Asking employees to come back to the office like the old days is the same as trying to 'jam the toothpaste back in the tube,' workforce expert says | Fortune

"The post-pandemic workplace should combine lessons from the pre-pandemic and pandemic-era models, she said. "When we're trying to get people back into the office, we still are executing the office in the same way that it used to be," Moss told HR Brew. "We just can't jam the toothpaste back in the tube." Recognize the new environment. Improved collaboration, culture, and productivity are often cited as reasons for an RTO, Moss said, but being in the office won't necessarily help employees achieve these goals."

"Amazon, for example, said in September, it wanted its 350,000-person workforce in the office by early January. As of February, many of their offices didn't have enough desks to accommodate the return, leaving many employees continuing working from home. AT&T had a similar issue. In response to JPMorgan's RTO mandate, employees expressed their outrage on an internal platform. The company then disabled comments. Some JPMorgan and Amazon workers have also signed petitions protesting their employers' requirements."

Several major companies—Amazon, JPMorgan, and AT&T—have instituted full-time return-to-office mandates that have encountered practical and cultural problems. Amazon sought to bring 350,000 employees back by January but lacked sufficient desks by February, leaving many remote; AT&T faced similar capacity shortfalls. JPMorgan employees voiced outrage on an internal platform, prompting comment disabling, and some employees at both firms organized petitions. Common RTO rationales include improved collaboration, culture, and productivity, yet being physically present has not changed work modes for many employees, who still spend days on Zoom and perform tasks equally well from home. Employers should recognize cultural change and redesign office practices.

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