Sanjay Sathé is founder & CEO of SucceedSmart, an AI-led executive recruiting platform that blends patented technology with human expertise.
Following the widespread pivot to remote work during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, many organizations are now navigating how to develop and implement return-to-office policies. While some companies are still allowing teams to work entirely remotely, others are enforcing hybrid work policies or requiring workers to return to the office full-time.
For example, Amazon announced that all employees must return to the office five days a week by January 2025. This has been met with significant pushback from employees; one survey found that 73% of Amazon employees are considering quitting because of the mandate. Notably, Amazon is among only 7% of large tech companies that currently have full-time return-to-office mandates.
As an HR leader, an important consideration when designing return-to-office policies is ensuring they work for both the organization and its employees. While in-person collaboration can offer business benefits like increased productivity and improved problem-solving, employees have grown accustomed to the increased autonomy and flexibility of remote work. They might not want to go back to the rigid requirements of being in the office.
Whether your organization is considering requiring employees to return to the office on a hybrid basis or full-time, the following tips can help you effectively manage the process.
1. Develop and communicate a standardized policy.
A 2023 Fishbowl survey found that 49.2% of respondents don’t understand their company’s hybrid work plan or return-to-work policy. Primarily, they don’t understand the reasoning or benefits behind the decision.
Vague language in your hybrid work policy can lead to confusion, frustration and disengagement among employees. Clearly state the expectations, why you’re choosing to implement the policy and when the mandate will go into effect. Share the policy across common company channels, such as email, team meetings, messaging apps and your team intranet.
It will be important for leaders to set an example by returning to the office and holding their teams accountable. If a leader chooses not to follow the policy, this can make it challenging to enforce across the organization.
2. Support flexibility with in-office schedules.
Rather than requiring everyone to return to the office full-time and on a traditional nine-to-five schedule, offering some flexibility and hybrid opportunities can gain employee buy-in. According to a 2022 Future Forum survey, 75% of workers who are dissatisfied with the level of flexibility planned to look for new opportunities within the next year. Additionally, a 2024 PwC report found that hybrid workers feel more engaged and satisfied than those who work in-office or remotely.
You can support flexibility with your return-to-office policy by setting a minimum number of days for in-office work and giving people the option to choose which days they come in. Other options include implementing core team hours with varying start and end times, minimizing time spent in meetings and offering a flexible time-off policy.
3. Offer in-person development and growth opportunities.
According to ResumeBuilder.com, remote workers are at a disadvantage when it comes to receiving promotions or raises. This is likely because of misconceptions about their productivity, even though the research shows they’re more productive than in-office or hybrid employees. To bridge this gap, come up with strategies that motivate workers to come into the office.
Scheduling in-person growth opportunities, like training, team-building and development sessions, encourages employees to work in the office. Have managers schedule in-person one-on-one meetings with their direct reports to set actionable goals and help employees reach the next step in their careers. During these meetings, managers can also solicit feedback on which aspects of the hybrid work policy are working and which need improvement.
4. Address turnover with a proactive recruitment strategy.
Even if you strike the right balance between business and employee needs when developing a return-to-office policy, some employees may still choose to leave in favor of companies that offer fully remote or other flexible options. Gartner research found that high-performing employees, women and Millennials are flight risks because of return-to-office mandates.
Don’t wait for employees to leave before you initiate the recruitment process. Implementing proactive strategies like succession planning and talent pipelining can help you avoid starting from scratch. Your team will be able to fill roles quickly and avoid turnover-driven risks like lost productivity.
When it comes to creating a return-to-office strategy, there’s no perfect solution. By taking a balanced approach that considers the needs of both the business and employees, you can design a policy that drives productivity and engagement.
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