RTO strategies are failing not because people won’t return, but because trust is missing. Learn how to rebuild trust, culture, and performance through a better return-to-office approach.

From “Return to Office” to “Return to Relationships”

The real workplace challenge isn’t whether employees come back to the office—it’s whether they come back to relationships. Research confirms it: a 2024 McKinsey study found that the strongest predictor of post-pandemic retention wasn’t compensation or flexibility, but a sense of belonging and purpose at work. Similarly, Harvard Business Review reports that teams grounded in relational trust outperform others by 30–50%, even in hybrid environments.

True workplace culture isn’t built by attendance policies—it’s built by connection. Leaders who shift from RTO (Return to Office) to RTR (Return to Relationships) unlock stronger engagement, retention, and performance.

The intent of engagement is to make people feel seen and instill confidence that you care enough to prioritize them over anything else you could be doing at that moment. The outcome of making people feel seen is deeper connections. Deeper connections lead to trust and trust is a foundational element for achieving lots of other shared goals professionally or personally. Become someone others can trust. Here are 10 things you can do today to be more engaged and three challenges you will face in that engagement.

Discover how to build authentic relationships by embracing who you truly are. This article explores why meaningful emotional connection starts with courage, humility, and integrity. Learn how being your true self—not just what you do for others—leads to deeper love, stronger connections, and lasting personal growth. If you're tired of people-pleasing and ready to be seen and loved for who you are, this guide offers practical steps, powerful insights, and biblical encouragement to help you build genuine relationships that last.

What is the secret to great relationships? It requires people to gaze into three different items. Taking a look at all three is what separates people who are good from those who are great. Learn more at genuinerelationships.net or by reading this article.

What habits should you build to have a healthy relationship with work? This article covers the two views of work that are unhealthy and unhelpful but common to fall into. It provides seven habits you can build to avoid failing into either of the unhealthy extremes

You may never be remembered as the richest, the most famous, or the most successful in your field. But by focusing on relationships and living as a Top #10 Person, you can create a legacy that truly matters—one built on love, connection, and positive impact.

As Confucius said (we think it was him), the impact you make on others is the one that lasts. So start your journey of joining someone else’s top ten list today. visit genuinerelationships.net to learn more.

If you move through life at the pace of everyone else, you will experience life like everyone else. If you experience life like everybody else, you should expect to get the same results as everyone else. 

So, if your goal is to get better results than everyone else, you must experience life differently. 

Here are some examples of the fruits of living differently from a recent trip to Colorado. 

Boundaries are helpful for healthy relationships and safe cattle farming. Be sure to establish, communicate, and maintain your boundaries, so they achieve their intended objective. Remember, if your boundaries are too strong, you will eventually keep everyone out. The goal of boundaries isn’t to keep people out; it is to maintain health and mutually beneficial relationships. #personalboundaries #healthrelationships #farmlife #personalleadership

In a perfect world, you wouldn’t need to run any kind of experiments. It would be a world without regret. You would already know everything necessary to have an amazing lasting relationship. But the world isn’t perfect. Intentional experiments are how you learn to thrive in romantic relationships while enjoying the journey. #relationships #datingexperiments #healthyrelationships

We all choose to mute things. How might choosing to mute the outside world be harming your relationships and why you should care about it. #healthyrelationships #parenting #communication #effectiveliving

The goal of sharing truth or engaging in conflict with someone in your personal community should be to improve the relationship and encourage the other person to consider if a change is best for them and your relationship.

This type of honest dialogue, when done appropriately, creates deep connection. Deep connection creates long term mutually beneficial relationships capable of withstanding difficulty.

Follow this model to help you improve the quality of your interactions over subjects that might cause conflict.

Setting healthy boundaries leads to better outcomes. Boundaries are required for you to be sustainably generous and a great leader. Great news is you control your ability to create boundaries. #boundaries #mentoring #leading #successful #generosity

Effective relationship principles are good in all kinds of relationships. Marriage principles can apply at work. And sometimes work principles help in marriages. #communication #relationships #teamwork

We spend touch effort and time worry about making mistakes and not enough effort becoming consistent in our actions. Becoming consistent is better than worrying. 

Increase your ability to connect with others by growing your capabilities around demonstrating empathy. #leadership #communication #empathy #relationships #successfulteams