Motivate over mandate: An effective return to office strategy

Written by Ellen Brownings | October 30 2025

Why “return to office” is more complex than it seems

The office is no longer just a place to sit at a desk – it’s a space that needs to earn its relevance in the hybrid world of work. Today’s employees expect more than a mandate; they want environments that enhance collaboration, support wellbeing, and make in-person time genuinely worthwhile. For many, flexibility is non-negotiable, and for younger generations especially, the balance between work and life is a core factor in choosing where to stay¹. Organisations that view the office as an enabler of culture, connection, and performance, rather than simply a location to monitor presence, will be best placed to attract and retain talent.

It’s against this backdrop that many organisations are pushing for return-to-office (RTO) mandates. Over the past year, 63% of HR leaders have reported an increase in expectations for employees to return to the office¹. The organisations doing this are noticing the benefits that were lost from the shift to remote work: stronger team engagement, accelerated decision-making, and more in-person coaching and development opportunities. There is data to support this sentiment, showing how new joiners learn faster in office environments where leaders can visibly role-model and relationships can be built more quickly, enhancing psychological safety and trust².

At the same time, rigid mandates risk backlash. Reduced flexibility can alienate key talent groups - from high performers and younger employees to those with caring responsibilities. In a recent survey, HR leaders reported that 19% of non-executives would likely leave their jobs due to mandates, and 64% of leaders believed attrition rates would generally increase². For those entering the workforce for the first time, expectations are also shifting. Many new graduates are actively seeking hybrid roles, valuing both the flexibility of remote work and social connection opportunities that offices provide. This is why the real challenge for organisations is not simply mandating presence but reimagining the workplace itself - investing in environments that make in-person time valuable, purposeful, and attractive. That means creating spaces that support collaboration, designing policies in partnership with employees, communicating intent clearly, and using data and technology to shape better workplace experiences.

Organisational strategies for a balanced return to work

Clearly define the purpose of returning to the office
Employees will see through generic corporate messaging, so it’s critical to be specific about why in-person time matters. Show and quantify the value wherever possible, connecting it to tangible outcomes.
Give teams autonomy and flexibility
Let them decide their co-location days or hybrid working patterns rather than mandating full-time presence to ensure all talent segments are retained.
Co-design return-to-work policies with employees
77% of digital workers want to participate in creating their hybrid work model, so spend time gathering inputs on role responsibilities and home factors to design suitable solutions³.
Invest in physical space to make coming into the office more appealing
Provide ambient, accessible spaces and innovative equipment that employees may not have at home, such as ergonomic workstations, wellness facilities and collaborative zones.
Boost the social side of return to work
Make a fuss over coming back into the office with launch events, opening weeks, team lunches, in-person training and collaborative activities to build cross-team, informal connections.
Use engaging communications and change champions to support the return to work
Think creatively to make interactive content such as office tour videos and digital signage to bring the space to life, and use team-level ambassadors to surface concerns and model new ways of working.
Leverage AI and use data to measure office occupancy
Build smart offices with sensors that adapt to their environment and use presence analytics to track occupancy, forecast capacity, and shape effective workplace policies. For example, a vibrancy range metric reveals the ideal balance - keeping spaces lively and collaborative without becoming isolating or overcrowded.
Track, iterate, stay flexible
Gather employee feedback to optimise space and ways of working, but avoid creating a “big brother” vibe. Be ready to adjust if engagement drops, retention suffers, or policies aren’t landing - and make sure contracts and agreements support flexibility and choice.

How Clarasys can help: End-to-end change management leadership

We partner with organisations to deliver sustainable change from strategy through to embedment, combining data and behavioural insights with practical hands-on implementation. We help our clients with:

Strategy & vision setting: Helping leadership and executives define what the change is for, why it matters, and what success looks like.
Operating model & organisational design: Redesigning structures, roles, processes so your organisation is fit for hybrid, scalable, flexible work.
Change & communications planning & execution: Crafting internal communications, coordinating stakeholder engagement, preparing messages & materials, co-creating policies.
Learning & digital adoption: Designing and supporting the roll-out of blended, role-based training, including technology upskilling, enabling employees to get the most out of new tools and adopt new ways of working.
Project & transformation management: Managing end-to-end delivery of office moves, redesigns or hybrid work roll-outs, by embedding key governance structures and cross-functional collaboration.
Stakeholder & culture change: Engaging C-suite, line managers and employees through Steerco’s focus groups and rep sessions to gather feedback, build trust and align on culture, new work principles and environments.
Measurement & iteration: Capturing and embedding metrics, pulse surveys, sentiment analysis and feedback loops to ensure clients are able to learn and adapt to make the change stick.

Conclusion

Returning to the office doesn’t need to be about mandates - it can be about creating something people want to be part of. Organisations that get the balance right between purposeful office time, collaborative environments, flexibility, and strong change leadership can retain the gains of remote working while rebuilding connection, culture and high performance. Those that simply demand people return to office without doing the hard work will risk trust, morale and talent retention.

References

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