IIP128 Why In-Office Mandates Hinder Innovation & Inclusion
Release Date: 10/25/2024
IIP151 The Farewell Episode
Inclusion in Progress
This is the final episode of Inclusion in Progress. As we wrap up this show after six years, we want to thank you for all of your support.
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IIP150 Distributed Work Models: Balancing Structure and Freedom Using Core Hours
Inclusion in Progress
Have you ever wondered how to create structure for your distributed team — without taking away their flexibility? We often hear leaders ask how to balance business needs with employees’ desire for autonomy. That’s where Core Hours with Flexibility comes in: a distributed work model that allows everyone to work when they’re at their best, while still ensuring there’s dedicated time each day for real-time collaboration. Which is why on this episode of Inclusion in Progress, we’re diving into one of the 12 distributed work models we’ve identified while working with remote and hybrid...
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IIP149 Distributed Work Models: What Digital Nomads Bring to the Remote Revolution
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Have you ever wondered how some companies manage to attract top global talent while giving employees full freedom to work from anywhere? In 2025, over 35 million people now identify themselves as digital nomads. So what if your organization was able to tap into the power of a workforce that truly works — and comes from — anywhere? Which is why on this episode of Inclusion in Progress, we’re diving into one of the 12 distributed work models we’ve identified while working with remote and hybrid teams: The Digital Nomad-Friendly Model — used by companies like Doist. We cover: How...
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IIP148 Distributed Work Models: Trust, Outcomes & the Leadership Shift of Results-Only Work
Inclusion in Progress
Have you ever wondered if your organization could deliver better results while giving people more freedom? The Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE) from CultureRx asks leaders to shift the focus from time and location to measurable outcomes — but the change is as much cultural as it is operational. In this episode we cover: What ROWE looks like in practice and where it originated The leadership and measurement changes required to make results-first work The risks and common pitfalls — and how to design safeguards to protect collaboration and fairness We’ll be breaking down...
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IIP147 Distributed Work Models: Unlocking A Global & Multicultural Workforce
Inclusion in Progress
Have you ever wondered how you can support a truly global, culturally diverse team — without losing alignment or connection? Many companies offer work-from-anywhere policies, but few have mastered how to build inclusive, cross-border collaboration into their strategy. Which is why on this episode of Inclusion in Progress, we’re diving into one of the 12 distributed work models we’ve identified while working with remote and hybrid teams: The Work-From-Anywhere + Cross-Cultural Hybrid Model — inspired by companies like Spotify. We cover: How to balance location flexibility with cultural...
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IIP146 Distributed Work Models: Succession Planning & Building Agile Leaders
Inclusion in Progress
Have you ever wondered how you can create more agile, well-rounded leaders across your organization — without sacrificing flexibility or work-life balance? We often talk about developing talent and succession planning as if they’re separate from our distributed work strategy. But if you’re not intentional about how career growth happens across remote and hybrid setups, you risk losing great talent to stagnation or burnout. Which is why on this episode of Inclusion in Progress, we’re diving into one of the 12 distributed work models we’ve identified while working with global teams:...
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IIP145 Distributed Work Models: How Regional Hubs Strengthen Your Hybrid Work Model
Inclusion in Progress
Have you ever wondered how to preserve the freedom and focus of remote work — without losing the connection and collaboration that comes from being together in person? Which is why on this episode of Inclusion in Progress, we’re diving into one of the 12 distributed work models we’ve identified while working with remote and hybrid teams. This episode breaks down the Fully-Remote with Regional Hubs — which allows global leaders like you to provide flexibility without sacrificing belonging and in-person connection. We cover: How to foster in-person collaboration — without...
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IIP144 Distributed Work Models: When The Office Is An Option, Not A Mandate
Inclusion in Progress
In the span of a few short years, our understanding of how, when, and where work happens has shifted in ways that once seemed impossible. During this time, people were able to experiment with their personal work styles and preferences — what allows them to be more productive and efficient — and found that they could be just as effective outside of the office. But what if physical office spaces transformed into creative and collaborative hubs instead of just mandatory checkpoints for your teams? On this episode of Inclusion in Progress, we’re diving into one of the 12 distributed...
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IIP143 Distributed Work Models: Virtual-First Doesn’t Mean Office-Free — A Case for Planned In-Office Days
Inclusion in Progress
The term “hybrid work” brings up different things for different people and organizations. But even we at Inclusion in Progress can agree: hybrid work in its current iteration is fundamentally broken because it still focuses so heavily on where work gets done — rather than how to make it work better — no matter where people are physically located. Which is why on this episode of Inclusion in Progress, we’re diving into one of the 12 distributed work models we’ve identified while working with remote and hybrid teams. This episode breaks down the Virtual-First with Planned...
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IIP142 Distributed Work Experts: Lessons from NEI Electric Power Engineering
Inclusion in Progress
For this episode of Inclusion in Progress, we continue our Distributed Work Expert Series with someone (gasp!) outside of the tech industry! With this series, we’ve been highlighting some of the world’s leading experts who continue to map, innovate, and design how work looks from inside forward-thinking companies — designing a version of work that works for teams — regardless of where they choose to work. Our goal is to highlight distributed work leaders in companies to help forward-thinking leaders like you to: Navigate remote and hybrid work challenges with real-world...
info_outlineIIP128 Why In-Office Mandates Hinder Innovation & Inclusion Show Notes
The company on everyone’s mind in the ongoing return-to-office debates is none other than Amazon. The global company’s decision to roll back hybrid work models and reinstate in-office mandates in January 2025 has raised eyebrows — and not in a good way.
While Amazon (and companies like them) may view this in-office mandate as a way to "restore" collaboration, will it instead stifle the very innovation it wants to improve?
In this episode of the Inclusion in Progress podcast, we talk about:
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Why in-office mandates hinder flexibility, which is a non-negotiable for employees today;
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The ways that innovation and creativity can thrive outside a shared physical workspace;
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How forward-thinking leaders like you can move beyond return-to-office or RTO mandates to embrace a version of distributed work that helps your teams thrive.
At Inclusion in Progress, we have utilized our three-step Inclusive Distributed Work™ framework to support companies with aligning their people-focused initiates with business critical objectives, to deepen their capacity to understand and address specific issues facing their globally distributed teams.
If you’d like to collaborate with us to implement our framework in your organization, email us at info@inclusioninprogress.com to book your free consultation call.
#returntooffice #leadership #inclusivedistributedwork #futureofwork
LINKS:
www.inclusioninprogress.com/podcast
www.linkedin.com/company/inclusion-in-progress
Download our 2024 Whitepaper: "How Cybersecurity Companies Can Retain, Promote & Advance Women to Minimize the Gender Gap"
Read the full Amazon Message from CEO Andy Jassy: Strengthening our culture and teams.
Learn more about WFH Research’s findings on hybrid and remote work models.
Review the University of Pittsburgh - Katz Graduate School of Business’ study on Return-to-Office Mandates.
Want us to partner with you on building more inclusive distributed work? Get in touch to learn how we can tailor our services to your company’s DEI and remote work initiatives.
Read our Forbes features on Ways to Support Employee Mental Wellbeing, What Self Care Looks Like For Us, and How to Create Effective Online Diversity Training.
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