A six-year study led by researchers from the Wharton School, including PhD candidates Marissa Shandell and Courtney Elliott, and professor Adam Grant, found that leaders with narcissistic traits were more likely to oppose remote work policies. The research involved over 1,000 executives, managers, and supervisors, examining how leadership personalities influenced their attitudes toward remote and hybrid work models. In the first study, researchers analyzed 259 Fortune 500 CEOs using indicators of narcissism, such as the prominence of their photographs in annual reports, the size of their signatures, and their relative compensation compared to the second-highest paid executive. They then reviewed public statements from these CEOs to assess their views on remote work. The second study surveyed 359 leaders, measuring narcissism using the "short dark triad" scale, which assesses traits like narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. Alongside these, the researchers evaluated other factors like power motivation and trust in employees. They then measured the leaders' self-reported attitudes toward remote and hybrid work. The third study was an experiment involving 546 leaders. Participants were randomly assigned to either a "narcissism condition" group or a control group. The narcissism group was prompted to read about successful CEOs described as confident and self-centered, prioritizing their own goals. These leaders then expressed greater resistance to remote work. Across all three studies, narcissism was the only consistent predictor of leaders’ objections to remote work. The researchers concluded that leaders with higher self-regard and a strong desire for power and status were more likely to push for full-time return-to-office mandates. Since the end of the pandemic, some corporate leaders have pushed more strongly for employees to return to the office. For example, Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk criticized remote workers, calling them the "laptop class," while JP Morgan’s CEO Jamie Dimon delivered a strongly worded speech urging employees to return to the office full-time. Around a third of U.S. companies have implemented mandatory return-to-office policies. However, as of March 2026, about 22.6% of U.S. employees still worked remotely at least part-time. In Great Britain, about 28% of working adults were in hybrid arrangements as of early 2025. In Australia, where hybrid work is more common, 36% of employed people usually worked from home in August 2025. Starting in September 2026, Victoria, Australia, will legally require employers to allow eligible workers to work from home two days a week. Studies have shown that hybrid work arrangements can be as productive as full-time office work, while offering better job satisfaction and work-life balance. A 2024 study found that companies enforcing strict return-to-office mandates saw no improvement in financial performance but experienced a decline in employee satisfaction. A 2025 survey of 26,000 workers across multiple regions found that 70% valued location flexibility, with work-life balance surpassing salary as the top motivator for employees. A meta-analysis of 108 studies on remote work found that hybrid models—allowing two to three days of remote work per week—seemed to best balance the needs of both employers and employees.