Is the return-to-office push backfiring on employers?

Return-to-office mandates are being rolled out as a quick fix for lagging stock prices, but a 2024 study of S&P 500 firms shows they only work when companies upgrade the systems that enable collaboration. Hybrid work can maintain or even improve productivity when the right tools and processes are in place, as demonstrated by Stanford research showing two days a week at home matches office-only output while cutting turnover by a third.

The real cost of forcing people back to a desk is the hidden time spent commuting-often two to three hours a day-that could be redirected to focused work or creative problem solving. Outdated infrastructure and clunky workflows compound the issue: employees arrive with the same slow tools and inefficient meetings, so any productivity gain evaporates, and in some cases performance declines.

Leaders who succeed design work intentionally. They invest in modern collaboration platforms, reserve in-person days for high-value activities like mentorship, brainstorming, and relationship building, and streamline meetings to eliminate waste. By trusting employees to choose the mode that best fits the task, they remove friction and let teams deliver results regardless of location.

Experts in the article illustrate the point: Lena McDearmid argues that removing barriers and upgrading systems yields gains no matter where teams sit; Angela Heyroth shares a case where a hybrid model accelerated a product launch through spontaneous office interactions; Kate Vawter warns that mandatory office time signals mistrust and damages psychological safety; and Suvrangsou Das quantifies talent loss when flexibility is stripped away. Their collective insight is clear-productivity hinges on how work is organized, not where it happens.

For technical leaders, the actionable takeaway is to audit the tooling, processes, and meeting cadences before imposing any RTO policy. Prioritize investment in collaboration technology, define clear outcomes for office days, and give remote workers the autonomy to focus. When the "how" and "why" are aligned with business goals, the office becomes a strategic asset rather than a costly obligation.