Investor and ‘Shark Tank’ TV personality Kevin O’Leary has a message for companies still clinging to the idea of mandatory in-office work: you’re scaring off your best people.

Flexibility Has Replaced The Cubicle

“Cubicles are dead,” O’Leary said in a recent post on X. “Top programmers, accountants, and operators moved away and they’re not returning. If you force people back into offices, you’ll only hire the bottom quartile.”

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In the video he posted, the entrepreneur and investor behind over 50 portfolio companies explained just how permanent this shift has become. “We thought 15% would not return. The actual number now is 40%,” he said, referencing his own businesses. “I think that’s true for the entire economy.”

O’Leary said roles in accounting, compliance, and logistics have particularly moved offsite. Workers in these positions relocated for better homes, lower costs, and more space,  and they aren’t coming back for a cubicle. The best programmers? Same story. “They work the way they want, they get paid a fortune, and they deliver on time or they don’t,” he said.

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His view aligns with the broader data. According to last year’s Owl Labs report on the state of hybrid work, 69% of managers believe hybrid or remote work has actually made their teams more productive. Meanwhile, 40% of workers said they would start job hunting if flexible work were taken away.

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O’Leary believes companies insisting on in-office work are selecting for the wrong traits. “You’re never going to get [top workers] back,” he said. “If you’re trying to say to people, ‘Oh, you’ve got to work in an office’ and that’s a talent you want to hire, you’ll just get the bottom quartile people that have no choice.”

Workers now expect flexibility by default. And many are even willing to take pay cuts to keep it.

For employers still hoping to rewind the clock to 2019, O’Leary has one final wish: “I want my competitors to hire those people, not me.”

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Image: Midjourney