How RTO and hybrid work affect employee trust across generations

It’s been nearly five years since the outset of the pandemic when the world of work changed dramatically. Most companies told their employees to work from home for the foreseeable future, and when positive cases dwindled, hybrid work became more common.

More recently, we’ve seen more companies push for a full-time return to the office (RTO), as Starbucks did when it recently mandated employee RTO. Many companies issuing RTO mandates have cited a nebulous sense of “better culture”, but fewer have defined the details that make culture a tangible priority.

In January 2024, we explored the reasons why companies were calling their employees back to the office. EY’s Future Workplace Index 2023 found that an organizational desire for increased productivity trumped any desire for collaboration or increased cultural value.

Let’s flip this around for a moment — if RTO is such a positive for companies, what’s the benefit to employees?

The connection between RTO and turnover

While many companies praise more collaboration and better cultural connections in the office, the MyPerfectResume RTO survey reveals that employees aren’t always sure that talking points are truthful. Conversely, RTO might have the seeds of fraying trust with employees within the process.

With an overwhelming 77% of employees feeling that RTO could be a play by the company to exert more control over the employee population, and 64% claiming RTO is rooted in a lack of employee trust, it’s clear to see how communicators can drive culture through strategic RTO messaging.

With these numbers in mind, it’s no wonder that RTO is often seen as a source of attrition for organizations. But what if you’re returning to the office and don’t want to lose your top talent?

Earlier this year, we touched base with Chasing the Sun CEO Mark Mohammadpour about his ideas for culture charters in RTO processes. Tips from that piece included:

• Define the why. Purpose is a major part of why people join and stay at companies. When you roll out an RTO program, remind people of their larger purpose and why they matter at the organization. It’ll go a long way toward holding onto your talent.
• Make RTO part of the expectations for both employee and employer. Setting expectations for when people need to be in the office is a big part of an RTO process, but so is setting boundaries for when people have their time away. A culture charter helps enshrine those rights for both employees and employers.
• Openness to change is important. If you view a culture charter as your workplace’s constitution, remember that constitutions have amendments — they can change. Review what works, and what might not, and be willing to talk about it and adjust. Doing so will help form more positive relationships with employees by making them feel heard.

An intergenerational understanding can inform hybrid RTO.

Although surface perceptions suggest that younger generations only want to work at home and might push back against an RTO process, that’s not necessarily the case.

According to a study conducted by workplace software company Humi the youngest generation, Gen Z, favors a hybrid work environment (52%) with more time in the office and occasional days at home. Their immediate predecessors, millennials, are the strongest proponents of fully remote work (30%), while workers of all ages in the survey support hybrid work in some form (62.5%).

Another study out of China showed that hybrid work helped retention in all employees without hurting performance.

With that knowledge in mind, it’s worth exploring how you can build trust with your RTO communications. Explore what’s worked for people while they were fully remote, point to what can work while they’re in the office too, and customize those communications to the groups you’re dealing with. Different age groups respond differently to workplace comms, so approach RTO comms accordingly.

RTO processes aren’t always going to be easy. But when you approach them honestly and with the wellbeing of the employees and the company in mind, you can talk about them authentically and effectively while tying the intention back to company culture and values.

Sean Devlin is an editor at Ragan Communications. In his spare time he enjoys Philly sports and hosting trivia.