The heated debates around return-to-office policies reveal a deeper issue: a breakdown in the psychological contract between employers and employees. At its core, there is a growing divergence in understanding what's fair.
Many employers approach workplace policies through the "ethics of justice" lens, seeking universal principles and one-size-fits-all solutions. Meanwhile, employees increasingly define fairness in relational terms: "Do you care about what makes me productive and innovative?"
To rebuild trust, companies should shift to an "ethics of care" approach with three key principles:
1. Relational Proximity: Create meaningful connections between managers and employees, whether in-person or remote. This means intentional check-ins without agendas, respecting time zone differences, and fostering trust instead of surveillance.
2. Transparent Principles: Develop guiding values rather than rigid rules. Be clear about expectations and provide meaningful rationales that address not just what's right or what works, but what matters to people.
3. Attentive Adaptability Be curious about individual contexts and personal situations. Treat policies as templates with guidelines that can be discussed and adapted based on employee needs.
Building a culture of care takes time and may seem inefficient initially. But when organizations focus on what is right, what works, and what matters—considering proximity, transparency, and adaptability—they create stronger psychological contracts with employees. The old contract called for managers to be rulemakers. The new one requires them to be more like anthropologists, understanding the unique context of each person they lead.
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