If the return-to-office movement was a game, employers would be winning.<\/p>\n
This year, in-office attendance reached its highest level since 2020, with 72% of US companies reaching their RTO goals, up from 61% in 2024, data from real estate group CBRE found<\/a>. (At the same time, the rate of companies tracking in-office attendance hit 69%, up from 45% the year prior.) And some employers, most recently Microsoft and NBCUniversal, have also upped their RTO requirements, the Washington Post reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n Paul Morgan, the global chief operating officer of work dynamics at real estate firm JLL, told HR Brew that he expects employers\u2019 attendance mandates to continue to evolve. \u201cOrganizations are finding the right balance. At first, they want people back in to build the culture, and the collaboration, and learning, and the innovation, and then I suspect we\u2019ll probably see some tweaking of those policies downstream,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Employers still trying to reach their RTO goals might consider what employees want. Flexible working arrangements, for example, are a top priority<\/a> for most workers. They could promote work-life balance and employee engagement, especially among caregivers<\/a> and disabled workers<\/a>. More than half (57%) of employees worldwide think flexible work can improve quality of life, a recent report<\/a> from JLL found, but only 49% reported that they have flexibility.<\/p>\n Quick-to-read HR news & insights<\/p>\n From recruiting and retention to company culture and the latest in HR tech, HR Brew delivers up-to-date industry news and tips to help HR pros stay nimble in today\u2019s fast-changing business environment.<\/p>\n Younger employees are more likely to view an RTO mandate favorably. Some 81% of young participants in JLL\u2019s research said that being in the office gives them opportunities for professional development and leadership visibility.<\/p>\n Office experience is also important: 40% of employees reported wanting a better office experience, JLL found, especially when it comes to their commute, workspace, and amenities.<\/p>\n \u201cEmployers need to consider how employees utilize their time overall. We\u2019ve heard phrases, like \u2018earn the commute,\u2019 which then points back to the provisioning of the space itself. How do you create the right environment for them to thrive at work?\u201d Morgan said. \u201cHow are the ergonomics working? What are the acoustics? What kind of amenities are in place?\u201d<\/p>\n Some HR pros have implemented shared workspaces<\/a>, on-site childcare<\/a>, and even compensation incentives<\/a> to entice employees to RTOs. Whether companies use a carrot or stick approach, Morgan said they should focus on supporting various work styles.<\/p>\n \u201cIs there a mix of collaborative spaces when I need it to work with my teams? Is there spaces where I can get away and be in a more quieter location to maybe take phone calls or have some sort of head-down work?\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019re seeing organizations really rethink the way that they provision space.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If the return-to-office movement was a game, employers would be winning. This year, in-office attendance reached its highest…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":162640,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[45,49,48,124],"class_list":{"0":"post-162639","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-jobs","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-canada","11":"tag-jobs"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162639","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=162639"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162639\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/162640"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=162639"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=162639"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=162639"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}