Show description

RTO isn’t a culture strategy. It’s a seating chart. In this episode, Monica M. Smith (Tradewinds Career Consulting) and Dr. Kristine Gentry (Culture Grove) unpack why so many “back to the office for culture” mandates fall flat and what actually builds connection, trust, and performance. We explore the post-pandemic “great realignment,” the comfort vs. culture trap, and how leaders can replace visibility theater with systems that drive clarity, accountability, and belonging, wherever people work.

If you’re a CEO, CHRO, or people leader wrestling with hybrid/remote decisions, this conversation gives you a practical lens: treat culture as an operating system based on values that impact beliefs, behaviors, and structures.

Show notes & timestamps

01:10 — Why RTO now?

Real estate pressures, investor optics, and nostalgia meet employee agency and flexible norms forged during COVID.

02:30 — “Culture” vs. comfort

Leaders often conflate seeing people with leading people. Visibility ≠ value. Proximity ≠ performance.

08:55 — Performative culture in action

From shutting off Slack comments to perks as distraction—the difference between branding and behavior.

22:40 — What employees actually feel

Why authenticity beats slogans—and why perks can’t paper over weak systems.

26:45 — What’s working now

Trust, outcome clarity, conflict skills, manager coaching, reasonable workload boundaries, and belonging across locations.

33:30 — From perks to infrastructure

“Don’t smoothie-bar your way to trust.” Build processes, rituals, and decision rules people can rely on.

40:50 — RTO + the DEI rollback

Two control moves dressed in “culture” language; why uniformity undercuts belonging and results.

43:40 — The bottom line

If you lack trust, communication, and alignment, being in the same room just magnifies dysfunction.

If you build systems that reinforce values, culture spreads—regardless of location.

Key takeaways

• Policy isn’t culture. Returning bodies to buildings won’t fix misaligned beliefs, behaviors, and structures.
• Clarity beats proximity. Define outcomes and operating norms; stop using attendance as a performance proxy.
• Model > mandate. Executives must live the values; managers can’t carry what leaders won’t model.
• Build systems, not perks. Trust grows from consistent processes (decision rights, conflict norms, workload boundaries), not smoothie bars.
• Flexibility is strategy. Treat hybrid/remote as a talent and performance advantage—not a concession.
• Belonging ≠ sameness. Design for contribution across locations and life stages; uniformity erodes inclusion and innovation.

Call to action

If this sparked ideas or debate, share the episode with a colleague and bring one prompt to your next leadership meeting:

“What system, if we improved it this month, would most increase trust across our team?”

Thanks for Listening!

We’d love to hear from you.

Kristine Gentry, PhD

kgentry@culturegrove.com

🌐 www.culturegrove.com

🔗 LinkedIn: Kristine McKenzie Gentry

Monica M. Smith

tradewindscareerconsulting@gmai.com

🌐 www.tradewindscareerconsulting.com

🔗 LinkedIn: Monica Mary Smith

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