Are You Willing to Risk Your Top Talent?

(By Sandra Olive, Managing Partner at Bäcker & Partners, solive@backerpartners.com) Many organizations are considering a return to full-time, in-office work in 2025, following Amazon's lead. But...let's dive deeper.

(Estimated reading time: 5 minutes)

 

Here's the catch:

Remember, Amazon is a highly sought-after employer, perhaps able to afford the luxury of implementing disruptive policies. However, what's often left unsaid is that many employees are waiting for their bonuses before jumping ship.

A crucial factor to consider: by imposing such a drastic change in organizational policies, companies are likely to lose their best talent immediately. When the ship starts rocking, the first to jump off are precisely the ones you don't want to lose, and this is something to ponder. These shake-ups can cost you your top performers, those in "mission-critical" roles.

Since Amazon's big announcement about its policy change, I've spoken to private business owners, trying to dissuade them from copying the giant's initiatives. Few companies can compare to Amazon, and therefore, they can't replicate its disruptive moves without paying a hefty price.

 

 

Lately, I've been hearing phrases like:



  • "Enough with the 'woke' stuff, see? It doesn't work!"

 

  • "If I let them work from home, they'll never leave the company."

 

  • "I'm tired of the work-life balance talk. Starting tomorrow, hybrid work, 'woke' culture, diversity—it's all over. I'm fed up. We need to go back to how things were."

 

  • "I come to the office on Fridays, and nobody's there. Seems like everyone's taking a long weekend."

 

  • "I know if they're at home, they're not working, they're all lazy."





On the other hand, I love the statement by Katarina Berg, Spotify's Chief Human Resources Officer: "You can't spend so much time hiring adults, then treat them like children."

By saying this, she emphasized the company's trust in the maturity and responsibility of its employees, supporting the remote work policy that Spotify implemented in February 2021.

Unlike other companies that have reverted to in-office work, Spotify has decided to maintain work flexibility, allowing its staff to choose where they want to work.

Just as you wouldn't barge into your company with a Louisville Slugger to smash monitors and desks, why would we make decisions that could destroy our work structures?

Why are business owners making drastic decisions today? Could it be that the economic results weren't as desired, and it's easier to blame remote work instead of evaluating the business's sustainability?

 



Let's consider circumstances where in-person presence is crucial:



  • Strengthening organizational culture - in-person presence builds trust and bonds between people and facilitates teamwork.

 

  • Younger generations, who graduated from online universities and work online, lack experience navigating the corporate world. In-person presence is the only way for them to immerse themselves in this new way of working.

 

  • In-person meetings are more spontaneous, and communication between people is more effective.

 

  • Getting out of the house improves mental health. It's not healthy to be isolated.



Therefore, my advice is to seek a balance that allows the business to thrive and be profitable while also being an organization that provides well-being and work-life balance to its teams. This is the only way to attract and retain top talent. Ultimately, the challenge is not whether to return to the office, but to design a sustainable work model that balances productivity and well-being.

Organizations that can adapt with intelligence and flexibility will be the ones that attract the best talent and build committed teams, driving their long-term growth.



 Follow us on: IG: @infonegociosmiami

 

Do you agree?

Tell us on IG!

We're posting this article to hear your thoughts.

 

 

Many workers argue that working from home has negatively impacted them due to extended hours and increased workload, often without support.

They also cite the use of their own tools and resources, which aren't recognized by companies as part of the home office dynamic.

Others say there's nothing like working from home.

 

 

But...

Beyond preferences and opinions, while it's true that most feedback is negative towards remote work compared to in-office work, there's a significant portion of companies, ventures, and cases where, without home office or remote work, growing and developing the business would be impossible.

So? Does it depend? On what? Is it a mix?

We're listening.

 

Subscribe to Infonegocios Miami:

 

 https://infonegocios.miami/suscribite-al-newsletter

 Contact  Infonegocios MIAMI:

 juan.maqueda@onefullagency.com

  marcelo.maurizio@onefullagency.com






Cantón 2025 como espejo del Comercio 2030: tres tendencias que redefinen el juego para el mercado global y local (parte III)

(Cobertura exclusiva desde China) La Feria de Cantón no es un supermercado gigante. Es una universidad de comercio global condensada en 15 días. Los importadores exitosos invierten tanto tiempo en observar tendencias, analizar competencia y entender procesos de fabricación como en negociar precios. Pero también, la importancia estratégica para occidente es crear el mega mundo de marcas, ya no de producto, sino de vivencias, experiencias, valor que Asia no puede generar en fábricas.

