Author: Leonard Roberts

Nearly 90% of companies have now announced or implemented some form of return-to-office mandate, according to Fast Company, yet these moves are colliding with a growing body of evidence suggesting that hybrid work, not full-time office presence, is now the most effective model for productivity, retention and recruitment. At a moment when South Africa faces acute skills shortages and rising global competition for its professionals, this misalignment carries real economic cost. Productivity gains The strongest evidence comes from Stanford University economist Nicholas Bloom, whose 2024 Nature study followed thousands of employees in a large-scale experiment on hybrid work. Managers expected…