Return-to-office mandates might win short-term compliance, but at what cost to trust, engagement and retention?
Return-to-office mandates might deliver short-term results, but they are unlikely to win the long game on engagement, performance, or retention in Australia and New Zealand, warns Jayne Clow, head of people and culture ANZ at NTT Data.
Speaking to HRD, Clow said employers pushing hard for mandated office days risk undermining trust at a time when skilled talent still has options.
“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.”
Instead of focusing on attendance, Clow argues organisations need to get far more precise about the purpose of in-person work – and ensure leaders are equipped to bring that purpose to life.
“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,” she said.
Flexibility is now a baseline, not a benefit
Clow is clear that flexibility is no longer a differentiator in the ANZ market – it is the starting point.
While , she believes the model is evolving from a simplistic “days in the office” conversation to a more sophisticated redesign of work.
“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,” Clow said.
For HR leaders, that means moving beyond policy-level debates and focusing on role architecture, work design, and leadership development that can sustain hybrid work over the long term.
The office still matters – but only when used with intent
Despite the pushback against rigid mandates, Clow stresses there are real and measurable benefits to in-person time – if it is thoughtfully planned.
However, she cautions that simply enforcing office days without a clear purpose can do more harm than good.
“Mandates without intent risk creating presence without productivity, inequity across roles and life stages, and inconsistent employee experience – issues that leaders must actively manage,” Clow explained.
For HR leaders, this raises key design questions:
- When do teams genuinely collaborate better in person?
- How is in-office time structured to support learning and capability-building?
- Are hybrid expectations fair and feasible across different roles and life stages?
From policy to operating model: how HR should reframe flexibility
Clow’s central message for HR and people leaders is that flexibility cannot be treated as a temporary concession or a set of exceptions; it needs to be embedded as a core way of operating.
In practice, that means several shifts:
- Anchor expectations to outcomes, not attendance
- Set clear guardrails with room for role-based nuance
- Equip leaders to manage hybrid teams locally and globally
From a people and culture perspective, she says the priority is to build a system that can deliver over the long term.
“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,” Clow added.
The HR leader’s mandate in 2026 and beyond
For HR leaders across ANZ, Clow’s insights point to a new mandate: move beyond the binary “home versus office” debate and reframe flexibility as a strategic, trust-based operating model.
In this environment rigid mandates risk eroding trust and accelerating attrition. For many, hybrid work is expected – the differentiator is how well it is designed and led. The can become a strategic tool for collaboration, learning, and culture – not a default destination.
As organisations look ahead to 2026 and beyond, the winners are likely to be those that treat flexibility not as a problem to be controlled, but as a core design feature of a modern, high-performing, and human-centred workplace.
