Nearly four years since the pandemic introduced remote working, the debate around hybrid work continues. For those in the work-from-home camp, they point to the lifestyle flexibility, improvement in talent attraction, and steadying statistics around productivity as justification to continue the trend. For those in the return-to-office camp, they point to the special sauce of in-person interactions, improved teamwork and impacts in areas such as innovation, and a different set of productivity metrics that suggest working in the office has higher benefits, particularly in market share performance. The debate isn't just about performance, it's also about culture.

Recent reports indicate that some companies plan to use badge-tracking technology to check on employee work locations. First, let me say that I don't take a position on the inherent goodness or badness here. I do, however, pose a question for companies who may be considering similar strategies. Are the rewards worth the risks? The answer to this question is specific to each company, of course. But there's a fine line to walk here.