If You Want People in the Office, Build One Worth Coming To (SSIR)

"At IBM, when we set out to reimagine how 400,000 people worked, we learned something simple but profound: People don't come to offices for proximity-they come for purpose. They come for connection, for creativity, for that sense of belonging to something bigger than themselves. If they're not finding those things, no mandate or policy is going to fix it. What's often missing in the RTO debate is the recognition that collaboration takes different forms."

"Some of it-what I call transactional collaboration-can be done beautifully through video calls and AI tools. But the real value of place lies in everything else: The mentoring, the energy, the spontaneous moments that build trust and culture. At IBM, we designed spaces that created what one of our designers called intentional serendipity. The goal wasn't efficiency-it was engagement. We built places that made people want to be there, because they offered something you couldn't get through a screen: authentic human connection."

The pandemic shifted the burden of proof: leaders now must justify why employees should come to the office. People seek purpose, connection, creativity, mentoring, and a sense of belonging rather than mere proximity. Transactional collaboration can be handled effectively through video calls and AI tools, while in-person settings uniquely enable mentoring, spontaneous interactions, energy, trust, and culture. Workplace design should prioritize intentional serendipity and engagement over strict efficiency, creating physical and virtual environments that offer experiences unavailable through screens. Mandates and policies alone will not attract presence; environments must deliver personal value that people choose.

Read at Ssir