The Need for a Compelling Return
2025 has been the year of full-time RTO requests from big companies like Amazon or JPMorgan.
Most companies cited that a full-time RTO is necessary because it would help with their culture, collaboration, and productivity. But despite these announcements, many employers didn’t take into consideration that the office is still designed for another era.
Employees now feel they’re being asked to commute just to sit at a desk and do the same work they could easily accomplish from home. It's not a compelling trade-off, and it’s not very encouraging if companies want to maintain long-term RTO success.
For many employees, the office no longer matches how they work best. The post-pandemic shift gave people a taste of autonomy, flexibility, and balance.
Jennifer Moss, workplace strategist and author of
Why Are We Here?, notes that too many companies are trying to execute the office “in the same way that it used to be.”
“You’re still on Zoom, still doing the same work you did at home—but now with a commute,” she explains. Without meaningful changes to space and purpose, the return feels arbitrary, not inspiring.
Another layer that shakes these full-time RTOs policies is trust. John Frehse of Ankura warns that mandating office time without explaining the benefits signals a lack of trust. “You only trust me when I’m in the office?” That unspoken message undercuts employee morale.
And then there are the everyday office frustrations.
Before the pandemic, office life had its fair share of headaches. Employees dealt with open-plan spaces where it was nearly impossible to concentrate because every conversation became background noise. Meeting rooms got double-booked, while others struggled to find a space or even schedule one directly. Desks were either too limited or not personalised, and the layout made it hard to find a quiet corner or a collaborative space that supported productive individual time or team interaction.
Fast forward to 2025, and many of these issues still linger. Meanwhile, employee expectations have grown. People now expect environments that support both
in-person connection and individual productivity, along with seamless integration of digital tools.
There is a deeper issue beyond outdated layouts and logistical frustrations: control.
When employees work from home, they’re in charge of their environment. They can choose how, when, and where they work best—whether that’s total silence, a standing desk, or a mid-afternoon break that recharges them. In contrast, many office spaces strip away that autonomy. You're tied to a fixed desk, have limited privacy, and have rigid routines.
This loss of control directly affects job satisfaction. This
study shows that comfort and a sense of choice significantly boost performance and well-being. When people feel their environment is working with them, not against them, they're more engaged, more productive, and more likely to view the office as a valuable part of their working week. Without that, returning to the office starts to feel more like a burden than a benefit.
“Office-space preferences can push employees away from on-site working, influencing their hybrid-work preferences.”-
Lila Skountridaki
Giving employees the control they need, not just cubicles
So, what does a workplace look like when it supports control instead of removing it?
Employees want to decide how, where, and when they work best. That doesn’t mean a free-for-all; it means designing systems and spaces that enable flexibility without descending into chaos.
And this is where
tech and culture meet.
Because when culture says,
“we trust you”, and technology says,
“we’ve got the tools to support you”, employee autonomy becomes possible. Not just over tasks, but over environments, schedules, and energy.
Tech can’t fix culture, but it can remove friction
That sense of control is what makes coming into the office feel worth it again. When people have ownership of their time and environment, it leads to better focus, stronger collaboration.
1. Smart meeting room booking
Say goodbye to calendar chaos. Intelligent
room booking systems integrate with calendars, detect occupancy, and release unused spaces. This prevents bottlenecks and ghost meetings—an issue that used to plague large firms pre-pandemic.
Microsoft reported that
20% of meeting rooms were reserved but never used in pre-COVID offices. With hybrid now in play, automation can bring balance and fairness to space usage.
2. Desk booking & workplace wayfinding
Flexibility is only empowering when it’s organised.
Desk booking apps let employees reserve their spot, see where their team is sitting, or find quiet zones based on mood or task. It also means that Facility Managers can track usage and adapt layouts dynamically.
3. Noise zoning & adaptive spaces
Open-plan designs aren't inherently bad, but they need structure. Sound masking tech, acoustic sensors, and smart zoning allow offices to flex between collaborative buzz and focused silence. Think of it as giving people a volume knob on their day.
4. Hybrid-ready AV and meeting equity
“Can you hear me?” shouldn’t be the soundtrack of a hybrid call. High-quality microphones, auto-framing cameras, and inclusive layouts ensure remote participants feel equally involved. Tools like Zoom Rooms and Microsoft Teams Rooms now support intelligent framing and transcription, making the office a place where hybrid meetings work.
5. Smart signage and spontaneous interaction
Use real-time digital signage to promote the community: highlight who's in today, upcoming events, or ad-hoc lunch-and-learns. Encourage spontaneous coffee chats, project brainstorms, or cross-team mixers that remote work can’t replicate.
Culture doesn’t live in code, but it does need space
Yes, culture is built by people. But it also needs the right conditions to thrive. Offices must be designed for belonging, mentoring, casual exchange, and moments of creativity that are hard to schedule but powerful to experience.
In other words, giving people a
reason to show up.
“When we’re trying to get people back into the office, we still are executing the office in the same way that it used to be. We just can’t jam the toothpaste back in the tube.” - Jennifer Moss
This doesn’t require a full rebuild. Even small, intentional changes can go a long way:
- Curating zones for heads-down work, collaboration, and casual connection
- Using sensors and occupancy analytics to understand how spaces are used
- Making social spaces visible, inviting, and part of the workflow
- Protocols for shared spaces. For example: “Quiet hours in this zone from 10am–12pm.” Or “Headphones only for music or video.”
When people have the freedom to choose
how and
where they work within the office, engagement goes up, and resentment fades.
“Reduce the pace and give people that mental adjustment time that is needed genuinely, to take care of their lives before you change
[their lives].” - Sujay Saha
Takeaway: The Commute Must Pay Off
In 2025, the commute has become symbolic. Employees aren’t just travelling to a building, they’re deciding if it’s worth it.
If they arrive only to spend the day on video calls or struggle to find a quiet spot, that choice feels like a burden, not a benefit. A workplace that also offers a professional, client-ready environment can make a real difference.
When employees know they have access to impressive spaces for both internal collaboration and hosting external meetings, the commute feels more worthwhile and productive.
But if the office is a place where real collaboration happens, where ideas spark and relationships grow, then the journey makes sense.
That’s what the best RTO strategies understand: people want to feel that their presence matters. That showing up adds value, not just for the company, but for themselves.