Famous Companies and Their Return-to-Office Strategies

Goodbye, work from home (WFH)! We’re coming back to the office!

With these words (not literally, of course), 41% of companies required employees to march back to offices already in 2022 while getting used to social distancing and other restrictions provoked by the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, 90% plan to return to the office completely by the end of 2024.

Some companies lock the WFH gate and throw away the key, sounding rather resolute about their back-to-office mandates. For instance, take emails from Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO, to his employees: “Remote work is no longer acceptable,” and “If you don’t show up, we will assume you have resigned.” Others ask employees to come back to the office in a softer, less forced way.

Let’s review the most actively discussed return-to-office strategies embraced by global employers and then develop yours if that’s what you’ve landed on this page for.

So, What Is a Return-to-Office Strategy?

A return-to-office (RTO) process isn’t as quick and simplistic as flicking a finger. It requires a strategic approach and thorough planning and preparation.

An RTO strategy is a set of practices, methods, and tools organizations use to transfer employees from remote work to office settings, either partially (hybrid mode) or entirely in-person.

Your back-to-office groundwork may include the following steps:

• Define the clear “why” behind returning to the office
• Set an RTO timeframe
• Identify roles and responsibilities
• Communicate your plan to the team
• Break it into phases and roll them out consecutively

Pro tip: Use Asana’s RTO plan template to simplify the whole strategizing procedure.

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Top 5 Back-to-Office Strategies in World-Known Companies

1. Amazon’s Return-to-Office Strategy

Amazon, a global online retailer with over 1.5 million workers, is leading the charge in ensuring a smooth return-to-office transition.

Basically, it has been rolled out in two phases.

– Phase One

Previously, the company allowed employees to work three days a week from the office and two days remotely. According to Andy Jassy, Amazon’s CEO, they had enough time (over 15 months in a hybrid model) to see that strengthening the corporate culture, communicating, and learning were more effective and seamless while being together in the office.

– Phase Two

Now, Amazon is switching to a full back-to-office strategy. It will be activated on January 2, 2025. Until then, they plan to “accommodate desk arrangements” and handle all other nuances.

2. Autodesk’s Return-to-Office Strategy

An international software corporation with approximately 14,000 employees, Autodesk banked on flexibility while gathering teams under the office’s roof.

Their RTO policy is called Flex Forward. Its major principle is no obligatory in-office days/week for Autodeskers. The company refrains from the back-to-office mandate and says “yes” to a hybrid-first work environment instead. In fact, Flex Forward empowers managers to decide “when and why to gather their hybrid and remote employees.”As a part of their RTO strategy, they also recreate workspaces to provide flexible collaboration zones and support diverse work styles.

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3. Pinterest’s Return-to-Office Strategy

Just like Autodesk, Pinterest offered their workforce (nearly 10,000 employees) an alternative to a traditional back-to-office policy. It’s PinFlex, a flexible work model.

The key idea?

The “work location is situational.” Pinployees can now work from home or literally anywhere and still have an opportunity to visit any Pinterest office and connect with teammates in person.

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All workers are “expected” to show up at Pinterest offices for face-to-face “collaboration moments throughout the year.”

4. Apple’s Return-to-Office Strategy

Apple, a well-known tech “mammoth” giving work to 160,000+ people worldwide, was among the first companies that hurried to implement back-to-office strategies.

It was September 5, 2022, when Apple’s workers were to obey the company’s RTO mandate—a Hybrid-Working Pilot. It is still active after two years of piloting. Employees visit the office at least three days a week:

• Every Tuesday
• Every Thursday
• And any other day based on the teams’ preferences.

Interesting fact: Originally, Apple planned to set Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays but then decided to change the RTO policy to a more flexible one with a team-picked day.

5. DoorDash’s Return-to-Office Strategy

Zero pressure on DoorDashers!

That could have been a slogan of DoorDash’s RTO strategy.

Here’s the logic behind it.

DoorDash, a food order-and-deliver service provider, said a firm “never” to forcing employees to return to the office. Instead of a strict back-to-office mandate, the company has fully handed the reins to employees to decide what they prefer with a Flexible Workplace Model.

DoorDashers are absolutely free to choose whether to work remotely or in person, depending on the team’s geographic distribution and the “nature of each team’s work.”

How to Embrace a Smooth Return-to-Office Strategy

• Run a survey to understand your employees’ preferences.

How do your team members like the idea of returning to office work?

Conduct an employee survey and ask them: Are you ok with our return-to-office policy?

Remember to ask your job candidates the same. That’s actually one of the interview questions at Bloomberg, a global provider of financial information.

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But what if your employees are reluctant or hesitant to come back to the office or even threaten you with quits?

