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HR Brew

Office

Mikaela Cohen

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If the return-to-office movement was a game, employers would be winning.

This year, in-office attendance reached its highest level since 2020, with 72% of US companies reaching their RTO goals, up from 61% in 2024, data from real estate group 

. (At the same time, the rate of companies tracking in-office attendance hit 69%, up from 45% the year prior.) And some employers, most recently Microsoft and NBCUniversal, have also upped their RTO requirements, the Washington Post 

Paul Morgan, the global chief operating officer of work dynamics at real estate firm JLL, told HR Brew that he expects employers’ attendance mandates to continue to evolve. “Organizations are finding the right balance. At first, they want people back in to build the culture, and the collaboration, and learning, and the innovation, and then I suspect we’ll probably see some tweaking of those policies downstream,” he said.

Employers still trying to reach their RTO goals might consider what employees want. Flexible working arrangements, for example, are a 

 for most workers. They could promote work-life balance and employee engagement, especially among 

. More than half (57%) of employees worldwide think flexible work can improve quality of life, a 

 from JLL found, but only 49% reported that they have flexibility.

Younger employees are more likely to view an RTO mandate favorably. Some 81% of young participants in JLL’s research said that being in the office gives them opportunities for professional development and leadership visibility.

Office experience is also important: 40% of employees reported wanting a better office experience, JLL found, especially when it comes to their commute, workspace, and amenities.

“Employers need to consider how employees utilize their time overall. We’ve heard phrases, like ‘earn the commute,’ which then points back to the provisioning of the space itself. How do you create the right environment for them to thrive at work?” Morgan said. “How are the ergonomics working? What are the acoustics? What kind of amenities are in place?”

 to entice employees to RTOs. Whether companies use a carrot or stick approach, Morgan said they should focus on supporting various work styles.

“Is there a mix of collaborative spaces when I need it to work with my teams? Is there spaces where I can get away and be in a more quieter location to maybe take phone calls or have some sort of head-down work?” he said. “You’re seeing organizations really rethink the way that they provision space.”

An overhead view of workers in an office.

As in-office attendance reaches post-pandemic high, HR should reconsider what employees want from their work life

As companies mandate more days in the office, employees want a higher quality of work life, Paul Morgan, the global chief operating officer of work dynamics at real estate firm JLL, tells HR Brew. 

Say goodbye to dedicated desks and hello to collaborative workspaces.

More companies are ditching individual desks and embracing shared spaces, as 62% of employers are aiming for a ratio of 1.5 employees per desk, and the amount of individual workspaces has already decreased from 51% in 2021 to 40% in 2024, according to data from the commercial real estate company 

US companies are “way behind” other global employers in utilizing shared workspaces, said Kate Lister, principal at consulting firm Global Workplace Analytics. But with the prospect of shared workspaces cutting space and costs, and increasing collaboration, many employers finally see “what’s in it for me,” Lister told HR Brew.

Adding more shared or collaborative workspaces doesn’t mean companies have to eliminate dedicated desks entirely, and experts shared with HR Brew how optionality helps employees.

After employees learned how to be productive remotely during the pandemic, their mindsets shifted around what type of workspace they wanted in the office, Lister said, or what she calls, rethinking their “me space” and “we space.”

Offices typically have more areas to do individual work, or me-spaces, with fewer rooms for shared work, or we-spaces, she said, but as more employees have efficient me-spaces at home, they primarily want we-space in the office for collaboration and connecting with coworkers.

In 2020, roughly 60% of employees worked in spaces individually assigned to them, according to 

 from real estate analytics firm Leesman. In 2023, that figure dropped to 40% as companies introduced unassigned workspaces, like “hot desking,” where employees shared desks with coworkers.

Increasing the number of shared or unassigned workspaces can help HR bring employees into the office, Peggie Rothe, Leesman’s chief insights and research officer, told HR Brew, because employees want variety in their workspaces for different work tasks and their various “moods.”

“Imagine an environment where there’s different types of areas and spaces, and settings for different types of activities…Those actually outperform the workplaces with dedicated desks,” Rothe said. “If you have unassigned [workspaces] with good variety, on average, those employees have the best experience, and it’s simply based on…employees can customize their office.”

