- A number of employers, largely in the finance and technology industries, have recalled their employees to the office on a full-time basis or for a higher percentage of the time.
- Employers can adapt their benefits strategies to evolving working practices by asking employees what suits their needs.
- Engaging on-site benefits can include free or discounted meals, workplace childcare and season ticket loans.
In January, Lord Stuart Rose, the former chief executive officer of Marks and Spencer and Asda, stated in a BBC Panorama documentary that home working was damaging productivity. Lord Alan Sugar has also made similar remarks about remote working, stating young people “just want to sit at home”.
Over the past few months, various employers have announced that they are enforcing return-to-office mandates for employees, asking them to work on-site either five days a week or for a higher percentage of the time. Indeed, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s (CIPD) January 2025 data, 30% of large private sector employers that already mandate days are planning to increase the number in the next 12 months. These employers primarily operate in the technology and finance sectors, such as Amazon, JP Morgan and Barclays.
Callum McRae, director, work and reward insights at Towers Watson, says: “The drive behind greater in-office presence is led by the belief that face-to-face interactions boost employee engagement within teams, strengthen culture and enhance learning opportunities, particularly for junior staff.”
Caitlin Duffy, senior research director, employee experience, at Gartner, agrees, adding that some employers are concerned with staff not being productive while working remotely or not being able to monitor them. Others are concerned about the impact of connection, collaboration, and organisational culture on achieving goals.
“More people value flexibility as a key part of a role, with some prioritising it more than pay,” she explains. ”The number of people leaving jobs over a lack of flexibility and return to the office mandates is rising.”
This is evident in Towers Watson’s September 2024 Global benefit attitudes survey, which found that almost half of employees would quit their job, or look for a new one, if their employer mandated a full-time return-to-office policy.
Flexibility support
Adapting benefits strategies to meet changing working practices and evolving needs is a necessity. Employers can do this by ensuring they have a strong listening mechanism in place to understand their workforce composition, employees’ preferences and how changes to working arrangement may affect them. Those that consistently review and adapt will be best positioned to attract and retain talent.
As expectations around work continue to shift, flexibility is key. Return-to-office mandates may make it more difficult for some employees to juggle their work and personal lives, so there are different forms of flexibility, including start and finish times or compressed hours, to consider.
Claire McCartney, policy and practice manager at the CIPD, says: “Employers should be seeking to find a balance where flexibility over where and when people work meets business needs. They should consult with employees and trial different approaches to see what would be most beneficial within budget and feasibility constraints.”
Having a flexible-working policy can help employees maintain a work-life balance and support them in returning to the office, after working from home for an extended period. One option is a four-day working week, which can be attractive to potential talent, while another option is flexible working hours to allow some staff to pick up children from school and return afterwards.
Livia Martini, chief people officer at Wellhub, says: “If employers are bringing employees back to work, they have to be able to support them and understand what they need. Even in situations that have more structure around it, having types of support that are flexible enough to accommodate for individual needs is the way to go.”
Care and wellbeing benefits
As employers and employees adapt to new ways of working, the right benefits are essential for fostering a positive workplace culture, attracting top talent, and ensuring employees feel valued.
While employers can offer financial wellbeing support such as commuting allowances, season ticket loans, and help with parking costs, they could also invest in and offer comprehensive benefits for child and elder care, in the form of a subsidy to hire care at home or external childcare, perhaps near the workplace. “This may be expensive but can have a high impact,” says Duffy. ”Employers could also help by offering pet day care on or off-site, dog walking, insurance, or by becoming a pet-friendly office. They could additionally provide subsidies to help with costs if employees need to relocate to be closer to the office.”
Improving workplace facilities could offer an opportunity to bring teams together and help employees feel appreciated, boost morale and improve retention. Subsidised or free meals and food vouchers are good options, along with creating spaces to break for food or beverages.
Matt Ephgrave, managing director at Just Eat for Business, adds: “Health insurance and gym memberships do more than boost productivity, they reinforce a genuine commitment to employee wellbeing and work-life balance. Clear communication and education around available benefits can help ensure employees utilise what’s on offer.”
Boosting motivation and engagement
Employers should be transparent about why they are enforcing a return-to-office mandate and clearly state their reasoning for why they require staff to be on-site. If they allow employees to have a voice in their work arrangements and on-site environment, this could boost engagement and ensure a smooth transition to increased in-office hours.
“It’s important to design a space that allows for all needs and preferences,” says Duffy. ”Employers should take into account how the office environment affects employees, their experiences and the way they work with each other. Spaces for collaboration are useful, but if there aren’t enough spaces for quiet reflection, employees won’t be able to work to the best of their abilities.”
To support motivation and engagement, employers need to ensure there are sufficient numbers of employees in the office on requested days requested, and ensure teams are together on specific days, facilitating opportunities to collaborate.
Gaby Joyner, Europe head of employee experience at Towers Watson, says: “This will enable the goals of bringing people together in person to be met, those of fostering engagement, organisational culture and increased learning opportunities. Informal social activities or a free team lunch can help with engagement and re-build connections that have fallen by the wayside due to remote working.”
In terms of designing workplaces to meet evolving working practices, employers could adapt meeting rooms to be remote conference rooms if they have staff based in different countries. They could also change the length of meetings if employees need to go from one room to the next, dropping down to 50 or 55 minutes from an hour to give them time to move.
“Creating a workplace that employees want to return to is more than enforcing attendance, it’s about fostering a positive, engaging, and rewarding environment,”says Ephgrave. ”When employees feel their needs are being met, they are more engaged. By offering relevant benefits and cultivating a workplace culture that prioritises wellbeing, employers can make sure the return to office is a positive transition.”
Building trust, empowerment and accountability is important, adds Martini. “Employees need to understand that their employer genuinely cares about them, and that they have a psychologically safe space to work,” she says. ”When employees are feeling their whole selves, they’re much more engaged and productive.”
There is much that employers can do to ensure their benefits strategies evolve with return-to-office mandates, but they should start by communicating with employees to understand their needs and ensure they remain engaged and motivated.
