Returning to the Office & Remembering Why We Left 7 | 18

Radical Candor: Communication at Work

Radical Candor

Business, Management, Careers

4.7 • 729 Ratings

🗓️ 30 April 2025

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

(00:00:00) Introduction
(00:01:28) The Radical Candor Remote Philosophy
(00:06:41) Office Productivity & Innovation
(00:10:27) Navigating Unwanted Change
(00:16:12) Should You Stay or Should You Go?
(00:19:17) Burnout, Hybrid, and Hidden Costs
(00:24:19) The Cost of Constant Interruptions
(00:30:22) Generational and Gender Gaps
(00:32:07) Having Effective RTO Conversations
(00:35:29) Radical Candor Tips
(00:39:48) Conclusion

Back-to-office is back—and it’s messier, weirder, and more pointless than ever.

From malfunctioning WiFi to epic commutes and offices mysteriously out of toilet paper, the “return to office” era is serving up workplace absurdity on a silver platter. Jason and Amy blow past the corporate spin and get Radically Candid about the “back to the office” push: why it’s often more about control than collaboration, how companies overlook basic human needs, and the ways these policies can quietly erode trust, productivity, and psychological safety. From generational gripes to the myth that face time means innovation, they call out the real reasons so many leaders want butts in seats—and why those reasons rarely hold up. Who’s actually benefiting from all this office hoopla? Because at Radical Candor, we believe real leadership means listening, adapting, and making work suck a whole lot less—even if it means challenging the status quo.

Get all of the show notes at RadicalCandor.com/podcast.

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Chapters:

(00:00:00) Introduction
Jason and Amy introduce the episode’s topic on return to office trends.

(00:01:28) The Radical Candor Remote Philosophy
Why the company is remote-first and the downsides of in-person work.

(00:06:41) Office Productivity & Innovation
Whether productivity and innovation improve when in office.

(00:10:27) Navigating Unwanted Change
Advice for employees facing unwanted return-to-office changes.

(00:16:13) Should You Stay or Should You Go?
Evaluating if you should start job hunting or try to adapt to the new reality.

(00:19:17) Burnout, Hybrid, and Hidden Costs
Research on burnout and the importance of workplace social connections.

(00:24:19) The Cost of Constant Interruptions
Challenges with distractions and productivity in office environments.

(00:30:22) Generational and Gender Gaps
Differences in RTO satisfaction in different demographics.

(00:32:07) Having Effective RTO Conversations
Advocating for your needs and establishing new office processes.

(00:35:29) Radical Candor Tips
Tips for employees and managers navigating return-to-office mandates.

(00:39:48) Conclusion

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, everybody, and welcome to the Radical Candor podcast. I'm Jason Roseoff.
0:07.9	I'm Amy Sandler, and today we're talking about a topic that is on everyone's mind, and for some
0:13.1	people, is becoming their nightmare, which is return to office policies. When do they work?
0:19.5	When do they do more harm than good? So let's let's dive in.
0:23.7	And I wanted to bring a little bit of data before we start talking from our own perspectives.
0:29.6	There's a recent McKinsey piece called How to Get Return to Office, right. And we'll put that in the show notes.
0:35.6	And what they noted, they did some surveys in 2023 and 24.
0:40.8	And the article noted that there was a significant increase in employees working mostly in
0:47.0	person, from 35% in 2023 to 68% in 2024.
0:58.9	And so just against that backdrop, we've also got lots of stories. And again,
1:03.1	we'll put some articles in the show notes. We've heard stories, you know, I'm sure you've seen in the news, organizations where people are coming back to the office don't have a desk for
1:08.2	you or a meeting room or even or even Wi-Fi.
1:12.0	They're folks who are driving hours and they find that there is no toilet paper in their
1:18.1	office. And so just at a high level, Jason, this doesn't seem like it's super productive or
1:23.3	profitable for companies in terms of setting people up for success.
1:28.3	Here's the thing.
1:29.0	Like I want to say off the top, like I have a strong bias against forcing people to work
1:35.6	together in an office.
1:37.5	Radical Kander is founded as a fully remote company has been remote from day one.
1:42.3	And I feel like it presents its own set of challenges,
1:45.9	but there are challenges to working together in an office also. And I feel like the benefits
1:52.3	greatly outweigh the costs of being able to work remotely. So I am biased. That is my, that is my perspective. Jason, I'm curious,
	...

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