As some business leaders accept hybrid work as a permanent reality, others are backtracking on earlier pledges to let employees work from home.

Yet the constant risk of losing top talent has been enough to make companies reconsider their strict RTO mandates. Research has shown that companies that put pressure on employees to return to the office are more likely to experience turnover issues than those that don’t.

Companies that have mandated a strict return to the office three days a week without first seeking employee input are experiencing the most angst, Kacher adds.

“They’re the ones struggling with retention and recruitment,” she says. “Some of the companies I work with have even scaled back the number of in-office days they’re requiring in response to employee backlash.”