Barbara Corcoran believes that employees are not more productive when working from home, but she still supports hybrid work.

Barbara Corcoran, a real estate mogul, doubts the productivity of remote work.

Since 1973, the 75-year-old "Shark Tank" star has been managing employees as the founder of the Corcoran Group, adapting to various changes in office culture.

Corcoran is still undecided about fully remote work, as she expressed on iHeart's "Way Up With Angela Yee" podcast last month. She stated, "I'm not convinced that people are more productive at home as a boss."

"In the office, I prefer my colleagues around."

"From the employee's perspective, I understand why they prefer to work from home. Why would you want to spend time commuting to work and then back home again?" Corcoran said.

On days when she's not working in the office, she likes her people to know they don't have to come in.

Remote and hybrid work models, which were implemented in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, have now become the norm in the workplace. A 2021 survey of 2500 employees from Owl Labs found that 83% of workers are equally or more productive when working from home compared to the office.

A 2023 study found that flexible work models can reduce employee attrition by 33% and boost happiness.

'I recommend leaning into remote and hybrid work'

Henna Pryor, a workplace performance expert and author, argues that employees can achieve higher productivity levels while working remotely, provided they have access to sufficient opportunities for social interaction and teamwork.

"According to Pryor, a recent study from her coaching company, Pryority Group, found that while people may feel more individually productive when working remotely, 65% of employees said that hybrid or virtual setups make it harder to build social relationships at work. Pryor refers to this phenomenon as "social muscle atrophy," which occurs when skills like conflict resolution or creativity take a hit due to a lack of real-world interactions."

To ensure the success of your flexible employees, provide them with opportunities to collaborate and connect with their colleagues through coffee chats, team assignments, group activities, and gatherings.

"Pryor recommends that leaders strike a balance between remote and hybrid work and intentional face-to-face touchpoints, such as team meetups, one-on-ones, and opportunities to strengthen social muscle. This approach is crucial for long-term success, performance, and productivity."

Barbara Corcoran is a panelist on "Shark Tank," which CNBC owns the exclusive off-network cable rights to.

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