Dear HR colleague, your organisation wants you to implement a return to office (RTO) policy. You already know what’s coming: months of complaints, higher attrition, works-council concerns, and recruiters saying you can’t compete with employers offering 100% remote roles. Let’s avoid the three most common mistakes we see.
Mistake 1: Starting with a quota instead of a business rationale
If your policy begins and ends with “three days in the office,” you’re managing presence, not performance. Evidence suggests strict mandates rarely lift results and often increase attrition, especially among high performers and carers (MIT Sloan Management Review, 2024). (MIT Sloan Management Review)
In the EU, quota-first approaches also collide with local practices (works councils, co-determination, collective agreements), adding avoidable headaches (Eurofound, 2022). (assets.eurofound.europa.eu)
How Axter approaches RTO
We align RTO with why in-person time matters for your business (onboarding quality, decision speed, key client moments) before touching calendars. Only then do we discuss when and who. Communicating the “why” is the prologue to the plan.
Before fixing a number of days, check whether your space actually supports how people now work after years at home, often independently and without in-person oversight.
Mistake 2: Ignoring the real cost and friction of attendance
Employees don’t resist purpose; they resist friction (childcare, cross-border commuting) and out-of-pocket costs (transport, meals). UK research shows pressure to increase office time is widespread and increasingly linked to people looking elsewhere for more flexible roles (People Management/CIPD, 2025). (People Management)
If an office day looks like remote work with a commute, you’ll get “ghost days” and erode trust.
How Axter approaches it
We quantify the total cost of attendance in euros for key employee groups and design on-site time that clearly pays that cost back (e.g., faster decisions, denser mentoring). We also identify a minimal set of friction reducers that actually change behaviour. Which levers to pull, and where, is part of our expertise.
Mistake 3: Treating RTO as a memo instead of change management
RTO is a major change-management programme. Handle it poorly and you risk productivity decrease, rising absenteeism, and setbacks to inclusion. There is a link between RTO mandates with an avoidable drag on performance (SHRM Civility Index, 2025). (SHRM)
In Europe in particular, it often involves compliance layers, country-specific requirements, local data-privacy norms, and the spread of right-to-disconnect practices across several countries. (Eurofound, 2023). (Eurofound)
How Axter approaches RTO
We don’t just write the policy, we equip managers to use it, with clear expectations, coaching focused on results, and guidance for running inclusive meetings. We document everyday hybrid routines and make sure the approach is fair and compliant in every country before it goes live. As we work together, we deliver toolkits, training programs, and the order of steps for a smooth rollout.
A successful return to the office requires a people-first approach. With Axter’s Full-Cycle Employee Experience Service, we design onboarding and offboarding programs that strengthen company culture, support seamless transitions, and enhance long-term talent retention.
References
- Elliott, B. (2024, Nov 12). Return-to-Office Mandates: How to Lose Your Best Performers. MIT Sloan Management Review. (MIT Sloan Management Review)
- CIPD (reported by People Management). (2025, Jul 15). Half of workers feel pressure to spend more time in the office, CIPD research reveals. (People Management)
- Mayer, K. (2025, Mar 18). How Return-to-Office Mandates Are Affecting Workplace Civility. Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). (SHRM)
- Weber, T., & Adăscăliței, D. (2023). Right to disconnect: Implementation and impact at company level. Eurofound. (Eurofound)
- Vargas Llave, O., Rodríguez Contreras, R., Sanz de Miguel, P., Voss, E., & Benning, C. (2022). Telework in the EU: Regulatory frameworks and recent updates. Eurofound. (assets.eurofound.europa.eu)
Planning your organization’s return-to-office strategy? Request a demo to learn how Axter can help you create a positive, high-performing employee experience from day one.
