Return to office policies: What makes them work?

When COVID-19 struck, millions quickly adapted to remote work, ditching the commute for home offices and discovering perks like flexibility, time saved and a better work-life balance. Related The shift to working from home has increased the number of hours Americans work "According to a Flex Index study, 79% of tech companies in North America allow employees to decide when they work in the office or are fully remote, 18% have a ‘structured’ hybrid mandate and only 3% are fully in-office," Cairns said. RTO mandates can be a strategic way for companies to reduce staff without layoffs or severance Implementing the RTO policy allows companies to trim headcount without the costs or reputational risks of traditional layoffs. Salvatore Affinito, assistant professor of management and organizations at NYU Stern School of Business, said it's important for companies ending remote work "to make a compelling case to employees for why being in the office is important to company leadership." face pressures from multiple angles: their supervisors, who may push them to enforce policies they didn’t create; their lives, which are affected by the changes; and their direct reports, who may be unhappy with the new direction.” A flexible RTO strategy helps companies retain talent by addressing challenges like long commutes and childcare costs, which stricter mandates often overlook, experts said.