But here’s the thing: mandates alone aren’t working. The businesses seeing real success with return to office are the ones giving employees a reason to actually want to come in. And that starts with the workspace itself.
In this article, we look at what’s happening with return to office in the UK, why so many mandates are backfiring, and how the right office space can be your most powerful tool for bringing teams back together. We’ll cover:
Despite all the headlines, working from home rates in the UK have barely budged since 2022. Research from King’s College London found that around 26-27% of the workforce still considers home their main place of work.
What has changed is how employees respond to strict mandates. Only 42% of UK workers now say they’d comply with a five-day return to office requirement. That’s down from 54% in early 2022.
The numbers that should really concern employers:
Professor Heejung Chung, lead author of the King’s College study, put it plainly:
“There has been a marked shift in attitudes, with workers now seeing flexibility as the norm. Managers need to understand and adapt to this new reality.”
The CIPD reports that over one million UK workers left their jobs in the past year citing lack of flexibility as a key reason. That’s a significant talent drain – and largely self-inflicted.
The issue isn’t that employees don’t see value in office time. It’s that many offices simply aren’t worth the commute. When someone has a fully-equipped home setup, asking them to travel an hour each way to sit in a noisy open-plan space with dodgy WiFi is a tough sell.
There’s also a trust problem. A BambooHR survey found that a quarter of senior executives admitted hoping return to office mandates would trigger voluntary resignations. Whether or not that’s widespread, employees have noticed – and it’s coloured how they view these policies.
The result? Phenomena like “coffee badging” – briefly appearing at the office to swipe in before heading home – have become common, particularly among younger workers. It’s compliance without commitment, and it defeats the entire purpose of bringing people back.
This is one of the most searched questions around return to office, and the answer depends on your situation.
In the UK, if your contract specifies office-based work and you haven’t got a formal remote working agreement, your employer generally has the right to require attendance. However, the Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act 2024 now gives employees the right to request flexible working from day one.
Employers must consider these requests reasonably – though they can still refuse for legitimate business reasons. The Starmer government has indicated it may strengthen these provisions further, potentially making it harder to reject remote working requests without solid justification.
The practical reality? Even where employers have the legal right to mandate office attendance, enforcing it against a resistant workforce creates its own problems. The best outcomes come from making office time attractive, not compulsory.
The big return to office moves making headlines:
Amazon implemented its five-day office mandate on 2 January 2025. According to Blind, 91% of affected employees expressed dissatisfaction, with 73% saying they’re considering leaving. Some staff have been delayed returning simply because Amazon doesn’t have enough desk space in certain locations.
JPMorgan is requiring all employees back five days a week from March 2025, ending hybrid arrangements entirely.
PwC has increased its minimum office attendance requirements and is tracking compliance through badge data.
WPP announced a four-day office mandate, prompting employees to start a petition that gathered over 8,000 signatures.
In the UK specifically, a KPMG survey found 83% of CEOs expect a full return to office within three years. That’s a significant gap between executive expectations and employee willingness to comply.
Here’s a stat that reframes the whole conversation: research from Leesman shows only 51% of employees feel proud enough of their workplace to bring guests in. Just 65% say their environment actually supports their productivity.
When your office doesn’t inspire pride or enable good work, why would anyone choose to commute there?
The companies getting return to office right are investing in spaces people genuinely want to use. HP’s workplace redesign with Unispace is a good example – their new environment with experiential design, tech cafés and wellness amenities achieved over 30% occupancy throughout the week, including Fridays. In today’s hybrid world, that’s exceptional.
What makes an office worth the commute?
K2 Space research found that 70% of new employees decide whether a company is the right fit within their first month – and nearly a third make that call in the first week. The workspace they encounter shapes those crucial early impressions.
Understanding that workspace quality drives return to office success is one thing. Actually finding the right space is another challenge entirely.
The commercial property market can be opaque, and most businesses don’t have dedicated real estate expertise. This is where professional guidance makes a real difference – but it’s worth understanding how different brokers operate.
Most office brokers work for both tenants and landlords simultaneously. They help you find space while also marketing properties on behalf of building owners. That creates an inherent tension – when the same agent represents both sides, whose interests come first?
The alternative is tenant-only representation. A broker who works exclusively for businesses seeking space has no competing loyalties. Their success depends entirely on finding the best outcome for you, not maintaining relationships with landlords.
Tenant-only brokers often access off-market opportunities, understand that your workspace should be an asset employees are excited to use, and can negotiate terms that conventional approaches miss.
For a detailed look at how office brokers work and what to consider, this guide on what an office broker does covers the key differences between broker types and how to get the best value from the process.
The return to office debate isn’t going away. More companies will announce mandates, more employees will resist or work around them, and the legal landscape will continue evolving.
But the pattern is clear: organisations succeeding in bringing people back are asking a different question. Not “how do we force people to return?” but “how do we create a workplace people choose to attend?”
The answer lies in better spaces – workplaces designed for how people actually work today, found with the help of professionals who understand both the property market and the human dynamics at play.
Your workspace can be your greatest asset in the competition for talent, or a constant source of friction. The choice comes down to how seriously you take getting it right.
Read more:
Return to office: why your workspace matters
