Stellantis’ RTO comms and the art of culture shift messaging

Last week, Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa told employees in an all-hands meeting that the automaker could take inspiration from the tech industry in its approach to its return-to-office process. According to Business Insider, Filosa said his commitment to in-office work deepened after a recent trip to San Francisco, which included visits to startups and tech companies.

He reportedly also said that Stellantis employees should be focused on collaboration opportunities and that he wants people to work together. Stellantis is slated to have all corporate employees back in the office five days a week by March 30.

For communications leaders, the real test isn’t whether a return-to-office policy is justified. It’s more about whether employees believe leadership understands what it’s asking of them.

Brian Tierney, CEO of Brian Communications and former publisher of The Philadelphia Inquirer, told Ragan that leaders, and in turn, communicators, need to make their audiences feel seen and heard — especially during moments of major culture change like an RTO process. He drew from his experience at The Inquirer, leading thousands of employees, stating that the more obvious it is that a leader is listening, the better the chance of the communication going over smoothly.

“There are certain things you have to get done as a leader, and you’re not going to have 100% popularity in doing them,” Tierney said. “But if people feel that you’re listening to them — and really listening — it changes everything. That means not just reacting to the loudest voices, but actually doing the research, holding focus groups and truly understanding what people are worried about before you roll something out. When employees believe their perspective was considered, even if they disagree with the outcome, they’re far less likely to scoff at it.”

Tierney also cautioned about oversimplifying the audience. For a global auto manufacturer with workers who never had remote flexibility and corporate teams who did, that distinction matters. =

“When you talk about return to office, you’re speaking to two very different lived experiences,” Tierney said. “If you don’t acknowledge that complexity, people start to feel either overlooked or unfairly targeted.”

Tierney also said that one major aspect of RTO comms that Filosa and Stellantis got right was making these comments in a live forum as opposed to an email.

“Live delivery allows tone, nuance and the ability to respond in real time,” he told Ragan. “That’s a good instinct. But the next step has to be carving out time to be physically available. If you’re meeting with financial analysts all the time, meet with your team too. It’s not wasted time — it’s an investment.”

Tierney also told Ragan that these comments serve as a reminder that communicators should always be in the C-suite’s ear as a trusted advisor to navigate these situations.

“You have to understand that the CEO is dealing with — the board pressures, the quarter, the global challenges — but you also have to be real with them,” he said. “When someone realizes that you understand both the pressure and the people they need to communicate with, they trust you. And that trust allows you to say, ‘This may not land the way you think it will.’”

In moments of culture shift like RTO, policy can start the conversation. But leadership credibility determines whether it ends in alignment or employee resistance.

Sean Devlin is an editor at Ragan Communications.