Lister said workspace variety includes both individual and collaborative options, like quiet booths for focused work, small private rooms for one-on-one conversations, conference rooms for larger groups, and outdoor areas to fuel creativity and innovation. Variety also helps employees feel like they have control and choice, she added, which 

The success of incorporating shared workspaces comes down to “an alliance” between HR, IT, and property management teams, Lister said, because they work together like a “three-legged stool.”

“If we don’t have the technology to support the work we’re doing, that’s not going to work. If our conference rooms are not well set up for hybrid meetings, it’s not going to work,” she said. “If real estate sells off the real estate without talking to HR, and believe me, it happens, that’s not going to work either.”

Once HR aligns with property management and IT on how much space is allotted and the technology required, Lister advises people leaders to evaluate how conducive both individual and collaborative workspaces are for neurodiverse employees, which includes limiting noise, softening lighting, and decreasing distractions.

Jennifer Moss, author and workplace strategist, agrees with Lister that companies should prioritize neurodiverse employees during planning for new and existing workspaces, and it helps by not taking away all options for individual workspaces, and then allowing departments and teams to decide what works best.

Increasing shared spaces, like any other new company policy, should require HR pros to gather employee feedback, Moss told HR Brew. It’s a seemingly “simple action,” she said, but employees will “get on board faster and adopt these decisions quicker [if] they feel like they have had some agency in the decision.”

What people leaders often overlook when introducing a new approach, Lister said, is change management, like helping employees understand why their workspaces are changing and training managers how to talk with employees about the changes.

“You’ve got to have people understand, why are we doing this, [like]...‘We’re taking away your assigned seat because we need to build these other areas that are physically better for you, better for the environment, better for your concentration, better for productivity,’” Lister said. “Rather than just saying, ‘Here we’re taking away your desk,’ and that’s what a lot of companies do.”

HR pros themselves are often left out of the decision-making process behind policy changes, Moss noted, and they’re forced to manage the aftermath with employees. As a result, she encourages management to walk around and get out on the floor with employees, so they know you’re there and open to receiving feedback.

“Maybe, it isn’t that you can change the policy, but how do you make sure that you have really good, easy booking systems? How do you make sure that people have lockers and storage that they might need for their belongings?” she said. “[Gather] data about what people are feeling, what their pain points are right now…That’s a really great way right now to still, as an HR leader, feel like…you have the ability to improve situations for people on the ground.”

More companies want office workers in shared workspaces instead of at dedicated desks

Workplace experts explain why HR pros play a key role in providing a variety of workspace options.

It can feel like remote work is disappearing as more companies 

But in-office work hasn’t made that much of a comeback in the last two years. Last month, office visits across the US were 32.2% below March 2019 levels, just a slight change from being down 35.9% in March 2024 and 37.9% in March 2023, according to 

 from location analytics platform Placer.ai.

The biggest change with in-office visits happened during the height of the pandemic, when a drop of 78.9% in March 2021 from the March 2019-level changed to 53.4% in March 2022 as more people returned to physical work locations.

What this data showcases is a steady return to the office and not a return to pre-pandemic levels, R.J. Hottovy, Placer.ai’s head of analytical research, told HR Brew.

“I don’t think we’re ever going to quite get back to work pre-pandemic. I think that there’s been structural changes,” Hottovy said. “A good portion of the population works from home more and some sort of hybrid work model works [for them] as well.”

As companies steadily return in-person, some major cities are leading the charge, the Placer.ai data found. Offices in New York City are only down 11.4% from their pre-pandemic level, while offices in Miami are closing the gap at 17.3% and Atlanta offices are down 29.3%.

However, offices in other big cities like Chicago and San Francisco are nowhere near their pre-pandemic levels with office visits both down 44.6%. Cities with slower office returns, like Chicago and San Francisco, had more employees move away during the pandemic, Hottovy said. While New York also has had employees depart since 2020, he explained that it still leads office returns because many industries with RTOs, like financial services, are headquartered there.

“The migration and the dominant occupation in that market are really bigger factors than anything else driving the office [returns] at a local level,” he said.

Growth demonstrated via multiplying desks

The state of RTO in 2025 by the numbers

Talk of remote work’s demise might be overblown.