La Gran Feria del Dragón 2025: Cómo China reinventó el Comercio Global y Qué Significa para Miami y anglolatina. (Parte 1)

(Una serie de notas exclusivas cocreadas con Maximiliano Mauvecin, experto en comercio exterior, Esteban Bovo y Claudio Sanchez empresarios comerciales y productores latinos, desde China, junto con Maqueda y Maurizio) La Feria de Cantón 2025 y la Nueva Geopolítica del Retail: Lecciones para Emprendedores Latinos desde el Epicentro Manufacturero del Mundo, ¿por qué el mundo  hoy se divide en producción y en valor? ¿Qué aprovechar de China?¿Cómo competir con China?

La Gran Paradoja para Anglolatina: Cuando "Comprar en China" Deja de Ser la Respuesta (Parte 2)

(Cobertura exclusiva  desde China) El Descubrimiento Inquietante de los Importadores 2025 .La experiencia documentada por Nuve (empresa especializada en venta por nuevos canales de producto)  y el equipo de Infonegocios en Cantón revela una verdad incómoda que está sacudiendo al sector: muchos productos chinos ya están disponibles en Latinoamérica y Miami a precios competitivos, y algunos incluso más baratos que importando directo.

El Proyecto “Galáctico” 2026: Inter Miami busca blindar el arco para el año del Freedom Park (los nombres que suenan en Brickell)

(Por Ortega-Taylor) En el ajedrez estratégico del fútbol moderno, cada pieza cuenta. Y mientras Lionel Messi acapara titulares con su renovación hasta 2028, el Inter Miami ejecuta en silencio una ingeniería de plantel que podría redefinir los estándares competitivos de la MLS. La última ficha en ese tablero tiene nombre propio: Pedro Gallese, el guardameta de 35 años que defiende los colores de Perú y que actualmente milita en Orlando City, clásico rival de las Garzas.

(Tiempo de lectura: 4 minutos)

El contexto hiper competitivo: una MLS que no perdona (cuando fútbol es además real estate, marcas y crossing marketing)

(Por Taylor y Ortega, con Maurizio) Muchas cosas se han vuelto extremadamente competitivas en Miami. La MLS de 2026 no será la misma que recibió a Messi en 2023. La liga ha experimentado una metamorfosis competitiva acelerada: fichajes de alto perfil desde Europa y Sudamérica, inversiones millonarias en academias juveniles, y una infraestructura que cada vez se asemeja más a las grandes ligas del mundo.

(Tiempo de lectura: 4 minutos)

Desde China te contamos las dos grandes estrategias de todo negocio 2025-2030 en la era de la hiperproducción y saturación de mercado

Desde la Feria de Canton, un equipo de empresarios y analistas proponen esa clara visión. ¿Qué más necesitas para cambiar drásticamente el racional de tu directorio, de tus objetivos, de tu equipo de planificación, de tu disminuido, totalmente, área integral de marca, marketing, branding y comunicación?. ¿Tu foco ha sido vender? ¿Creas y expandes valor o eres un canal de venta de productos producidos en China?

(Tiempo de lectura alto valor estratégico: 4 minutos)

La Feria de Cantón 2025 y la hiper producción China, cómo competir en Miami y Anglolatina (parte IV)

(Una serie de notas exclusivas desde China, cocreadas con Maximiliano Mauvecin, experto en comercio exterior, Esteban Bovo y Claudio Sanchez empresarios comerciales y productores latinos, desde China, junto con Maqueda y Maurizio) Es un campo de entrenamiento estratégico donde los emprendedores latinos pueden aprender a navegar la complejidad del comercio global, identificar tendencias antes que se masifiquen, y construir las alianzas que determinarán quiénes prosperan y quiénes desaparecen en la próxima década.

(Tiempo de lectura alto valor estratégico: 4 minutos)