Linamar: The Return-to-Work Post-COVID Announcement

Linda Hasenfratz, chief executive officer of Linamar Corporation, had a decision to make after the COVID-19 pandemic with regard to a return-to-work requirement that would impact the team at the head office in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Hasenfratz had to take many factors into consideration as she prepared to announce the five-day-a-week return-to-work mandate, one that she was aware could prove to be unpopular and could potentially result in strategic and operational risks stemming from the impacted employees. These included the potential loss of key individuals, as well as intellectual capital and skills, during a time when the world was dealing with workforce-related pressures, including talent shortages, stemming from trends such as “quiet quitting” and “the great resignation,” consequences of the global pandemic.