--- title: Could core weeks be the answer to the return-to-office dilemma? - The Hustle description: Smucker may have found the solution to our workplace woes. image: https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/330667507-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-Smucker_20230828225345.webp --- # Could core weeks be the answer to the return-to-office dilemma? ![Sara Friedman](https://53.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/53/assets/hubspot.com/web-team/WBZ/HubSpot%20Media/Blog%202021/Images/Nav/Optimized/TheHustle_Icon_Dark.svg) [Sara Friedman](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/author/sara-friedman) [Sara Friedman Twitter profile ](https://twitter.com/sarafriedmannn) Published: August 29, 2023 Updated: October 11, 2023 It’s no secret that we’ve been stuck in workplace limbo since the pandemic. ![A woman holding a laptop with clocks in the background.](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hs-fs/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/330667507-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-Smucker_20230828225345.webp?width=595&height=400&name=330667507-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-Smucker_20230828225345.webp) And, as the years tick by, the chasm between what executives and employees want continues to widen. But some companies have gotten creative: Per [*The Wall Street Journal*](https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/workplace/smuckers-return-to-office-plan-working-a933678?mod=hp_lead_pos7), the J.M. Smucker Co. has introduced a new return-to-office plan that’s actually working, known as “core” weeks. #### **A what now?** Smucker’s headquarters is based in Orrville, Ohio, but its new RTO policy asks employees to be on site only 25% of the time (about six days/month), during 22 core weeks each year. - Employees are allowed to live anywhere in the US, as long as they can make it into the office for core weeks. - Smucker publishes its core week schedule a year in advance to allow employees to plan ahead. - Most core weeks are offered every other week, except for July and December, which only have one per month to allow for vacations. - Meetings requiring deep focus are reserved for core weeks. During core weeks, the Orrville HQ is now ~70%-80% full, beating the national office occupancy [average](https://www.kastle.com/safety-wellness/getting-america-back-to-work/). #### **Policy perks** Core weeks aren’t just a PR stunt. Smucker has reaped other benefits from its new setup: - The company has more flexibility when recruiting and can tap talent pools outside of Ohio. - Employees log more hours during those weeks, with back-to-back meetings and post-work dinners. - Core weeks allow for increased socializing and spontaneous conversations. #### **The future-of-work struggle…** … is likely not over. From [Meta](https://fortune.com/2023/08/21/mark-zuckerberg-meta-return-to-office-three-days-week-fired-performance-review-termination/) to [Zoom](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/07/business/zoom-return-to-office.html), companies are cracking down on remote work and implementing new policies daily. But regardless of *where* employees clock in from, businesses should be wary of making too many policy changes — something that can sow [distrust](https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/25/harvard-expert-new-meta-return-to-office-policy-is-a-clear-problem.html) among employees. So maybe, like Smucker’s Uncrustables, all the good stuff really is at the core. 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