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How to Retain Senior Leaders Amid Office Mandates and Prevent Their Departure

Strict return-to-office (RTO) mandates are driving executives to leave their firms, posing significant challenges for talent retention. Organizations should motivate rather than mandate onsite work, involve employees in policy creation, and clearly communicate the benefits of office attendance. This collaborative approach fosters engagement, inclusivity, and higher employee satisfaction.

This article was written by Caitlin Duffy and published in People Management.

The trend of strict return to office (RTO) mandates continues to gain momentum in many organisations. Gartner research from September 2023 found that, over the previous year, 63 per cent of HR leaders said their organisation had increased expectations for employees to spend more days in the office. And following several years of remote and hybrid working patterns, these policies have prompted pushback from employees.

These mandates are cause for concern not only for employees, but also executives – prompting an ‘executive exodus’ as one in three executives report they will leave their firm in response to an RTO mandate. Similarly, 36 per cent of senior-level jobseekers who faced an RTO mandate at their employer chose to leave because of it, and one third reported discontinuing a hiring process because of expectations of returning to a physical workspace.

Companies need to understand that mandating RTO policies will pose serious challenges for talent attraction and retention. HR leaders need to strike a balance between onsite, remote and hybrid working practices, and how these practices influence better business outcomes. This can be achieved by motivating rather than mandating employees to work onsite, involving employees in shaping workplace policies and clearly communicating the benefits of onsite attendance while fostering connection to colleagues.

Motivate instead of mandate

RTO mandates can negatively impact employee intent to stay and performance when not done strategically and transparently. Gartner research shows that more than 50 per cent of employees opt out of going into the office because they see no benefit and many believe they are equally productive and collaborative while working remotely.

One of the best methods for initiating successful RTO policies is to motivate employees to return, rather than forcing them. Encouraging employees back into the office can be achieved using three key strategies:

First, organisations must provide a clear rationale for the need to work onsite. One of the biggest hurdles employers face in implementing RTO policies is securing buy-in from employees, many of whom have proven their ability to perform in a remote environment for several years. The onus is on leaders to do the legwork of understanding which tasks truly do generate more value from being done onsite, versus those that can be done remotely, to inform their hybrid policy.

Second, transparency is critical. Many employees feel more productive working remotely and half (48 per cent) believe their office policies prioritise what leaders want over what employees need to do good work. Leaders need to respect their employees enough to share the real drivers behind their policies, providing a clear and valid rationale to help employees make sense of the change.

Lastly, while onsite attendance might appear to create a more equitable environment, research shows remote workers experience 10 per cent higher inclusion. Organisations need to build an inclusive work environment that meets both the emotional and physical needs of employees to help them feel connected when in the office.