs with colleagues and the bonding that results from being in the midst of things together is more powerful when it is in person.

The takeaway message: Culture and connections are powerfully built when people are together live—not exclusively in person, but powerfully in person.

In Sum

Perhaps the biggest thing Musk’s letter misses is the value of hybrid work overall. Hybrid is the best of both worlds. It is the flexibility and quality of life that result when people avoid the commute and can attend the kids’ soccer game or the volunteer dinner more easily, and it is the opportunity to work together in the office with colleagues when they prefer it.

Clarity, leadership and culture are elements which contribute to a positive work experience, and they must be combined with critical factors like respect, trust and valuing employees. Work is a reciprocal relationship. Employees invest themselves in great outcomes and organizations exchange these for wages and benefits—but also for the opportunity for employee growth, great relationships and the change to contribute in significant ways.