08/25/2026
The remote work debate gets too narrow when we only ask one question:
“Are people productive?”
On What The Teck?, Stanford Professor Nick Bloom shared a bigger way to look at it:
“If you look at productivity growth, it's accelerated from 2020 onwards versus the five years pre pandemic. So this is why it's a win on average for firms. I'm aware that some firms are losing. But we're looking at the entire economy, that's the second win. And then the third is just for society. There's a big benefit in reduced pollution, and there's also a big benefit that parents are getting to spend more time with kids.”
That is an important distinction.
Remote and hybrid work should not be treated like a simple office-versus-home argument.
The better question is:
What changes when people have more flexibility?
For businesses, it can affect productivity, retention, hiring, and real estate costs.
For employees, it can reduce wasted commute time and give people more room to manage life.
For families, it can mean more presence at home.
For communities, it can mean less commuting and lower pollution.
That does not mean every role can be remote.
It does not mean every company wins automatically.
But it does mean the conversation should be bigger than whether someone is sitting in an office chair.
The real opportunity is designing work in a way that supports performance, trust, and life outside of work.
For leaders, flexibility is not just a perk.
It is a business design decision.
How should companies measure the real impact of hybrid work today?