Adam DeRose

You couldn’t pay me to hang out with coworkers outside of work 

is a refrain as common as Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” this time of year. Retail clerks, lawyers, software engineers, nurses, and even reporters have been known to utter the phrase.

 pay your employees to hang out outside of work. Remote-first compliance software company Ethena reimburses employees up to $100 a month to hang out with their coworkers.

 Ethena’s VP of people, Melanie Naranjo, told HR Brew that the concept emerged in March 2022, after rethinking the company’s office space.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Ethena budgeted for a 50-person space in Brooklyn. But during the pandemic, employees moved away, and the company began hiring talent across the country.

“We realized that our employees were not leveraging the New York space to the extent that we had envisioned that they would when we first leased the space,” she said.

For Ethena, one of the benefits of working together in-person at the office was the employee engagement it nurtured: organic comradery in the hallway or kitchen, the feeling of a shared purpose amongst colleagues.

Like many companies, Ethena began to grapple with a post-pandemic reality of a disparate workforce and underutilized office space. Naranjo began to explore what might be possible if there wasn’t an office…or an office budget.

“If that money originally was supposed to go towards engagement, what’s another way that we could invest in engagement? We [threw] out a couple of ideas. Do we want to throw a big end–of-year celebration? Do we want to buy more swag for the team?” she said.

 All of the office budget ended up repurposed in 2021. Some of the funds financed company offsites (a similar reallocation that 

 when it abandoned office-based work) and some of the funds transformed into a new employee-driven engagement perk.

Ethena offers employees up to $100 a month to do anything with a colleague and chalk it up to engagement. Employees can save up to three months for larger, more costly outings, and groups of employees can pool their stipends.

Hit the bar for drinks after work, enjoy a Broadway play, run to the nail salon for a mani/pedi, rent kayaks—all are considered employee engagement at Ethena.

“Anytime you have employees together, inevitably they’re going to end up talking about work,” Naranjo said.

The people strategy is clear: Foster and grow relationships between employees, and let them decide what activity is best suited to accomplish that. Sometimes, employee engagement programs force fun and don’t deliver on the intended outcomes.

To that end, there aren’t restrictions on using the money, Naranjo said. If two or more Ethena employees are gathering, “spend the money.”

“We’re optimizing for retention of high performers. We’re not optimizing for avoiding any kind of risk possible,” she said. “I’m not thinking about the one or two people who might abuse the policy. I’m thinking about the 50 people who are really gonna get along with this and stick around with Ethena.”

For a remote-first company, it’s the relationships that are invaluable. Strong relationships outside of work can stave off a misunderstanding that could perhaps happen over Slack or Teams.

“At the end of the day, my job is to empower our company success through our people strategy. It’s not make our employees happy no matter what,” Naranjo said.

 “We haven’t, in my opinion, been as progressive and innovative…as we could have when it comes to how we measure engagement,” Naranjo said, pointing to company-sponsored happy hours as an example.

Naranjo said HR-designed programs may yield a high percentage of employee participation, but she worries many attend because they feel pressured to do so and the impact of these types of events don’t actually impact employee retention. In her view, engagement should be measured not by one event, but a suite of perks and programs, of which the stipend is one.

Naranjo posits that employees can do a better job selecting activities with colleagues they might enjoy that would spur connection and relationship growth, and she doesn’t need to coordinate company-wide events that would do a mediocre job at that.

And about the office...The company originally downsized their office footprint, but after realizing no one was using the smaller office footprint either, they abandoned it altogether. Employees can request a coworking space membership if they feel they need one.

Office water cooler with speech bubbles floating around

This company pays its employees to hang outside of work

“Anytime you have employees together, inevitably they’re going to end up talking about work,” says Ethena’s VP of people.

This company pays its employees to socialize outside of work

An illustration of reporter Courtney Vinopal's headshot.

Courtney Vinopal

More than four out of 10 LGBTQ+ people have experienced non-inclusive behavior in a work context, according to a new 

Respondents reported experiencing a range of non-inclusive behaviors at work, including unwanted comments or jokes of a sexual nature, disparaging comments about their gender identity or sexual orientation, and being excluded from informal interactions or conversations.

