Return-to-office mandates risk backfiring as flexibility reshapes work across Asia

Return-to-office mandates may deliver short-term compliance, but they are unlikely to win the long game on engagement, performance, or retention in Asia’s increasingly mobile and in-demand talent markets, warns Jayne Clow, head of people and culture ANZ at NTT Data.

Speaking with HRD, Clow said leaders across the region who push hard for blanket in-office rules risk undermining trust at a time when skilled employees have more options – including regional and global roles that offer greater flexibility.

“Return-to-work mandates may achieve short-term compliance, but they are unlikely to deliver sustainable engagement or performance,” she said. “From a people leadership perspective, mandates can undermine trust and increase attrition risk in competitive talent markets.”

For HR leaders in Asia’s major hubs – from Singapore and Hong Kong to Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur and beyond – the lesson is clear: simply insisting on office attendance is no longer a viable strategy. Instead, organisations need to sharpen the purpose of in-person work and support leaders to make that purpose meaningful.

“More effective outcomes are achieved when organisations clearly articulate the purpose of in-person work and support leaders to create value-adding reasons for teams to come together – and leaders need to lead by example,” Clow added.

Flexibility has become a baseline expectation in knowledge industries

Across Asia’s knowledge-based sectors – technology, financial services, professional services and fast-growing digital businesses – flexibility is now firmly embedded in employee expectations.

“Flexibility is no longer a COVID-era benefit; it is now a baseline expectation across ANZ knowledge-based industries,” said Clow, noting that this shift is increasingly mirrored across Asian markets as regional and global employers align their talent strategies.

Hybrid work, she argues, is not going away – but it is evolving.

“I am seeing a shift from how often people are in the office to how work is designed, including clearer role-based expectations, more intentional collaboration, and leadership capability that supports performance, wellbeing, and inclusion.”

For HR teams in Asia, this means moving beyond simple “X days in the office” rules and instead focusing on designing roles to be location-flexible where possible, clarifying when and why teams need to be co-located and building leadership capability to manage distributed, cross-border teams.

In a region where talent often works across time zones, languages and cultures, effective hybrid design is fast becoming a differentiator in the race for skills.

The office still matters – but intent is everything

Despite the growing emphasis on flexibility, Clow stresses that physical workplaces remain important – particularly in markets where face-to-face interaction is still culturally significant for relationship-building and decision-making.

“There are genuine benefits to in-person work, particularly for collaboration, onboarding, capability development, and cultural connection,” she said.

For Asia-based HR leaders, these benefits can be critical in:

• Integrating new hires into regional teams

• Building shared culture across diverse local markets

• Accelerating capability-building in fast-growing business units

However, Clow warns that these advantages do not automatically appear just because employees are back at their desks.

“These benefits only materialise when office time is purposeful and well led,” she noted. “Mandates without intent risk creating presence without productivity, inequity across roles and life stages, and inconsistent employee experience — issues that leaders must actively manage.”

In many Asian markets, this also brings inclusion into sharp focus. Frontline, site-based and customer-facing roles may have less flexibility than corporate roles – a reality that HR must navigate carefully to avoid resentment and perceived unfairness.

Treat flexibility as an operating model, not an exception

Clow’s central message for HR and people leaders in Asia is that flexibility cannot be treated as a short-term response or a local exception. It needs to be wired into how organisations operate across the region.

“Employers should approach flexibility as a long-term operating model, not a policy exception,” she said.

From a people and culture perspective, Clow says the priority is to build a system that is fair, scalable and sustainable.

“The focus is on enabling trust-based performance, consistency of experience, and sustainable workforce models that support both business and employee needs and work to deliver an exceptional people experience.”

As organisations across Asia look toward 2026 and beyond, Clow’s perspective points to a new mandate for HR and business leaders:

For HR leaders in Asia’s complex and fast-changing markets, the priority is shifting from “getting people back to the office” to building a flexible, trust-based operating model that works across borders, business lines and cultures – and that employees actively choose to be part of.