Return-to-office mandates increase turnover—but it's your senior employees, skilled workers, and women who are leaving at the highest rates.
Mark Ma, research professor at the University of Pittsburgh, breaks down what the data actually shows about RTO mandates, brain drain, and the future of work. His research has been featured in the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Fortune, BBC, and more.
This conversation goes deep on the disconnect between workplace policies and what actually drives performance:
• Why RTO as a "cheap layoff" backfires spectacularly
• The management training crisis: why leaders don't know how to lead hybrid teams
• Why we're measuring productivity completely wrong (and how to fix it)
• AI's impact on jobs and the case for 3-day work weeks
• How flexible work affects mental health, families, and birth rates
• Social mobility decline and why younger workers are opting out of career advancement
• Why amenities and coffee badging miss the point entirely
Mark brings rigorous research, honest takes on what's broken, and a genuinely optimistic long-term vision—even while acknowledging the rocky road ahead.
BONUS: Mark offers to help organizations run free pilot experiments on hybrid work policies. If you're willing to test your assumptions instead of defending them, reach out.
From tactical workplace insights to big-picture questions about meaning, policy, and the future we're building—this conversation will change how you think about work.📚 CONNECT WITH MARK MA:• LinkedIn• University of Pittsburgh