Daily insights for city builders, delivered every morning at 6 AM ET. I’m Brandon Donnelly — a Toronto-based real estate developer and founder of Globizen. I’ve been writing here since 2013.

Royal Bank of Canada to employees: “Get back in the office”

Royal Bank of Canada, which is one of the largest employers in the country, sent an internal memo to employees this week with statements like these:

“When our teams come together on-site more frequently, we are solving complex problems faster, learning and growing more effectively, and ultimately building deeper connections with one another.”

“Without frequent in-person engagement our long-term competitiveness is at risk.”

I feel strongly that we are going to continue to see more of this. Current work-from-home arrangements are not at all static. We have not yet reached a post-pandemic equilibrium. That will likely take a few more years.

More flexibility, rather than less, is something we all want, and I don’t believe that’s going away. But I do believe that for the most productive and congealed teams, the default workplace will remain the office.

P.S. Office Space (embedded video above) is a great movie.

4 responses to “Royal Bank of Canada to employees: “Get back in the office””

  1. […] world are facing deep holes in their budget, I continue to come back to two things. One, we have not yet reached a post-pandemic equilibrium. We are still making our way back to the office. And two, the single most important thing when it […]

  2. […] On the office piece, well, you all know how I feel about office. […]

  3. […] know that this is a very divisive topic and that many of you think I’m old school for continuing to say this. But I fundamentally believe that there are irreplaceable benefits to in-person interactions among […]

  4. […] readers of this blog will know that I don’t agree with this. And the article provides some good data points to support […]

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