AIMCo CEO says execs who force employees back to the office are 'tone-deaf'

The CEO of one of Canada's largest institutional investors didn't mince words Wednesday when speaking about the recent push by some corporate leaders to order employees back to the office full-time.

"I’m amazed at, frankly, how many tone-deaf, white male CEOs are saying, 'you must come back to the office.' I think they’re asking for fights with their employees," said Evan Siddall, head of the Alberta Investment Management Corp. (AIMCo) and a former CEO of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

"I think there's been a relatively permanent shift."

Siddall made the comments Wednesday during an interview in Calgary, where he was attending the grand opening of AIMCo's new office in that city.