For decades, employers have used policies and perks to shape how and where people work. First it was cubicles, then open floor plans, and then the sudden shift to remote during the pandemic. Now many companies are trying to reverse course by pushing employees back into offices with stricter attendance rules. But the shift isn’t going smoothly. Microsoft, Paramount, NBCUniversal and others have rolled out tougher mandates, and yet national office attendance rates have barely budged. Despite calls to return, workers are still at home about a quarter of the time, leaving bosses struggling to enforce rules that even many managers don’t want to follow.

Part of the problem is logistics. Amazon ordered hundreds of thousands back to the office but then ran short on desks, parking, and conference rooms. Dell has faced similar problems. Surveys show nearly half of senior managers would even take a pay cut to work remotely, which makes it much more difficult to enforce mandates. For now, most employees who miss a few required office days aren’t being punished. HR teams usually only dig in if someone is skipping at least half their scheduled days. As one longtime human-resources executive put it: “There’s a lot more pressing things for companies to be worrying about right now.”

Some firms are trying to find a middle ground. Axon, maker of Taser stun guns, requires new hires to spend Tuesday through Friday in the office but allows longtime staff to keep their existing hybrid schedules. President Josh Isner described the strategy as “a little bit of the long game,” noting that over time, natural turnover will gradually shift the company’s 4,000 employees toward more in-person roles. The approach avoids forcing relocations or sudden changes on current staff, but it also shows how difficult it is to build compliance. Nationally, fewer than 75 percent of workers follow office mandates when they exceed three days a week, leaving companies with a stubborn gap to close.

Questions: 

  1. Why are companies struggling to convince remote employees to return to the office?

  2. Do you think companies should maintain their remote work policies rather than trying to bring employees back to the office? Why or why not?