LGBTQ+ people were most likely to report experiencing the behaviors in the physical workplace, rather than a virtual environment. The findings add to a growing body of research that suggests employees from underrepresented communities have more positive experiences working from home.

Deloitte surveyed over 5,400 “non-Deloitte LGBT+ people who work in various sectors” around the world in January and February.

Sixty-one percent of respondents said they had experienced non-inclusive behaviors in a physical workplace, such as an office or factory, compared to 25% who said they’d experienced them while working virtually or online.

Respondents who are out about their sexual orientation with at least some colleagues were more likely to experience non-inclusive behaviors (45%) than those who are not (34%).

 basis, this study and others show experiences of in-person work may differ based on a worker’s race, gender, or sexual orientation.

 in April found LGBTQ+ adults felt significantly less stressed and tired while doing paid work at home compared to the workplace during the Covid-19 pandemic. The study, which analyzed data 

 asking US adults about their daily behaviors and attitudes during the pandemic, also found working in-person was worse for LGBTQ+ adults’ well-being compared to non-LGBTQ+ adults.

Researchers have documented similar effects of remote work for employees of color. A 

 published by Future Forum in 2022 found that 86% of Hispanic/Latinx knowledge workers and 81% of Asian/Asian American and Black knowledge workers preferred a hybrid or fully remote working arrangement, compared with 75% of white knowledge workers. Sense of belonging at work for Black and Hispanic/Latinx respondents rose by 24% and 32%, respectively, from May 2021, during a period when many knowledge workers 

, while it rose just 5% for white respondents.

Given the prevalence of non-inclusive behaviors experienced by LGBTQ+ people at work, “employers have work to do to help ensure that such behaviors do not happen and, when they do, to help enable all LGBT+ employees to feel able to report without concern,” Deloitte concluded. Among respondents who didn’t report non-inclusive behavior to their employer, 40% said they hesitated because they worried their complaint would not be taken seriously.

Layne Amerikaner, a sociology doctoral candidate at the University of Maryland who co-authored the Social Science & Medicine paper, told HR Brew via email it's important organizations “think about the full range of worker experiences across remote, in-person, and hybrid work” as they make decisions about RTO.

“Our research highlights that workplace experiences aren’t one-size-fits-all,” she said. “For marginalized workers facing microaggressions or harassment during in-person interactions on the job, remote work may help protect their well-being.”

Close-up of hands typing on a black laptop, with a rainbow flag displayed in the background. 

How LGBTQ+ workers experience in-person work differently

LGBTQ+ people were more likely to report experiencing the behaviors in the physical workplace, rather than a virtual environment. 

LGBTQ+ workers experience more non-inclusive behaviors when working in an office, study finds

Aman Kidwai

Here at HR Brew, we’re interested in learning more about how people work, and how the way they work is changing. With that in mind, we’re asking professionals to tell us about their desk setups. What are you proud of in your workspace? Do you keep mementos with you? Introduce us to your emotional support animal/plant/action figure. If you want to show us your desk, you can submit your story here!

Summer Paurus works out of the headquarters of Vehrs Distributing, an 85-person alcohol distributor based in Spokane, Washington. Though she has some support from parent company Epic Wines & Spirits, which 

Speaking from her office, where she’s required to work five days a week, Paurus shared how she set up her desk and why it was crucial for her to think about the experience of visitors in that space.

I try my best to make sure my office at work is a warm and inviting space for both myself and those who may need to visit.

I have pictures of all of my family and animals on my walls so I’m reminded of what’s keeping me going most days.

I put up different decor on my office door and window, depending on the month and time of year, and try to keep encouraging messages displayed along with warm lamps and plants, and I have a small USB essential oil diffuser, too.

What have you learned about creating an inviting space at work?

A lot of people tend to see HR as scary or bad news when they need to visit, and I don’t want to put off that vibe. I want to always make sure I’m open and inviting and can help others feel comfortable in their work environment.

I have a huge open door policy. Unless my sign’s up because I’m working on payroll…I want everyone to know they can come in here. It’s not scary. I don’t want people to think that HR is always bad, that they always associate it that way.


What’s up with that negative reputation for HR?

