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“We must increase productivity! The only way to achieve that is by keeping employees close and watching them more closely. Let’s bring them back into the office!” - you may tell yourself, and expect a positive change. Worries with an office rent will vanish, that expensive equipment will no longer be unused, team collaboration will improve, communication will speed up, and everything will be great again.
Less than one-fifth of respondents in the HCI study said they rarely or never keep working hours when working from home. Half of employees handle personal matters during working hours, and 23 % take naps. These are certainly interesting numbers that might explain dips in productivity. But sincerely - will strict, office-only work help you?
You likely have team members who prefer working from the office - they can’t focus well at home, they prefer to ask colleagues for information or opinions quickly, and the office buzz motivates them. But what works for one doesn’t necessarily work for another. And not everything that looks productive is actually productive. It’s easy to fall into the trap of “productivity paranoia,” where a leader treats office presence and logged hours as the main productivity metrics instead of evaluating actual results and impact. Even a high performer can end up looking like a slacker in that scenario.
Imagine you recognize someone from your team - or even yourself - among the following characters. Let’s see what’s on their minds…
“Why is Anna leaving? We spent months looking for someone as senior as she is, and we always praised her for responding even late at night. She was a results-focused model for everyone!”
Anna, a senior developer, had adapted herself to the new digital nomad standard. She enjoyed working from anywhere - actually, this was even encouraged, especially for foreign clients. She helped improve the customer experience. A few times a year, she liked to pack up and spend at least a month somewhere abroad in a warmer climate. The new rule that forced her to stay in one place almost all the time and travel during vacation only made her realize she no longer doesn’t want to be part of it. She immediately started looking for new opportunities. In the meantime, she stopped joining initiatives and refused ad hoc requests.
“Thomas has been more irritable lately… Something happened at home? I’m pretty sure, being in the office must be a relief for him…”
Thomas an HR manager, went through a challenging time during COVID - he moved to a village outside Prague, renovated a house, and welcomed a new baby. Thanks to flexibility, he could help his wife at home and work on small house projects - made possible by avoiding long commutes and traffic jams. With the new rules, work became less enjoyable. He was expected to set an example from his position, so he should follow the 100% office presence. He might hold out a while longer, but he doesn’t want to see his children only when they’re asleep, so he started looking elsewhere.
“Clara’s work has been slipping lately. We used to be excited about everything she delivered, but now it’s a different story. I also feel like she’s avoiding us…”
Clara, a data analyst, is rather shy and prefers a quiet working environment. She likes working from home or remotely. She saw the new rule as a sign of a betrayal - as if trust and autonomy had disappeared. Even when she’s in the office, she’s almost invisible to others. On her way home, she browses job ads offering fully remote roles and shifts into a mindset of delivering the bare minimum.
COVID brought new insights, especially regarding working from home - it’s possible in almost every industry or sector. People gradually began to see it as a desirable part of their work life, a way to better balance work and personal life, and to manage life as a whole, not as just their careers. What started as a benefit (and during the pandemic, a necessary evil) became an important part of the job offer, right next to salary.
This is confirmed by a survey from Hays: 52 % of respondents valued home office the most as a benefit, 32 % valued flexibility and free work scheduling. In the Czech Republic, 80 % of companies still offer home office to some extent, while only 30 % offer fully remote work (Pay-Fair survey 2025). If you want to remain an attractive employer and offer more than just a paycheck, it’s worth including and actively promoting home office as an option. Let people work in the way that suits them best—it really is possible to do so without losing productivity!
Alongside this, there are new challenges for you as leaders - challenges to not just react to but also address proactively. Let go of the need for in-office supervision and approach it more effectively using the right data. Office presence does not equal higher productivity, as even there we encounter distractions, especially in “open space” environments. Measurably higher productivity - up to 20% - comes from employee engagement (Deloitte, Gallup), whether people work from home, Bali, or the office.
Employee engagement connects people with the company’s vision, mission, and values. It builds an emotional bond, fosters a proactive attitude, sparks creativity, and motivates people to take on challenges. In short, it creates an army of highly productive people who actively participate and help create conditions where problems are solved or even prevented. But this comes in exchange for trust, transparency, regular feedback, and recognition.
It may sound complex at first, but engagement can be supported and measured remotely - helping you keep track of people you’re not in daily contact with and respond in time. This keeps you lead a diverse team that still functions as a unified whole. You’ll see whether new strategies resonate positively or negatively, and whether someone is close to burnout or to quit.
So, what should a leader focus on to support engagement altogether with integrity, loyalty, and transparency across the company? The key is communication and active listening. Beyond regular status updates, make time for regular 1:1 conversations and keep an open slot for anyone who needs it. Be open to personal topics and avoid to discuss day-to-day operations in these meetings - these should be addressed elsewhere.
Does it sound like a lot of work? Echo Pulse by Behavera can do it for you - quickly, securely, and from anywhere. It acts as your extended arm to remote employees, enabling them to regularly, anonymously, and in just a few minutes share what helps them and what holds them back. Topics include satisfaction, workload, recognition, pay, and more - and the list grows with company needs. Instant, automated dashboards show you both trends and tailored tips, enabling you to:
Find out what your people truly care about - what frustrates them and what motivates them - whether they’re in an open space, on a forest porch, or under a palm tree. Book a demo.
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