How to strike a balance between enforcing company mandates and supporting the needs of your team.
May 09, 2024
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What should you do if some of your team members still don’t want to come into the office after your company has imposed a mandate? How do you strike the right balance between following company policies and understanding the needs of your employees? In this article, the author shares advice from two experts on how to navigate this complicated situation.
Ever since the first return-to-office mandates emerged in 2021, managers have grappled with the delicate task of balancing organizational policies with the preferences of their employees. The pressure from higher-ups to bring people back to their cubicles has been building over the years, and as a manager, you need to tow the company line.
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Rebecca Knight is a journalist who writes about all things related to the changing nature of careers and the workplace. Her essays and reported stories have been featured in The Boston Globe, Business Insider, The New York Times, BBC, and The Christian Science Monitor. She was shortlisted as a Reuters Institute Fellow at Oxford University in 2023. Earlier in her career, she spent a decade as an editor and reporter at the Financial Times in New York, London, and Boston.
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New!
HBR Learning
Leading People Course
Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Leading People. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
What you need to know about being in charge.
