Why We Can't Stop Debating Remote Work
Plus, 2025's biggest workplace surprises and what leaders should watch in 2026
👋 Happy Tuesday! McKinsey and Lean In’s latest Women in the Workplace report reveals a stark gap: women working remotely are far less likely to be promoted than men working remotely—37% vs. 49% over the past two years. The disparity extends to sponsorship too, with only 37% of remote women having someone champion their career advancement, compared to 52% of remote men.
In this week’s edition:
🗣️ Why RTO Debates Won’t End
🗞️ Top Flexible Work News
📽️ 2025 Workplace Wrap & 2026 Signals
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THIS WEEK’S FLEX FOCUS 🔍
Why We Can’t Stop Talking About Remote Work
Nearly six years after the pandemic reshaped work, RTO battles dominate headlines—from Instagram’s five-day mandate to Paramount, Truist, and Kroger pushing full office returns. The endless debate reveals a fundamental leadership question: Do you lead with mandates (policies from the top) or magnets (drawing people toward desired behaviors)?
The answer matters because the structure of work has undergone a fundamental shift. A CBRE survey of 5,000 employees found 37% of office workers now report to managers in different offices; physical proximity is no longer the default. Organizations can’t reverse this reality.
The companies getting it right—like Delta Dental and Airbnb—focus on creating desire, not enforcing rules. They invest in manager capability over monitoring, design for engagement, and ask “what works?” instead of “what’s the policy?” As we enter 2026, office attendance increasingly reveals your management philosophy.
Read on to learn more about what Delta Dental and Airbnb learned…
FLEX WORK QUICK HITS 💥
Stay ahead of the curve with our curated roundup of the trending flexible work stories making waves right now. Here's what you need to know 👇
UC Today: Burnout is a work design problem, and organizations fixing the structure, such as setting AI guardrails and creating real hybrid boundaries, are seeing healthier teams and better retention than those treating it as an individual issue.
ConsumerAffairs: FlexJobs’ 2026 report finds 85% of workers now rank remote work above salary, with nearly 70% willing to take a pay cut for flexibility.
WorkLife: Half a million college-educated women at the Director and VP level left the workforce in 2025 due to RTO mandates implemented without caregiving support.
FLEXPERT INSIGHTS 🧠
What Happened—and What’s Next—at Work
The Edge of Work is closing out the year with a live conversation that brings together three voices who’ve been watching the workplace evolve from very different vantage points: Kyle Forrest (Future of HR Leader at Deloitte), Brian Elliott (CEO of Work Forward and Executive at Charter), and Ana Maria Sencovici (Chief Talent Officer at Royal Caribbean Group).
Hosted by Al Dea on Friday, December 19th at 9am PT, this end-of-year discussion will tackle the trends that shaped 2025, the questions leaders are actually asking about AI (versus what gets hyped), and the signals worth watching as you plan for 2026.
If you’re thinking ahead about the future of work, leadership, or talent, this interactive session offers a chance to hear from practitioners navigating these shifts in real time—not just theorizing about them.
COMPANY SPOTLIGHT ✨
LegalZoom provides online legal solutions for small businesses and families, offering services such as will creation, Living Trusts, business formation documents, copyright registrations, and more. Founded in 2001 with a mission to democratize law, the company makes legal help accessible and affordable. Its main office is situated in Glendale, California, but its services are available nationwide.