Rather than proclaiming ultimatums, Jeffrey Zhou, CEO and Founder of Fig Loans, recommends seeking compromises personally with every staffer:

“To me, a personalized RTO plan for each seems to be the smartest move after collecting employee feedback. There isn’t a universal, cover-all solution for returning to ‘normal.’ You should embrace an employee-centric approach and seek a compromise with everyone, whether on the back-to-office timeline, number of in-office workdays, or commute expenses coverage.”

• Try a hybrid approach first and offer alluring benefits.

Today, many business leaders are playing out a hybrid work scenario in their return-to-office strategies (just like Amazon and Apple). This way, they avoid pushing employees on their backs and herding them forcefully into offices.

However, there’s a minimum of in-office time per workweek in each company:

• Google → three days
• Nike → four days
• Unilever → two days
• Bank of England → 40% of work time
• Lenovo → three days

Rodger Desai, CEO of Prove, also finds a post-pandemic balance thanks to the hybrid workplace setting. Prove’s software engineers are required to work only two-three days per week in the office. “Still,” he notes, “it’s crucial to promote a more pleasant back-to-office experience, even if it’s a hybrid one so far. One of the best ways to do that is by offering attractive workplace perks to your in-office workers: meal kits, commuter benefits, or onsite amenities, such as reading nooks or even nap rooms to create a more home-like atmosphere.”

For example:

Once coming back to US offices, Provers receive bottomless snacks and beverages and a daily GrubHub stipend for lunch.

• Get your office ready for a return.

Design aspect

“From zoning to lighting, successful RTO strategies often include a partial or total redesign,” remarks David Speedy, General Manager at Workspace Direct.

For example:

In 2022, LinkedIn changed the office design entirely to build a welcoming hub for the hybrid workforce.

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David Speedy also insists on implementing personalized back-to-office décor ideas for employees’ desks or cubicles to “match their home office stylistics and help them feel a more familiar work vibe.”

Safety aspect

Revisit your workplace safety rules. Even though the COVID-19 crisis subsided, the virus hasn’t disappeared. It kills 1,700 people globally every week.

Some companies still have these in place:

• No-handshake policy
• Social distancing stickers
• No-sharing policy for drinks and food
• Hand sanitizers, etc.

Technology aspect

For Alistair Flett, Managing Director at Pronto Hire, effective return-to-office strategies heavily lean on the technological side. He says, “Most probably, your gadgets and technologies have gone outdated, especially if you went remote in 2019–2020. It might be high time to modernize your tech stack to get all in-office equipment to function flawlessly from day one.”

Consider unified management software for resource planning, task tracking, knowledge sharing, socializing, etc.

For example:

During the company’s RTO process, Coca-Cola relied on Microsoft Teams for hybrid work to enhance communication and collaboration.

• Prepare “Welcome-back-to-office” gifts.

What do you need such incentives for?

According to Sabas Lin, CTO at Knowee, “A welcoming gift is a powerful symbol of your genuine care about your workers getting back to the office. It signals that you sincerely want to make their return-to-office experience as pleasant as possible. Do that by giving them something that will ease this shift.”

Here’s a list of return-to-office gift ideas for your team:

• Stationary
• Desk plants
• Self-care kits
• Water bottles
• Office survival kits (first-aid items, hand sanitizers, stain removers, etc.)
• Healthy snack boxes, etc.

Again: Keep employee-centricity in mind and personalize back-to-office gifts based on your employees’ values, hobbies, and requirements. Leading corporate gifting companies can help you create meaningful, customized packages that resonate with individual preferences, making the transition back to the office more enjoyable and impressive.

• Work on rebuilding the team

Just look back!

It’s been months (or even years!) since your teams met in person.

That’s true; you might have organized virtual team-building events in the meantime. Yet, there’s a face-to-face connectivity gap you still need to seal.

Reyansh Mestry, Head of Marketing at TopSource Worldwide, shares, “As our employees are dispersed all over the globe, rebuilding and maintaining the team’s cohesion once we returned to in-office mode after the pandemic was the #1 task for us. And it’s still an ongoing process.”

For example:

While continuing to re-connect employees, TopSource Worldwide organized the Cricket Premier League, a weekend of matches between 15 teams.

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Grab other return-to-office activities and in-person team-building ideas:

• Welcome-back breakfasts or brunches
• Corporate escape rooms
• Interest-based workshops
• Scavenger hunts
• Wine & cheese socials
• Volunteer days, etc.

For example:

Applebee’s connected over 100 employees who had never been together in one room through a philanthropic activity—a Charity Bike Buildathon prepared by Outback.

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Return to Office in a Non-Pushy Way with Outback Team-Building

Reignite your team’s spirit by creating memorable face-to-face experiences with Outback. Fill your back-to-office strategy with fun—no pressure, just engaging team-building moments arranged to draw your workers closer. Request a quote and perform a soft office comeback under the guidance of Outback professionals.

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About BIO

Catherine Schwartz is an author who specializes in employee well-being and engagement.

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