I got coffee the other day…and [the barista] asked what I did. And I told her I was in HR and she goes, “Oh!” and she jumped back…I said, “it’s literally fine,” and she’s like, “No, they’re scary.”

I'm trying to just [share] the idea that everything's okay. I’m here for the employees to help them and I want them to know that, and I want them to feel that. A lot of people, you can tell them you’re gonna support them, but unless you physically show it or are able to accommodate that, they won’t believe you. So I want to be able to actually do that.


What are your favorite things about your office, and what functional choices did you make?

I have a corner on my desk that has a lamp (I can change it to cool or warm temperature looks) on a raised stand with a cute plant. I love this corner! I have three dogs, five cats, and six chickens. So I have all their pictures up.

[I keep] my snacks in a drawer close by. I also have my computers backed toward my door so that I can still see what’s happening in the office, but I’m able to work on some things more privately.

Have you displayed any objects for sentimental reasons? If so, what are they and why do they have meaning?

I have a tiny play dog park on my desk with moveable dog figurines, and I think it represents me well because of my love for all the animals and my need for tiny fidget accessories. I also have a 

-themed stress ball and a cat Post-it note holder that makes me smile.


What is one accessory you think every desk should have?

A fan! I think, even in a nice temperature controlled environment, a desk fan is nice for air circulation. I’m also just a strong believer in having everyone personalize their desks and their area. I think it helps us get to know one another a little better.

Summer Paurus, an HR team of one, shares her exquisite office setup

The HR generalist at Vehrs Distributing discusses her office design choices, and managing HR’s reputation.

The battle over return-to-office (RTO) policies is coming to a head in the tech world, as some companies are rescinding once-generous remote work policies, resulting in employee pushback.

Meta told employees in early June that they’ll be expected to return to the office 

 starting in September, according to The Information. Amazon also 

 corporate employees back to the office at the same frequency as of May 1.

While leaders spearheading these policies argue that in-person work spurs 

, workers aren’t as convinced. Corporate employees at Amazon walked out of the retailer’s Seattle headquarters at the end of May 

HR Brew compiled a list of recent sticks—and carrots—employers are using to boost in-person office attendance.

Big banks including JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs have reportedly 

 on badge swipes to monitor compliance with RTO policies.

In a memo sent to employees by JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon in April, he warned that managers may take “

” if in-office requirements aren’t met.

Tying office attendance to performance and pay. 

office attendance to performance reviews, a decision that could affect employees’ chances to secure promotions and better pay, and will also monitor badge data.

 have imposed a similar stick, warning that associates who don’t comply with RTO mandates may see their bonuses cut. Davis Polk & Wardwell is one such firm, where leadership 

 in the spring that failure to comply with their RTO policy could result in bonus reductions.

 to a local charity for each day an employee comes into the office during a 11-day period in June.

“Coming together for our culture, customers, and community is what we do best,” a senior 

 differs from team to team. Employees in customer-facing roles are required to work “in-person with each other or their customers, four days per week,” while office-flexible teams work from an office three days a week. Some Salesforce employees are still totally remote.

Companies such as American Express, Citigroup, and Google offer work-from-anywhere weeks, allowing employees to work remotely for a certain amount of time during the year.

Rob Sadow, chief executive officer of Scoop Technologies, a hybrid work software platform, 

 such benefits can be seen as a way for some companies to sweeten the deal on RTO. “Anecdotally, the companies we have heard implement ‘work from anywhere’ weeks often do it at the same time as implementing increased requirements to be in the office,” he said.

The RTO push is a concern for working parents dealing with the effects of a childcare 

. Aflac offers onsite childcare, and CHRO Matthew Owenby 

 that it’s part of the company’s strategy to bring workers back into the office, as well as retain female employees.

Some companies are betting that relocation assistance will convince employees to work from an office.

Appian, a cloud-computing company based in McClean, Virginia, paid for 109 people who joined the company 

 in 2022, according to the Wall Street Journal. Colgate and Walmart also offer relocation packages.

Is your organization struggling to bring employees back to the office with incentives or disincentives? We’d love to hear from you; send us an email at hrbrew@morningbrew.com.

View of the Salesforce tower from below, including a blue logo with the company's name.