Is Your Return-to-office Enforcement Policy Actually Hurting Attendance? | Human Resource Executive

As organizations continue to navigate the transition from remote work to returning to the office, many are implementing return-to-office (RTO) policies. However, as mentioned in this article, strict enforcement of RTO policies can unintentionally hinder attendance and increase employee turnover rates. To address this issue, the article suggests utilizing data-driven insights to understand the impacts of RTO policies. For instance, HR leaders can compare attrition rates before and after implementing RTO policies to assess whether the policies are effectively increasing in-office attendance or causing a loss of headcount. The example provided is: “Take an employer that had 70% of its 1,000 employees adhering to its RTO policy before it implemented an enforcement plan. After launching the plan, attendance went up to 80%. That’s a gain of 10 percentage points, or 100 more employees coming into the office. But if the employer’s attrition rate was 5% before the RTO enforcement plan launch and jumped to 20% after, that’s a loss of 150 employees. So, 50 fewer employees are coming into the office.” Apart from employee turnover, RTO policies can also impact engagement, productivity, and an organization’s ability to attract top talent. As HR leaders assist their organizations in developing RTO policies and guidelines, it is crucial to employ data to help inform decision-making and mitigate the unintended consequences of RTO policies.