Hyro Blog

Says the billionaire CEO of private equity firm Blackstone.

Stephen Schwarzman, CEO of Blackstone, claimed that workers were refusing to return to their office desks partly because they enjoy a lighter workload at home.

Mr Schwarzman also stated that people stood to profit by working from home, because we don’t spend any money on the commute to the office, we make our lunch at home, we don’t have to buy expensive clothes, so our incomes become higher.

The remote work debate is constant. Companies including Disney, Apple, BlackRock and even Zoom are among the firms which have also asked employees to attend the office more frequently in recent months.

Over the last few years, since the pandemic, I have really been into not only listening to or reading comments about something I’m interested in, but also looking into or at least being conscience about who is making the comments.

Blackstone rents its buildings out to companies. The push for remote work does not benefit their interests. If we all continue to work in a hybrid environment, the companies renting from them will either move to smaller spaces, renting for less from Blackstone (also profiting btw…), or they’ll leave their buildings all together. Which means billions in profit are down. So, it makes sense that Mr Schwarzman would have this stance on remote workers being lazy or cheap.

How many colleagues or peers do you know that also enjoy a lighter workload while in the office?

You know what is a comment I would actually respect? Remote workers are less productive at home because I have not developed my managers enough to empower them to successfully manage remote staff.

The workplace evolves. Literally everything evolves in life. We are in a phase where due to internal and external factors, remote work is now a thing. Most work is at least partially, if not fully, able to be done in a place that is not the ‘office’.

It’s time to invite people to the party. It’s time to reflect. It’s time to understand that top talent wants different things. Not everyone wants to work remotely, not everyone wants to go back to the office. People learn differently, people are inspired differently, and people perform differently.

When advertising a job and contemplating attendance requirements there are a few things you should think about.

• Does this role require someone physically in the office full time, part time, occasionally? Why/Why not
• Do *I* need someone in the office full time, part time, occasionally? Why/Why not
• Is the answer to the above a deal breaker?
• Do I at least need full/part time office attendance until probation/review?
• Am I willing to negotiate for top talent?
• How will this reflect the current environment I am in/manage/operate?

When negotiating or discussing with current staff / whole of company, some things to think about:

• Do my different roles have different attendance requirements? Are these mapped out?
• Are my *practices* (not your policies) consistent?
• Are my people happy with their options for flexibility?
• Am I competitive in the market?

I would love to hear from you.

What are you workplace practices? Do you feel empowered/confident to have a discussion about flexible working. Do you feel others have more options than you? Is flexibility a deal breaker for you? Do you dream of fully remote work?