Return to office: the leadership challenge your business can’t afford to get wrong
The debate on the return to office (RTO) isn’t just a logistical question; it’s a litmus test for leadership in a post-pandemic world. Policies that once seemed straightforward—mandating when and where employees work—are now fraught with complexity, nuance, and trade-offs.
For organisations navigating this challenge, the stakes couldn’t be higher: the risk of alienating top talent, stifling innovation, or fracturing cultures is very real. But so is the opportunity to create a model of work that strengthens engagement, drives performance, and sets the foundation for long-term success.
Here’s how leaders can tackle the thorniest questions surrounding RTO, and why getting it right requires a bold, evidence-based approach.
The cost of mandates: breaking the social contract
Enforcing RTO mandates without a clear rationale or employee input risks eroding trust. Employees crave agency and autonomy, and overly controlling policies can feel like a breach of the unspoken social contract between employer and employee.
The fallout? Disengagement, attrition, and a workforce that feels infantilised rather than empowered.
Leaders must ask themselves: How can we balance business needs with employee expectations in a way that fosters trust and accountability?
It’s part of a bigger employee value proposition picture
The RTO debate feels like a decision in its own right, but the truth is that leaders instead of determining the RTO strategy in isolation, leaders must see it as part of a wider employee value proposition strategy.
It starts by identifying who and where the talent you need to attract and retain is, understanding what their expectations are and then designing a holistic employee value proposition that includes your route for RTO and hybrid working.
A rigid RTO stance risks alienating those who place a premium on flexibility, notably working parents, employees with caregiving roles, Gen Z workers who value independence and technological fluency, and individuals with disabilities for whom remote or hybrid work can offer essential accommodations.
Leaders must ask themselves: What talent do you need to attract and retain, what are their expectations and what is the holistic employee value proposition you offer?
The fairness equation
Fairness has emerged as a flashpoint in the RTO debate. Corporate employees who can work remotely often do, while frontline employees in retail, manufacturing, or healthcare have no such (or limited) flexibility. This disparity is a potential recipe for resentment and divide.
To bridge this gap, some organisations are redefining their cultures entirely – positioning corporate teams as “in service of” frontline workers. Others are introducing measures to create a sense of fairness, like shorter working weeks or improved benefits for frontline roles.
Leaders must ask themselves: What measures can we implement to address fairness head-on, ensuring every employee feels valued and respected?
The role of leadership
Returning to the office isn’t just about space—it’s about purpose. Employees, especially Gen Z, need to see the “why” behind RTO policies. They want clarity on what they’re expected to do in the office and how it aligns with organisational goals.
An arbitrary policy isn’t enough. What’s the purpose of those days? Are they for collaboration? Learning? Social connection? Without this clarity, the office risks becoming just another box to check.
Moreover, senior leaders must model the behaviours they want to see. Junior employees won’t buy into an RTO policy if they notice their managers are rarely present.
Leaders must ask themselves: What does it mean to ‘lead by example’ in a hybrid world and what can we do to ensure our actions match our words?
The cost to learning and development
We also know that with hybrid working comes a cost to learning and development, especially at more junior roles. It’s on both leaders and employees in their early careers to take responsibility for plugging the gap that working in person naturally provides for learning and growth opportunities.
Leaders must ask themselves: How can we create a culture of learning and collaboration in a hybrid world to support our continuous development and growth?
The hidden risks of RTO: innovation and well-being
Research shows that working remotely two days a week has little to no negative impact on productivity and even boosts job satisfaction. But it’s not without trade-offs.
Innovation, particularly across silos, often thrives on in-person interactions. Building trusted relationships and sparking spontaneous ideas are harder to replicate virtually.
At the same time, remote work has introduced the “cost of coordination”—an explosion of meetings that has left employees stretched thin and burned out.
We also know that as we learn to adopt AI into our day-to-day, we risk disconnecting from colleagues even further—turning to AI to ask questions and solve problems, rather than the humans in our teams.
Hybrid models that don’t address these issues risk exacerbating well-being and innovation challenges.
Leaders must ask themselves: Where is the sweet spot? How can we be deliberate about the way our teams work together to harness the benefits of both remote and in-person work?
The future of work
The return to office is not just a logistical exercise; it’s an opportunity to reimagine the future of work. Leaders who succeed will:
- Determine the RTO stance as part or a wider employee value proposition strategy: identify the talent you need to attract and retain, what their needs and expectations are and determine your hybrid working approach accordingly.
- Involve employees in decision-making: RTO policies imposed on employees rather than developed with them can expect to fail. Employees want agency, not mandates.
- Define the purpose of office time: Focus on collaboration, learning, and culture-building—not simply presence.
- Address fairness head-on: Acknowledge and address disparities between different employee groups.
- Equip middle managers: Managers are not the decision-makers but they are the linchpins of any RTO strategy. Yet they’re often the least prepared to navigate the complexities. Investing in their skills and confidence is critical.
- Make data-driven decisions: Use insights from productivity, engagement, and attrition data to refine policies over time. But we wary of strict tracking and monitoring of individuals that risks creating a rules-based culture of control and mistrust.
As Professor Thomas Roulet notes, “Hybrid work is an experiment in progress.” Organisations that approach it with humility, adaptability, and a commitment to fairness will not only navigate this transition—they’ll thrive in the new world of work.
The question isn’t whether to mandate a return to the office or not. It’s how to find the right solution for your organisation and launch it in a way that builds trust, drives performance, and sets the foundation for long-term success.
Learn more about United Minds’ approach and process to determining and launching an RTO position.
We’d love to know what you think, get in touch!
