RTO mandates: myth v. reality
Can’t believe in the Year of our Lord 2025 we’re still having the debate about whether or not forcing employees back into the office with a strict return-to-office mandate is a good idea, but here we are. (Watch me rage against this idea on TikTok and Instagram, if you like.)
C-Suite leaders across corporate America have convinced that five-day-a-week in-office mandates boost productivity, foster collaboration, and demonstrate leadership. But the actual data on remote and hybrid work tells a very different story:
Empowering employees to choose where they work best often leads to better productivity results. The myth that “butts in seats” equals productivity is an outdated paradigm.
Collaboration thrives when the right tools and systems are in place, not just because people share a physical space. Remote and hybrid teams can—and do—work together effectively.
Companies embracing flexible workforces even outperform their counterparts in the stock market.
RTO mandates don’t just fail to deliver on their promises; they actively push away top talent by stripping away their autonomy.
RTO mandates force women to choose between careers and caregiving responsibilities and put a disproportionate burden on people of color, all for performance benefits that rarely materialize.
There are benefits to being back in person, and people know it. Remote work is at least a partial reason for why we all feel so lonely right now.
But coming back into the office comes at a significant cost in terms of both time and money for each individual employee. Deciding to do so is better left as a team-by-team, department-by-department decision—based on what their actual work looks like—rather than a blanket mandate.