As the global workforce continues to adjust post-pandemic, many prominent companies are reverting to pre-pandemic office structures, mandating their employees’ return to physical offices in 2024 and beyond.
While hybrid work was initially embraced, these companies are steering away from remote work in favour of fostering collaboration, company culture, and productivity in-person.
Let’s take a look at some of the notable global firms that are enforcing a return to the office:
1. JP Morgan
JP Morgan Chase has made it clear that employees must return to the office full-time starting in 2025. CEO Jamie Dimon has been one of the most outspoken proponents of in-office work, arguing that it is necessary to maintain the culture of the firm and build strong connections between employees.
2. WPP
As one of the world’s largest advertising and marketing firms, WPP has announced a major policy change, mandating its 110,000 global employees to return to the office four days a week starting in April 2025. Under the updated guidelines, employees will have the flexibility to work remotely one day per week. However, at least two Fridays each month will be mandatory office days. The company will also make special accommodations for employees with caregiving duties or health-related concerns, which will be assessed individually.
3. Dell Technologies
Dell Technologies announced a five-day return-to-office policy for its global sales team, with potential adjustments for other departments in the future. The decision, announced on September 26, provided employees with limited time to prepare, mirroring Amazon’s in-office mandate set to begin in January 2025.
4. Amazon
Starting on January 2 this year, Amazon began requiring approximately 350,000 of its corporate employees to return to the office five days a week, following an announcement made in September 2024. In a recent update, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy emphasized that reverting to pre-pandemic work culture would help strengthen the company’s culture and bring various benefits.
5. X
Since X (formerly Twitter) announced a permanent remote work policy in 2020, a lot has changed. Initially, the company became one of the first major tech firms to allow employees to work from home indefinitely, as long as they remained productive. However, after Elon Musk’s takeover in 2022, the company shifted its approach, mandating a return to the office and moving away from its flexible remote work arrangements. By 2023, X finalized its return-to-office (RTO) policy, requiring employees to be in the office at least three days a week. As of 2024, the company’s policy now mandates employees work 40 hours per week in the office, a stark departure from its original stance on remote work.
6. Apple
Initially, in 2020, Apple implemented a remote work model in response to the pandemic. By 2022, the company began transitioning back to in-office work, requiring employees to return for two days a week. This hybrid model was later increased to three days a week in 2023, a move that sparked disapproval among employees. Despite ongoing resistance, with many expressing dissatisfaction with the hybrid setup in surveys, Apple has maintained that employees must work in the office on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, with the third in-office day being flexible and varying by team, while the remaining two days can be spent working remotely.
7. Disney
Disney enforced a mandatory return to the office in 2024, especially for employees in corporate roles. The company has set an office mandate for at least four days a week for its employees, believing that physical presence will help foster creativity in their entertainment and media businesses.
8. Meta
Meta (formerly Facebook) has gradually implemented stricter remote work policies over the years. In 2021, the company allowed most employees to request indefinite remote work. However, by 2023, Meta updated its policy, mandating that hybrid employees return to the office three days a week starting in September. Currently, this policy applies to most employees in hybrid roles who have not been approved for fully remote work.
These moves reflect a broader trend among major corporations to reinstate traditional office work arrangements. A survey by Resume.org involving 900 executives revealed that by the end of 2025, nearly three-quarters of companies with an RTO policy will expect employees to work in the office at least three days a week.
However, this shift has not been without controversy. A study from the University of Chicago found that return-to-office mandates can drive senior employees away, potentially leading to significant human capital costs in terms of output, productivity, innovation, and competitiveness.
As companies navigate the balance between in-person collaboration and employee preferences for remote work, the future of workplace policies remains a dynamic and evolving landscape.