Top tech CEO slams return-to-office orders, says "it's a different world now"

• Dropbox CEO says RTO mandates are outdated in today's modern world
• Drew Houston compares the rules to shopping malls and cinemas
• Dropbox has promoted hybrid working for some time

Dropbox CEO Drew Houston has hit out at companies forcing their employees to return to the office (RTO) instead of continuing to embrace hybrid working.

Speaking on an episode of Fortune's "Leadership Next" podcast, Houston compared RTO orders to the likes of shopping malls and cinemas, where similar bids to force people back have proved less than successful.

"We can be a lot less dumb than forcing people back into a car three days a week or whatever, to literally be back on the same Zoom meeting they would have been at home," Houston said. "There's a better way to do this."

"Trust over surveillance"

Dropbox has long been at the forefront of encouraging hybrid working, as back in 2021 it introduced a "90/10" rule where employees were permitted to work remotely for most of the year, and asked to attend some off-site events to make up the remaining 10%.

"Forcing people back to the office is probably gonna be like trying to force people back into malls and movie theaters," Houston said. "Nothing wrong with the movie theater, but it's just a different world now."

This is not the first time Houston has promoted the virtues of remote working - back in 2023, he noted remote work has given companies "the keys that unlock this whole future of work."

"You need a different social contract and to let go of control," he added, "But if you trust people and treat them like adults, they'll behave like adults. Trust over surveillance."

Houston's words come after several major technology firms revealed RTO mandates.

This includes Google, which is reportedly enforcing a new hybrid work model whereby employees are being asked to come to the office at least three days per week, and those who fail to comply could face consequences.

Dell also recently announced it would be ending its hybrid work policy, with any employees living within an hour's commute from an office now told to go in five days a week.

Via Business Insider

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