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- WeWork's CEO said employees comfortable working from home are "least engaged" with the firm.
- Sandeep Mathrani replaced former CEO and founder Adam Neumann, who was ousted in 2020.
- "Overly engaged" workers want to be in the office at least two-thirds of the time, he added.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
WeWork's CEO thinks your desire to go to an office depends on how "engaged" you are at work.
Sandeep Mathrani, who stepped in as CEO of the co-working startup last year, said that people most comfortable working from home are the "least engaged" with their company, while the "overly engaged" want to go to the office.
"No one is saying they don't want to go to work, they are saying 'I wanna go to work two or three days a week' and 'I'd like to work from home a day a week,'" Mathrani said during The Wall Street Journal's Future of Everything festival on Wednesday.
"It's also pretty obvious that those who are overly engaged with the company want to go to the office two-thirds of the time at least," he added. "Those who are least engaged are very comfortable working from home."
Mathrani said despite the widespread remote work that came about during the COVID-19 pandemic, the office is an important part of building company culture, collaborating, and innovating.
Mathrani, the former CEO of mall owning giant General Growth Properties, took over as WeWork's chief executive in early 2020 after the company reportedly ousted founder eccentric Adam Neumann.
He suggested the reason more companies announced plans to bring employees back to the office, or establish a "hybrid" work model that combines in-office and remote work, was because of the "Zoom fatigue" executives have experienced during the remote work era.
Top companies are split on how to adapt to work post-pandemic. Though firms like Twitter and Facebook announced a permanent work from home option for workers, JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon said he's expecting employees back to the office within weeks, and maskless by October. Amazon, too, plans to keep its "office-centric" culture.
Workers themselves report feeling more productive at home, according to a recent survey from Upwork. Some business leaders told Insider remote work has allowed them to broaden talent pools, thereby increasing diversity, and retain top employees.
WeWork did not immediately respond to Insider's request for additional comment.
