Is 2025 the year we do away with hybrid working and return to the office full time? Some large enterprises would certainly have you think so, with the likes of Santander, PwC, Amazon, Lloyds Bank, JP Morgan, and WPP all implementing Return-to-Office (RTO) mandates over the last few months.
While there are arguments for and against RTO mandates – with proponents arguing on the grounds of maintaining workplace culture and adherents claiming it makes little impact on productivity – what’s clear is that such a significant change after years of hybrid working will create challenges for any business.
The return to full-time office work is expected to present challenges to the workforce itself and their HR teams. Employees accustomed to remote flexibility may struggle with stress, long commutes, and rigid schedules, which could ultimately impact job satisfaction and productivity. On the other hand, HR teams could find themselves stretched with potential difficulties in talent retention or finding the ‘right’ talent for their teams.
Balancing the potential rewards of enhanced collaboration and culture with the risks of employee dissatisfaction and disengagement will be crucial for businesses as they navigate this shift.
How RTO is affecting the working climate
We are already seeing a significant backlash to RTO mandates. At WPP, the shift to mandatory four days office attendance sparked massive backlash where thousands of employees signed a petition imploring the world’s biggest advertising agency to revoke the new policy. Similarly, at Lloyds, employees were threatened with bonus cuts if they didn’t return to the office, escalating tensions and further fueling resentment.
Such policies highlight hurt morale and could potentially lead to retention issues, as employees may seek more flexible roles elsewhere.
In fact, rigid policies could significantly damage employee satisfaction especially as workers increasingly prioritise flexibility. The level of risk the C-suite is willing to take on such measures often sets the tone for the company culture, influencing everything from recruitment to daily operations.
Leaders who are flexible and attuned to employee needs foster a more positive work environment, which can enhance both talent retention and hiring practices. On the other hand, inflexible policies such as RTO may create barriers, alienating potential candidates, and undermining accessibility.
Attitudes to risk among business leaders must evolve to reflect this reality: sustainable growth comes not from avoiding risks, but from taking the right kinds of risks. C-suite leaders who prioritise openness and thoroughness in recruitment signal a healthy approach to business-critical risks. This mindset helps build a strong foundation for growth and digital transformation, positioning the company for long-term success.
This shift isn’t just a market-driven necessity—it’s also a response to the growing regulatory landscape and the increasingly hybrid and global workforce. As the nature of work evolves, organisations must protect their most valuable asset: their people.
Pressure on the HR teams
For HR teams, managing this transition involves navigating employee resistance, conflicting preferences, and varying readiness to return to physical workspaces. This not only affects current employees but also complicates the process of attracting new talent.
In a competitive labor market, organisations may struggle to find candidates who are willing to fully commit to in-person work. HR will need to emphasise the value of in-office culture, career development opportunities, and a supportive environment to attract top talent.
Moreover, HR professionals will be tasked with addressing logistical issues like office space management, safety protocols, and hybrid models while ensuring that the company’s culture and employee engagement remain intact.
Balancing business needs with employee satisfaction will be a delicate process requiring empathy, flexibility, and strategic foresight.
Technology is the way forward
While smaller businesses easily foster a sense of shared success and trust, larger organisations must clearly communicate RTO expectations from the outset of the hiring process. Finding the right candidates is now one of the biggest challenges for large organisations.
Good hiring practices and the right technology needs to be built into recruiting systems so that hiring managers can be confident candidates are a solid bet, when it comes to RTO mandates, from the moment they cross the company threshold.
Hiring practices must adapt to hybrid and remote work models, while also navigating the rise of AI in job applications. This makes it increasingly difficult for HR teams to determine if a candidate is a good fit or being fully transparent in their application. To overcome these hurdles, larger businesses should leverage the right technology and transparent hiring practices.
They can do so by expediting processes for HR teams by automating background checks, which also improves HR team’s productivity as the time spent on manually checking could be reduced in half. Through automation in HR, businesses can emulate the trust and loyalty typically seen in smaller companies, while building a workforce that is committed and aligned with the organisation’s long-term goals.
This ensures HR teams can confidently assess candidates while maintaining efficiency and minimising disruption for both employers and candidates.
Luke is the co-founder of Zinc, a background checking and verification platform for HR professionals. Starting his career as a recruiter-turned-developer, Luke has grown 3 start-ups and featured on Dragons Den. He spent seven years as a tech recruiter, recruiting for financial, healthcare, and education businesses globally. Through this Luke experienced first hand the problems with reference and background checking, leading him to create Zinc, alongside his partner Charlotte.
