IWG CEO Warns Bosses Forcing 5-Day Office Mandates Are Stuck in 'Factory-Style' Mindset

CEOs like JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon and Amazon's Andy Jassy risk falling behind by clinging to rigid office rules instead of embracing digital-first work, says IWG CEO.

Feb. 4, 2026 at 9:23am

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Mark Dixon, CEO and founder of International Workplace Group (IWG), believes that bosses demanding a full-time return to the office are defaulting to a 'factory-style approach' that ignores the reality of how work has changed. Dixon argues that CEOs focused on physical presence rather than productivity and embracing AI-driven work are at a disadvantage, as remote-first companies can attract top global talent and operate around the clock.

Why it matters

The debate over office mandates versus remote work reflects a larger shift in how companies measure success and manage their workforce in the digital age. Firms that cling to rigid in-office policies risk falling behind competitors who are redesigning work around productivity, flexibility, and AI-driven technologies.

The details

Dixon believes that CEOs like JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon and Amazon's Andy Jassy are effectively recreating an industrial-era mindset by demanding a five-day office return, even though the measure of success is no longer hours spent at a desk but actual output. He argues that physical presence is no longer a proxy for attention or productivity, and that managing by 'walking the office floor' is an outdated approach in a digital economy.

  • Last year marked a major shift in return-to-office mandates, with more than half of Fortune 100 companies moving from hybrid setups to fully in-office policies.

The players

Mark Dixon

CEO and founder of International Workplace Group (IWG), the world's largest flexible office provider with more than 8 million users across 122 countries and 85% of the Fortune 500 among its customers.

Jamie Dimon

CEO of JPMorgan Chase.

Andy Jassy

CEO of Amazon.

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What they’re saying

“Those sort of days of clocking in, clocking out in office work? That was when you had typists. You don't have them anymore.”

— Mark Dixon, CEO and founder, IWG

“Having people in an office, it doesn't get more focus unless you manage them. In today's age, you manage by outputs. You manage by activity. You don't manage by walking.”

— Mark Dixon, CEO and founder, IWG

“Forget about where people are working. Most companies will go by the wayside if they don't embrace AI. If you look at winners and losers, the winners are the ones that embrace the technology.”

— Mark Dixon, CEO and founder, IWG

The takeaway

Companies that cling to rigid, in-office mandates are stuck in an outdated 'factory-style' mindset, ignoring the reality that work has fundamentally changed. To succeed in the digital age, businesses must embrace flexible, remote-friendly policies, AI-driven productivity tools, and a focus on outputs over physical presence.