These days, the public discourse on labor productivity revolves almost entirely around the office versus remote work debate. I'm not a fan of this because it tends to reduce productivity to a one-dimensional metric.

Of course, where you work matters, but the importance of this factor has been overstated in recent years. This, in turn, allows companies to blame productivity shortfalls on their current way of working and ignore more systemic issues. Does your team have the necessary tools available? Are they in tune with the company's priorities? Do they have clear KPIand how is productivity assessed?

Furthermore, isolating productivity from other key team metrics like employee satisfaction, engagement and motivation is, in my opinion, pointless – what's the point of a slightly more productive team if they're far more likely to quit from work?

Spotify and eBay have committed to one The politics of work from anywhereand they are doing great. Amazon and Apple, as they present Mandates of the RTOthey are also doing great.

After all, productivity is not so much about what, but how. It doesn't matter if you work from a cubicle, sofa or coffee shop – if the (remote) office culture breaks down, productivity will suffer.

So instead of dwelling on whether your team needs to be remote, the way to really increase productivity is to focus on more fundamental factors. Here are five hallmarks of a productive office culture.

Related: Want to be more productive? Stop trying to complete every task and do this instead

1. Clear communication

In thriving workplaces, you'll find regular team meetings with clear, actionable outcomes, open channels for feedback, and transparent decision-making processes. Employees have easy access to the information they need and feel comfortable asking questions. They are updated about their tasks, timelines and expectations. You'll also see leaders lead by example—communicating priorities and progress to keep the entire organization on the same page while remaining accessible to their employees.

This alignment and exchange of information allows teams to – in the distance or not — to stay focused and avoid wasted time, misunderstandings, and systemic inefficiency.

2. Collaborative environment

High-performance offices cultivate collaboration across teams and departments to break down barriers, encourage diverse perspectives, and enable employees to tackle complex challenges more effectively. Collaboration doesn't always happen naturally or productively. To benefit from it in a way that contributes to the company's bottom line, collaboration must be fostered and nurtured through shared goals, dedicated practices, and purposeful leadership.

Year after year, COOPERATION was named as one of the top issues plaguing remote workers and is generally perceived as a strong advantage of an in-person environment. While there is certainly some merit to this point, this is another factor where, in my experience, company practices, policies and approaches are king.

Remote work does not preclude the sharing of resources across departments, team building activities, knowledge sharing and general camaraderie, nor does in-person work guarantee it.

3. A goal-oriented approach

For communication and collaboration to be effective, they must be supported by a goal-oriented approach. Otherwise, it's just chats and meetings. When individual employees and entire teams understand how their contributions directly impact key objectives, it fosters a sense of ownership and accountability. It also gives very important direction to the work that defines both the tasks and their purpose.

Without clear goals, any activity is productive, giving a deceptive appearance of progress when, in reality, it is mostly optical. A goal-oriented approach ensures that time and effort are channeled towards the most important priorities, bringing tangible results to the business.

Related: Why you should stop obsessing over your goals to achieve them

4. Work-life balance

I'm a massive advocate of a healthy work-life balance and breaks throughout the workday, because employees can only give their 100% when they have 100% to give. This means flexible scheduling, generous time off policies, benefits geared toward supporting health, and strongly discouraging any after-hours work and communication, with leadership leading by example.

Here, it is important to note that one of the commonly cited advantages of remote work is a better work-life balance. While, yes, not having to travel is a huge advantage, the reality is that remote workers often work longer hours, check their emails after work, and generally have a harder time maintaining boundaries between their work lives and personal. Regardless of how you work, it's up to leadership to encourage a healthy work-life balance and resist the urge to capitalize on people's impatience and commitment in exchange for short-term gains.

5. Growth mindset

Last but not least, a productive office culture is usually characterized by a growth mindsetboth in relation to the company's goals and in the improvement of its employees. We've already covered the former, but the latter is just as important, as employee education and development directly contribute to company productivity and adaptability.

Ongoing training opportunities, mentoring programs, and recognition of effort and achievement cultivate a mindset of continuous improvement. Additionally, investment in the team often fosters loyalty, especially when personal and company growth align, offering opportunities for career advancement. This is an extremely powerful motivator that can drive entire companies, especially new ones.