Why Employees are Pushing Back on RTO Mandates (And How HR Can Turn It Around)

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Employees are digging in their heels on returning to the office, and it’s costing companies more than just compliance headaches—it’s impacting retention. What can we do to ease the transition?

Return-to-office (RTO) mandates are in full swing, with companies like Amazon and Dell enforcing strict policies. Yet, despite the push, employees are resisting. HR professionals are now faced with a major challenge: How can we bring employees back to the office without causing a wave of resignations or disengagement?

The truth is, the workforce has changed, and a one-size-fits-all approach won’t work. Instead, we need strategies that balance business needs with employee expectations. Let’s dive into why employees are resisting and what you can do to smooth the transition.

Things to Consider:

1. Understand the Root Cause of Resistance - Employees aren't resisting RTO mandates simply to be difficult. While businesses have legitimate reasons for requiring office presence, many employees have concerns about work-life balance, commuting, and productivity that should be considered. After two years of remote work, employees have enjoyed flexibility, increased productivity, and improved work-life balance. The commute, childcare arrangements, and even mental health issues are all contributing factors to their resistance. Understanding the “why” is the first step in finding solutions.
2. Offer Flexible Solutions - Companies like Amazon may be enforcing strict policies, but that doesn’t mean flexibility has to disappear altogether. Hybrid models have been shown to work effectively for many businesses (even temporarily). Offering options, such as staggered office days or flexible hours, can make the idea of returning to the office less daunting for employees. Flexibility demonstrates that you value their work-life balance, which can reduce attrition while still meeting business needs.
3. Reframe the Office as a Place of Connection - Employees may see the office as a place of rigid rules and distractions. It’s time to change that narrative. Highlight the social and collaborative benefits of being back in the office. Use internal communications to show how in-person work strengthens relationships. You could also plan team-building activities or offer professional development opportunities that can only be accessed in the office. The goal is to make the office feel like a place where employees want to be—not just somewhere they have to be.
4. Incentivize the Return - Sometimes, a little extra motivation can go a long way. Consider offering incentives for employees who return to the office. Whether it’s free lunches, transportation stipends, or wellness programs, these perks can help ease the transition. You could even offer extra PTO or the option to leave early on Fridays for those who meet certain attendance criteria. While this won’t solve all your problems, it can create a positive association with returning to the office and demonstrate that you’re invested in their well-being.
5. Communicate, Don’t Dictate - One of the biggest mistakes companies make with RTO mandates is a lack of transparent communication. Employees don’t want to feel like they’re being forced back without understanding the rationale. HR’s role is to communicate the business reasons behind the RTO, whether it’s better collaboration or customer-facing needs. But don’t stop there—keep the lines of communication open. Provide regular updates, hold Q&A sessions, and encourage feedback. When employees feel heard and informed, they’re more likely to comply with the mandate.

The bottom line is this: Employees aren’t ignoring RTO mandates just to be difficult. They’ve experienced a new way of working and are hesitant to give it up. As HR professionals, it’s our job to bridge the gap between the business’s needs and the employees' expectations. By understanding the reasons behind the resistance, offering flexibility, and incentivizing the return, we can coax employees back without seeing a spike in attrition. The future of work is evolving, and it’s up to HR to lead the way with empathy and strategy.

A Look at Companies Enforcing RTO Policies—and the Results

The return-to-office (RTO) push is not unique to any one company. Across industries, businesses are grappling with how to implement these policies effectively while minimizing employee dissatisfaction. Here are some major companies enforcing RTO mandates and what we can learn from their approaches.

1. Amazon - Amazon has been in the spotlight recently for its strict RTO policy, which requires employees to return to the office five days per week starting January 2025. This mandate has stirred significant backlash from employees, many of whom argue that returning full-time will negatively affect their work-life balance and overall satisfaction. Despite the controversy, Amazon's leadership believes that in-person collaboration boosts innovation and connection, which they say is critical to the company's success. However, resistance from employees continues, including internal surveys showing dissatisfaction with the policy. HR professionals at Amazon will need to closely monitor the effects of this policy on turnover and engagement in the coming months. (Click here to learn more)
2. Dell Technologies - Dell has also faced challenges with its RTO policy. The company initially implemented a hybrid model, requiring employees to track their office attendance, but later moved towards stricter enforcement, telling remote employees that they would be ineligible for promotions unless they returned to the office. This led to significant unrest within their workforce, with many employees choosing to remain fully remote despite the new rules. Dell’s employee satisfaction scores, tracked through internal surveys, have dropped sharply since enforcing the policy, revealing the difficulty in aligning company needs with employee preferences. (Click here to learn more)
3. Apple Apple has adopted a hybrid approach, requiring employees to come into the office three days a week. While this mandate is less stringent than Amazon’s, it has still led to some resistance. Apple's leadership emphasizes the value of in-person collaboration for creativity and innovation, yet many employees have voiced concerns about the loss of flexibility. So far, Apple has managed to maintain a balance between enforcing the policy and addressing employee concerns, partly due to its flexible hybrid arrangement. (Click here to learn more)
4. IBM - IBM has taken a different approach to RTO, focusing on flexibility. While the company has an RTO policy in place, they allow individual managers to set the in-office expectations for their teams. This has allowed for a more personalized approach, with some employees returning full-time while others continue in a hybrid or remote model. By maintaining flexibility, IBM has been able to avoid some of the backlash seen at other companies, showing that RTO policies don’t have to be rigid to be effective. (Click here to learn more)
5. JP Morgan Chase - As one of the first companies to bring employees back to the office post-pandemic, JP Morgan Chase has enforced a more traditional RTO mandate, requiring many employees to work from the office full-time. CEO Jamie Dimon has been vocal about his belief in the importance of in-person work for productivity and collaboration. Despite initial pushback, the company has stood firm on its policy. However, this decision has also resulted in some employee turnover, as workers seek out more flexible opportunities elsewhere. (Click here to learn more)

The key takeaway? There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Successful RTO policies consider employee feedback, provide flexibility where possible, and clearly communicate the business rationale behind the decision.

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