Real estate mogul Barbara Corcoran is skeptical about the effectiveness of working from home.

The 75-year-old "Shark Tank" star has managed employees since 1973, when she founded the Corcoran Group, adapting to multiple changes in office culture along the way.

When it comes to fully remote work, Corcoran is still on the fence, she told iHeart's "Way Up With Angela Yee" podcast last month. "Whether people are more productive at home — I'm not sure I'm buying it as a boss," said Corcoran.

"When I'm in [the office], I like my people in."

At the same time, Corcoran said she understands the perspective of those who prefer to work from home. "Looking at it from the employee's vantage point, I get it. Why would you want to get in a car and go to work and waste all that time going in just to go home again?" she said.

On the days she's not working in the office herself, "I like my people to know they don't have to come in."

Workers were ushered into remote and hybrid work in 2020 following the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Now these models have become a workplace norm, and employees reap the benefits. Eighty-three percent of workers say they're equally or more productive when working from home compared to the office, according to a 2021 survey of 2500 employees from Owl Labs.

Moreover, flexible work models boost employee happiness and reduce attrition by 33%, a 2023 study found.

'I recommend leaning into remote and hybrid work'

Workplace performance expert and author Henna Pryor believes that employees can be more productive working from home with adequate opportunities for human connection and collaboration.

"People may feel more individually productive working remotely, but 65% of employees in our study said hybrid or virtual setups make it harder to build social relationships at work," Pryor says, citing a recent study from her coaching company, Pryority Group. "We call this social muscle atrophy — when skills like conflict resolution or creativity take a hit because we're not flexing them in real-world interactions."

Her best advice for leaders? Make sure your flexible employees have the opportunity to collaborate and connect with their colleagues, be it through coffee chats, team assignments or group activities and gatherings.

"For leaders, I recommend leaning into remote and hybrid work but making time for intentional face-to-face touchpoints -- think team meetups, one-on-ones, and opportunities to strengthen social muscle," Pryor says. "It's all about balancing flexibility with human connection, which is essential for long-term success, performance, and productivity."

Disclosure: CNBC owns the exclusive off-network cable rights to "Shark Tank," which features Barbara Corcoran as a panelist.

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