Leading with Heart - The RTO Dilemma

By: Brad Casper - CEO

Many companies have begun to revise their work-from-home policies as the threat of the pandemic has finally waned two years after the majority of office workers were sent home. No matter what decision companies ultimately make – back in office full-time, a hybrid model or remote – it will have downstream implications on the company. At H&S, we believe how decisions are made has been overlooked

Unlike many companies who had to cross the digital transformation chasm to work remotely, Heart & Soul Marketing never knew differently. Ironically one of the advantages of launching this new agency in October 2020 while COVID-19 was raging, is that employees and clients alike knew we wouldn’t have an office for the foreseeable future. We understood from day one that our business model – which is driven by people – was built on trust, empathy, and personal accountability. Thus, we had to be successful immediately building something people would want to be a part of without the traditional office tradeoffs and considerations. 

HOT TAKE - work is something that we do, not a place. The office is a place, and seeing as we are in the business of delivering creative solutions to our client’s most vexing strategic challenges, we think it’s important to use that same lens about any decision concerning Return To Office (RTO).

Before Heart & Soul had a business plan, a bank account, or credit cards, we hatched a Cultural Contract consisting of 20 pillars to describe the attitudes, behaviors, and norms that we believed would attract wicked smart, entrepreneurial members of the new creator economy. We believed that focusing on the hidden hands that drive culture foremost would lead to breakthrough levels of creativity. That is, begin with codifying the human connections we expect in each team member. Who needs a policy manual when you hire for talent + character and align everyone in a common cause?

While some companies have complained that their employees aren’t as productive or accountable as they were pre-pandemic or claim that creativity has suffered without the daily interactions around the break room water cooler, we proudly disagree. Creativity, collaboration and developing award-winning, business-building advertising and marketing assets remotely can be achieved.  

We believe the days of the five-day and even the four-day in-office work week are toast. One of the most valuable “perks” workers expect today is flexibility. And by providing this to our employees, we also put time and money back into their lives and pockets - as they no longer have to spend time in rush hour traffic, money for gas, wardrobe, or downtown lunches. Flexibility has increased quality of life and creativity.

Yes, Heart & Soul does have two small office suites now with desks, monitors, whiteboards, a trophy case and a few huddle tables in a super hip area of Scottsdale’s Old Town neighborhood. And while some day we may aspire for more, we are totally comfortable encouraging our team to use the office only when there is a good reason. 

We don’t discourage people from coming in, and given the cool patio facing Camelback Mountain, our Soulmates are finding occasions to build culture in-person, too. We do understand the need for personal connections among teams, we just have different meeting places and expect different behaviors. From Burrito Fridays to picnics, we find that we get more out of people when we don’t have Zoom screens or a forced meeting schedule between us. We’ve found the value of time in person is about reconnecting and conversation. After all, the soul of office culture was not “work” - it was the camaraderie among individuals and teams that do the work. The How.

Most brand names and corporate identities are based on family names, made-up words, and catchy terms.  But when your name is Heart & Soul – and you are not named after the popular piano duet that kids have learned since 1938 – our team knows we must show up with passion, energy, drive and a propensity to over-deliver.  Our Cultural Contract assures there are no misunderstandings, while the esprit de corps among teammates ensures no one gets left behind.  

Ultimately, every manager and organization will need to make their own decisions whether, when and how to implement RTO. Before doing so, we believe the enlightened leaders need to answer these questions:

• Are you doing this for them (your team) or for you ? (Trust)
• How will the decision really impact employees ? (Empathy)
• Based on the body of work your organizations have done in the past 2 years, did innovation, creativity and work outcomes really regress? (Personal Accountability)