What started as a whisper has become a very loud shout as we begin 2025: return to office (mandates) are being announced at companies large and small, much to the regret of their people.
The last five years have seen our workplaces change dramatically – and often for the better. Hybrid and flexible arrangements have given people the ability to better align their work with their other responsibilities, and have removed geographical and physical barriers. Our offices have gone from being the place we do our work, to the place where we connect and collaborate.
RTO mandates are shortsighted and reactionary, often brought to the table by leaders who feel the need for command and control. But the reality is, this approach can lead to people feeling disengaged, uninspired and unmotivated.
The problem with forcing people to the office
The RTO mandates sweeping through corporate boardrooms are positioning flexible work as an exception rather than a rule.
Employees are left justifying their needs through ‘special requests’ to be able to continue working from home. This is not only stressful for people who’ve built their life based on having this flexibility, but it also signals that the system isn’t the problem, they are. This rigidity sends a clear message: “We don’t trust you”.
This lack of trust is compounded by surveillance practices like location tracking and screen monitoring, designed to ensure compliance rather than performance.
These measures might offer leaders a false sense of control, but the damage to employee trust can be long-lasting. Rebuilding trust, once broken, is a complex and time-intensive process. Research published in the International Journal of Psychological Research found that restoring trust can take five to seven times longer than the time it took to lose it.
Without trust, businesses will be faced with disengaged people, presenteeism, and employees who are treading water until they can find a new role. The irony of forcing people back to the office to ‘boost productivity’ is that it actually does the opposite.
Redefining how we work
Instead of clinging to control, progressive leaders have an opportunity to redefine what work looks like.
Future-fit workplaces prioritise trust, purpose, and flexibility. They move beyond rigid mandates to focus on creating environments where employees are motivated to do their best work.
Bestselling author Daniel H. Pink has discovered there are three essential requirements for people to do their best work:
- Purpose: People need to see how their work connects to a larger mission. When they can see how their daily tasks are aligned with overarching company goals, they become more engaged. .
- Autonomy: Trusting employees to manage their time and workload fosters ownership and accountability. This means moving away from micromanagement and giving people confidence to get things done.
- Mastery: Encouraging employees to take on challenges, step out of their comfort zones, and grow their skills creates a culture of continuous improvement and innovation.
Effective workplaces are intentional, balancing in-person collaboration with uninterrupted focus time.
Companies adopting hybrid models must go beyond token flexibility to reimagine how work gets done. For example, some organisations introduce meeting-free days or co-design schedules with their teams. Or they might have an ‘anchor day’ where everyone is in the office together, and the rest of the week is flexible so that people can design the work experience that works for them.
Providing ways for people to participate in workplace design means they’ll be more invested in making work work, and helps avoid tone deaf, top-down directives.
Bold leadership for bold outcomes
Leaders have a choice – we’re at a crossroads in the world of work. Will you remain wedded to outdated ways of working, or embrace the future of work by fostering trust, flexibility, and purpose?
What would you prefer? An organisation staffed by people who feel empowered and trusted to contribute to the overarching mission? Or an organisation where people are reluctantly turning up, or cheating the system through things like ‘coffee badging’?
The world has big problems and challenges to solve, and there are so many opportunities for us to innovate and do better. Regressing to the old ways of working is a major step backwards, when we have an opportunity instead to make a giant leap forward.
What will you choose?
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