"The 2025 has been a turbulent year for anyone following the return to office debate. Amazon's five-day mandate kicked in on 2 January 2025, JPMorgan is following suit, and even the UK government has been pushing civil servants back to their desks. But here's the thing: mandates alone aren't working. The businesses seeing real success with return to office are the ones giving employees a reason to actually want to come in."
"Despite all the headlines, working from home rates in the UK have barely budged since 2022. Research from King's College London found that around 26-27% of the workforce still considers home their main place of work. What has changed is how employees respond to strict mandates. Only 42% of UK workers now say they'd comply with a five-day return to office requirement. That's down from 54% in early 2022."
Return-to-office mandates in 2025 have provoked resistance rather than widespread compliance. Major employers such as Amazon and JPMorgan, and the UK government, have pushed for full-time office returns. Working-from-home rates in the UK remain around 26–27%. Only 42% of workers would comply with a five-day office requirement, down from 54% in early 2022. Significant risks to employers include 58% of workers saying they would quit or job-hunt if forced back full-time, 10% ready to resign immediately, and particularly high refusal rates among women and mothers. Effective returns rely on creating attractive, purpose-built office spaces.
Read at Business Matters
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