How return-to-office mandates could change in 2025, according to top HR leaders from PwC, EY, and Canva

Emma BurleighBy Emma BurleighReporter, Success
Emma BurleighReporter, Success

    Emma Burleigh is a reporter at Fortune, covering success, careers, entrepreneurship, and personal finance. Before joining the Success desk, she co-authored Fortune’s CHRO Daily newsletter, extensively covering the workplace and the future of jobs. Emma has also written for publications including the Observer and The China Project, publishing long-form stories on culture, entertainment, and geopolitics. She has a joint-master’s degree from New York University in Global Journalism and East Asian Studies.

    Brit MorseBy Brit MorseLeadership Reporter
    Brit MorseLeadership Reporter

    Brit Morse is a former Leadership reporter at Fortune, covering workplace trends and the C-suite. She also writes CHRO Daily, Fortune’s flagship newsletter for HR professionals and corporate leaders.

    Remote worker logs into job from home with her cat.
    Gen-Z loves WFH but the risk is that younger workers fail to develop the connections and networks they'll need later in their career.
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    Every time you think the battle over return-to-office mandates is over, it fires up once again.

    Several major companies made announcements requiring that employees return to the office full-time this year, including Amazon, AT&T, and Starbucks. The debate even entered the political sphere when heads of the new Department of Government Efficiency, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, announced a plan to get federal employees back to the office. With the support of President-elect Donald Trump, the team vowed to fire workers who don’t comply.

    On the other side of the spectrum, however, some companies such as Spotify and Allstate are sticking to their flexible working policies, arguing that employee autonomy is the future of work.

    In order to see how this will all play out, Fortune spoke with HR executives from PwC, Canva, Magnit, and EY, about return-to-office mandates in 2025.

    These responses have been edited and condensed for clarity.

    Yolanda Seals-Coffield, chief people officer at PwC

    It’s no secret that being together in person fosters greater connection, collaboration, creativity, and development. While we’re increasingly seeing the pendulum swing back to being in the office five-days a week, we believe that hybrid will continue to be the norm in 2025. Reports have shown that hybrid workers demonstrate the highest levels of satisfaction, and hybrid schedules can allow for more purposeful engagements.  

    Jennie Rogerson, global head of people at Canva

    We don’t have a mandatory company-wide amount of time to spend in an office, and trust our team to choose the type of environment that works best for them, whether it’s in a physical space, at home, or a mix of both. 

    Four years into this way of working, we’ve found this to be the most effective way to empower our team to balance in-person team collaboration, with their life outside of work. Parents and caregivers, in particular, often share how much they value our hybrid approach, which enables them to balance their personal and professional responsibilities.

    Looking ahead to 2025, I believe more companies will start making stronger decisions on what their longer term strategy is on returning to office or continuing with flexibility. With companies being clearer on what their return to office policies are, candidates are then free to choose the workplace that works for them based on their own preferences.

    Rebecca Perrault, global VP of culture, diversity and sustainability at Magnit

    In 2025, the conversation around RTO mandates will shift from enforcing policies to empowering people. Hybrid models will dominate as organizations recognize the value of flexibility in attracting and retaining talent. Data will play a crucial role, with companies using productivity metrics and employee feedback to tailor approaches that balance collaboration with personal well-being. RTO isn’t about where we work; it’s about how we thrive together. Organizations that prioritize adaptability and focus on outcomes over optics will emerge as leaders, ensuring that their workplaces are designed to foster both innovation and inclusion.

    Ginnie Carlier, chief talent officer at EY

    Flexibility continues to be a desire among the workforce. Organizations that continue to embrace hybrid working, focused on bringing people together for moments that matter, will come out on top when it comes to recruiting and retaining talent.

    Emma Burleigh
    emma.burleigh@fortune.com

    Today’s edition was curated by Brit Morse.

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