Return to office mandates – why they’re disengaging your high performers and eroding trust

Return to office (RTO) mandates have been in the headlines throughout this year. In January a study in the UK found that 30% of large private enterprises are still planning to increase their number of mandated days in the office in the next 12 months. And the upward trend has spread (though at a slower speed), to 21% of SMEs and 17% of employers in the public sector – so what is driving the renewed interest in sharing office space?   

The rise of the RTO mandate 

Just last year, two-thirds of US companies had settled into flexible work arrangements, and office attendance had stabilised at around 50% of pre-pandemic norms (MIT Sloan Management Review, 2024). But then Amazon CEO Andy Jassy reignited debate by calling employees back into the office five days a week. And in early 2025 Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy mandated full-time return to the office (RTO) of all federal government employees, with administrative leave threatened for non-compliance (CNN, February 2025).

The reasoning behind these mandates and the continuing drive for in-office time across a range of sectors is simple but flawed: the belief that productivity depends on physical presence. But for HR leaders, they raise a bigger question: what’s the real cost of enforcing presence over performance? The evidence consistently shows that mandates don’t rebuild culture or improve productivity – in fact they reduce engagement and risk driving attrition rather than improving performance (MIT Sloan Management Review, 2024).

In practice, RTO mandates send a clear message, whether intended or not: we don’t trust you. Not to manage your time. Not to work without oversight. Not even to deliver without being seen doing it. That signal doesn’t just reduce engagement – it fractures organizational and managerial relationships. For high performers in particular, who take pride in their output, it undermines motivation. These are the employees delivering the most value, yet RTO policies imply their results are not enough without visibility at a desk.

Why high performers disengage first 

High performers expect to be trusted. They have proven their abilities repeatedly – and often value working independently with more autonomy as part of that process. RTO mandates undermine the trust they believe they’ve earned and replace it with attendance monitoring. For those who have proven they can deliver under their own steam, compulsory office days feel like punishment, or removal of earned privileges.

When trust is withdrawn, what follows is disconnection: trust erodes, contribution feels undervalued, and appreciation disappears. These three dimensions – Trust, Contribution and Appreciation – are tightly linked. Undermining one risks weakening them all. Fail to trust a high-performing employee, and they can feel their contribution is underappreciated – and withdraw it.

“Trust fuels relationships. Employees who can bring their authentic self to work are two times more likely to trust their organization.”  

Global Talent Trends, Mercer, 2024. 

The result is predictable: disengagement and, in many cases, departure. Harsher RTO policies trigger “brain drain,” driving out exactly the kind of ambitious, capable employees organizations can least afford to lose. Women and caregivers, who already face greater challenges balancing work and home, are hit particularly hard.

Misguided fairness and wasted potential 

Defenders of RTO often point to fairness, arguing that office staff should mirror the location-dependent experience of front-line workers. But when asked, most front-line employees indicate they actually want increased flexibility, rather than equality with office-based policy. They value choice – compressed work weeks, flexible scheduling – over rigid presence (Gallup, 2023). So, if fairness is the goal, leadership teams are looking in the wrong direction altogether.

The cost to organizations is steep. The employees most likely to leave are not the under-performers but those with options elsewhere – the very people companies rely on for innovation and leadership. And those who decide the risks of the current job market are too great may stay but quietly disengage. Instead, they withhold discretionary effort. That lost energy and creativity is a hidden drain on performance.

The effectiveness of RTO mandates is questionable 

Despite claims of improved productivity, no credible research has shown that RTO mandates deliver positive results. As MIT Sloan Management Review concludes, “every piece of evidence so far has shown negative results”. Short-term visibility comes in exchange for long-term erosion of trust, engagement, and retention.

How can you take advantage of the RTO movement? 

Organizations that focus on outcomes rather than attendance have a significant advantage over those that require five days in the office. Not only will employees take a pay cut in return for more flexible working arrangements, but they are less likely to move on from their role.

• In 2025 a Harvard survey of 2,000 workers found that 40% would accept a pay cut of 5% or more to avoid working in the office full time, while 9% would give up 20% or more of their salary.
• Meanwhile, Stanford’s 2024 survey of 1600 workers at Trip.com (Bloom et al.) found that resignations fell by 33% among workers who shifted from working full-time in the office to a hybrid schedule. Women, non-managers, and employees with long commutes were the least likely to leave when time in the office was reduced.

“If managed right, letting employees work from home two or three days a week still gets you the level of mentoring, culture-building, and innovation that you want. From an economic policymaking standpoint, hybrid work is one of the few instances where there aren’t major trade-offs […] there are almost only winners.” 

Nicholas Bloom, Professor of Economics, Stanford University.

And there’s proof that trusting your people works. Organisations with strong accountability cultures see around 30% higher engagement (HBR). And high-performing teams thrive in environments of psychological safety – trust is the gateway to creating that. Clear roles, aligned expectations, and a culture of ownership can help you create connected, high-performing teams.

For employers, the choice is no longer whether to trust their people. It’s whether they can afford not to. Trust isn’t a perk – it’s a measurable performance lever. So, if you are considering implementing an RTO mandate, the question isn’t whether you can trust your people. It’s whether your best people will continue to trust you back.