Is it clear yet that forcing employees back into the office is about as effective as trying to build culture via calendar invite? It’s clumsy, outdated, and almost guaranteed to spark resentment.
And yet, despite three in five UK workers saying they’d rather quit than return to the office full time, some companies are still doubling down on top-down mandates like corporate fossils. People don’t respond to ultimatums, they respond to value and if your workplace doesn’t offer a good reason to be there, no policy will fix that.
So, let’s look at what actually makes the office worth showing up for.
Build It and They Will Come
So let’s address the elephant in the room… Yes, 62% of employees say they’re more productive at home and we’ve all heard the “office is dead, blah blah blah” headlines, but still, 44% see the office as the best place to collaborate. It shouldn’t be hard to imagine and better yet understand that people want a workplace that supports meaningful connection. They just don’t want it at the cost of focus or flexibility.
Horror stories of forced RTO without thought into space, collaboration and reason already exist. Around 40% of organisations that implemented mandates saw high employee attrition and nearly a third are now struggling to even fill those holes.
In a world of headlines, RTO has become a PR nightmare framed as cold, top-down, and out of touch, but it doesn’t have to be. If you want to understandably make use of your expensive real estate and better equip your employees to succeed, you can. So, what are the things to consider?
Make the Office Worth the Commute
Right now, most offices are a soft ‘meh‘, with only 30% of employees thinking their workplace actually helps them focus. If your workplace setup feels like a relic of a by-gone age, you really shouldn’t be expecting enthusiasm or that elusive productivity boost that some managers keep yapping on about. People need a reason to come; they need something better than their home setup that is going to fundamentally solve their work pain points and make their job easier.
Here’s what that actually looks like:
- Workplace equipment and technology that outperforms home setups: Think dual monitors, specialist software, high-speed secure networks, proper diallers; don’t expect your marketers to produce beautiful assets within Illustrator with a dusty 2000’s laptop. If their tools are better at home, that’s where people will stay.
- Quiet zones that support deep work: Properly soundproofed, distraction-free spaces where people can focus, not a table next to the kitchen and a laminated ‘Do Not Disturb’. If people come in to concentrate, the space needs to respect that.
- Collaborative spaces with centralised resources: Whiteboards, interactive screens, conferencing equipment, fast access to printers. Everything needs to be in reach, nothing scattered across five platforms. It should be easier to create, share and move projects forward in person, not harder.
- Space designed around teams, with instant access to the right people: The office should speed things up, not slow you down. That means quick access to your team, your manager and anyone who can unblock your work (yes, I’m talking about IT). Past that, it should be built around how teams operate: project rooms for marketing, call zones for sales, pin up walls for designers. One-size-fits-all doesn’t work.
Just remember, if the office isn’t helping them work better than they can at home, what exactly is it for?
Related Reading: How to Optimise Your Workspace with These 8 Occupancy Metrics
We’ll Take Structure and Communication Please
One of the worst sins of the office? The stress that comes from so-called “fast-paced environments” (corporate jargon for chaos, thanks LinkedIn recruiters). At the end of the day, nearly 51% of employees feel more stressed in-office thanks to weak communication and poor structure. Instead of collaboration, they’re met with empty desks, video calls to people working remotely and even mornings wasted trying to find a place to sit. Put simply, poor management and unclear communication are killing your chances of getting people back, let alone working well…
So, instead make clarity king:
- Set clear team schedules so people know when to collaborate
- Make desk and room booking an option and ensure booking is fast
- Be upfront about why you want people in; you’re all working towards a common goal…
Structure doesn’t have to mean surveillance. It just has to make sense.
Your People Are Your Biggest Attraction
The final thing you should be really striving to build upon to make your workplace valuable is connection. No one’s commuting just to sit in silence under better lighting. It should come as no surprise that the biggest reason people come into the office is still each other. Roughly 85% of hybrid workers are more likely to show up if their manager or teammates are there in the office to put it simply.
It can’t be emphasised enough how important connection is to your workplace. In the modern world of working, only a third of employees actually feel connected in the office and 65% admit they want to have a sense of belonging and community. If it’s not obvious that should be the gap you’re aiming for. If you want to appeal to the 53% of employees that come in for collaboration and development, make sure your office is actually offering that. It might feel like a tired approach, but organise events to foster workplace relationships and reasons to come into the office; think out of office activities, workplace parties and even casual dress days if you’re typically a suited and booted firm.
TL;DR, do the socials, skip the forced fun.
If You Have to Beg Them Back, You’ve Already Lost
So, in summary: mandates might get people through the door, but they don’t deliver productivity or a genuine reason to keep burning money on overpriced office space. Influence builds something better. It forces you to create a workplace where your team can actually thrive. That means better tools than they have at home, spaces built around how teams really work, clear structure, and meaningful opportunities to connect.
Get those things right, and you won’t need to beg people back, because let’s be honest, if your workplace actually offers value and makes peoples jobs easier, people might just come in on their own back (spoiler: they will).
Unsure where to start on organising your return to office? Take a look at our case studies or get in touch today. We know a thing or two about helping build adaptive workspaces after all. Promise.
