Why Remote Work Isn't Failing—Leadership Is: How Tulsa's Program Proves Critics Wrong

Remote work has faced growing criticism from corporate leaders, academics, and media outlets who claim it harms young workers' careers and reduces productivity. However, the real issue isn't remote work itself—it's poor leadership and lack of investment in supporting distributed teams.

How Tulsa Succeeded with Remote Work

As a city struggling with population decline and "brain drain," Tulsa launched Tulsa Remote in 2018 to attract remote workers and diversify its economy. The program's success hinged on redefining remote work by investing heavily in human connection and community integration.

Key strategies included:

• Assigning each newcomer a member integration specialist for personalized support
• Providing free coworking spaces to combat isolation
• Hosting monthly events (happy hours, baseball games, museum trips)
• Leveraging Slack channels organized by interests, origin cities, and industries

These efforts created natural mentorship opportunities and reproduced the professional advantages of office proximity. Members helped each other with career challenges, from learning new tools to negotiating salaries.

Filling the Gaps Left by Remote Work

Tulsa Remote demonstrated that organizations must fill the gaps left when the office shifts from a building to a laptop. Leaders need to:

• Curate both remote and in-person interactions across the organization
• Facilitate mentorship programs for remote employees
• Invest in tailored training for remote work skills and distributed team management
• Provide in-person resources like coworking spaces, regional meetups, and company summits

The program's impact has been substantial:

• Nearly 4,000 remote workers relocated to Tulsa
• Work satisfaction doubled among participants
• Over 80% retention rate after the year-long program
• $600+ million in economic impact generated
• 1,000+ local jobs created
• New companies and nonprofits launched by members

The Organizational Benefits of Remote Work Done Right

When supported properly, remote work delivers significant advantages:

• A 2024 Stanford study found hybrid workers are just as productive and promotion-worthy as office-based peers
• A Harvard Business School study showed a 4.4% output increase with "Work-From-Anywhere" policies

Remote work isn't failing workers—we're failing to lead them. Until organizations invest in connection and build proper infrastructure, they'll continue blaming the model instead of addressing management shortcomings. If Tulsa can create this support system from scratch, any organization can adapt to thrive in our remote work era.