A workforce expert says asking employees to return to the office as it used to be is like trying to ‘jam the toothpaste back in the tube’

Return-to-office mandates still seem like complex high-level math equations that even the most brilliant minds in the business world can’t solve.

, , and are among the latest companies to enforce full-time RTOs. However, some of these mandates have encountered obstacles, such as insufficient office space and dissatisfied employees.

, for instance, stated in September that it aimed to have its 350,000-strong workforce back in the office by early January. By February, many of their offices lacked the capacity to accommodate the return, resulting in numerous employees continuing to work from home. AT&T had a similar situation. In response to JPMorgan’s RTO mandate, employees voiced their outrage on an internal platform. The company then disabled comments. Some and workers have also signed petitions protesting their employers’ requirements.

Jennifer Moss, a workplace strategist and author of Why Are We Here?: Creating a Work Culture Everyone Wants, said that some of these RTO plans lack recognition of a cultural change. The post-pandemic workplace should blend lessons from the pre-pandemic and pandemic-era models, she added.

“When we attempt to get people back into the office, we’re still operating the office in the same old way,” Moss told HR Brew. “We simply can’t force things back to the way they were.”

Recognize the new environment. Moss said that improved collaboration, culture, and productivity are frequently cited as reasons for an RTO, but being in the office doesn’t necessarily enable employees to achieve these goals.

“People are going into the office, unfortunately, it feels very much like being at home,” she said. “You’re still on , and you’re still spending your day doing the exact same things you could do at home. It seems rather arbitrary.”

To facilitate this new era of work, employers should embrace a model Moss termed “the third office.” Instead of “pushing” for employees to revert to pre-pandemic norms, she said employers should consider how to incorporate the benefits of remote work, like autonomy and flexibility. To that end, a hybrid approach, she said, generally works best.

Moss also emphasized being mindful of how the physical office space can impact employees. If a company doesn’t have enough desks, for example, she said HR leaders should reevaluate how employees work in the office and create quiet or collaborative spaces outside of the open floor plan.

“The [third office] is a place where you engage in challenging discussions, learn to network, develop soft skills, conduct team building, build up that social energy and cohesion,” she said, adding that these activities were undervalued before the pandemic and lost during the pandemic, and should be part of this new era.

Ultimately, though, companies that require five days in the office should provide employees with their own dedicated workspace, Moss said. It might seem simple, but being able to personalize a desk, she said, could help employees feel more connected to their workplace.

Identify and communicate the play-by-play. According to John Frehse, the global head of labor strategy at consulting firm Ankura, some executives want RTO to address their own “trust issues” without considering its impact on employees.

“You only trust me when I’m in the office. You don’t trust me when I’m at home. What kind of a worker-employer relationship is this?” Frehse told HR Brew.

Sujay Saha, an employee experience strategist and founder of consulting firm Cortico-, stressed the need for a plan. “Don’t make the decision and then figure out how to make it happen for people… that’s the biggest problem in a lot of this,” Saha said. He suggested that HR start by identifying employees’ “personas,” such as whether they’re working parents or part of the sandwich generation. This can give HR an understanding of employees’ needs and schedules, which can assist in determining what kind of RTO might be appropriate.

“There are pros and cons in all of this, so the most important thing we can focus on is how we do it,” Saha said. “Maybe there’s a pace at which you can do it… Slow down and give people the necessary mental adjustment time to take care of their lives before changing [them].”

Frehse also advised against centering an RTO announcement on the enforcement and consequences of not following the mandate. Instead, communicate the steps and value for professional growth.

“It’s both culturally and intellectually lazy to announce a certain number of days of return to office each week without详细列出原因—not just the benefits for the business, but also the benefits for the employee,” he said.

Saha agreed. “Don’t do it just for the sake of doing it… Be clear about why you’re doing it.”

This report was by .

A version of this story was published on on February 28, 2025.