It's January 2025, and somehow, we're still debating whether employees need to be in the office full-time. Hybrid work has become the standard, and remote work is second nature, so why are some companies so insistent on dragging everyone back into cubicles?

Remember the days when Netflix wasn't just a place to binge-watch Bridgerton but also the poster child for a cutthroat, high-performance corporate culture? It was a world where only the crème de la crème survived, and if you slipped up? Well, you were out faster than a canceled Netflix original. But as we venture into 2025, the question looms: Does this intense, performance-obsessed approach still have a place in today's workplace?

In the modern workplace, "loyalty" can sometimes feel like a slow slide into stagnation. Sure, tenured employees have valuable institutional knowledge, but are they keeping up with the fast-paced world of AI, remote work, and TikTok dance trends? (Okay, maybe not the last one, but you get the point.) At some stage, sticking with what you know can turn into sticking with what’s outdated.

The very same employees who go along with every decision you make, no matter how hare-brained, are suffocating innovation, stifling creativity, and quietly ushering your best talent to the door. So, if your team isn't calling you out, it's time to ask yourself—why not?