CEOs are running companies from afar, while employees are returning to headquarters

Starbucks Corp. is headquartered in Seattle.

But the company’s newly appointed CEO doesn’t live in the same city, or even the same state, as its headquarters — a new trend among top leaders living within a plane ride of their company at a time when many workers feel less flexible than before.

Indeed, last week, Columbus, Ohio-based Victoria’s Secret & Co. announced the name of its new CEO, who will be based in New York.

Brian Niccol, the new CEO of Starbucks, will not have to move to Seattle, where the company is headquartered, even though he will spend most of his time there. He is also getting a remote office in Newport Beach, Calif., where his former employer Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. is located. Hillary Super, who was poached from Rihanna’s lingerie brand to become the next leader at Victoria’s Secret, will move from California to New York.

Both executives have agreed to frequent commutes. Starbucks will let Niccol use its corporate jet, and Victoria’s Secret will cover Super’s travel expenses.

They join a growing number of corporate leaders who have been given the opportunity to run their businesses from hundreds or thousands of miles away, at least sometimes. It’s part of an ongoing evolution in workplace flexibility.

For example, early last year, white-collar workers at Starbucks were asked to return to the office at least three days a week, prompting a negative reaction from some employees.

Niccol, who moved Chipotle’s headquarters from Denver, is not following the precedent set by Starbucks. The coffee chain’s previous CEO, Laxman Narasimhan, moved to Seattle from the United Kingdom. Niccol will spend most of his time at the Seattle headquarters, according to a Starbucks spokesman.

Some of the location choices may be driven by business considerations. Kelly Ortberg, who became Boeing Co. CEO this month, will be based in Seattle, where he can oversee a critical 737 production hub that is undergoing a major quality-improvement effort after a near-miss in-flight earlier this year. Boeing’s headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia.

Other arrangements may include where the CEO lives. Scott Kirby of United Airlines Holdings Inc. splits his time between his primary residence in Dallas and Chicago, where his company is headquartered.

At Victoria’s Secret, Super isn’t the first or only executive at her company to be headquartered outside of Ohio. The brand’s president and the company’s head of design are based in New York.

“We have headquarters in multiple locations, including New York City,” a Victoria’s Secret spokesperson said in a statement. “It’s most important to us that our teams feel supported no matter where they are.”

Super’s predecessor, Martin Waters, also lived in New York and frequently visited the Ohio plant.