The message from UK business leaders is getting louder: get back to your desks.

Nearly half of organisations now expect a full-time, five-day office presence to be in place within 2026. In manufacturing and consumer sectors, that figure rises above 60%. (British Chamber of Commerce, 2025)

At first glance, this looks decisive. But it’s worrying … it’s dangerously short-sighted … it’s a ticking time bomb.

In the same report, there is a related, scary result: almost one in ten organisations have already lost employees because they removed remote and hybrid options. That number is a clear signal that simply can’t be ignored.

Can your business afford the fallout of a mandatory return to the office?

Productivity is about Process, not Place

The most common justification for office returns is productivity. Leaders cite falling output, “Friday fading”, and reduced visibility of work. 48% of people surveyed by Virgin Media said they were not authorised to finish early on Friday, yet 32% said they did so regularly, with or without permission. 24% admitted they had changed their online status to ‘active’ to secretly finish early on a Friday.

However, when productivity only exists when people are watched, the issue isn’t location …  it’s people management.

In B2B services, 25% of organisations report productivity improves with remote or hybrid working. The model is the same; so it’s execution that makes a huge difference.

HR sees this pattern repeatedly:

• Being present is mistaken for performance.
• Outcomes are replaced by hours logged.
• Trust issues are reframed as “culture concerns”.

Compulsory office attendance doesn’t fix these problems. It simply hides them.

Employees’ Expectations

Some roles require people to work on-site, such as manufacturing. However, blanket attendance rules across knowledge-based, digital and service roles ignore how this work actually happens.

Hybrid working is no longer a perk; it’s an employee expectation.

Forced office returns don’t always trigger immediate exits. More often, they create something worse: quiet disengagement.

People stay, but they stop stretching themselves. Innovation dips. Energy fades. Eventually, your highest performers leave, usually for employers who offer trust and autonomy, possibly joining your competitors.

Forward-Thinking HR

The smartest organisations are considering:

• Where does in-person work genuinely add value?
• Which roles need collaboration and which need focus?
• How do we measure productivity without relying on attendance?
• Have we actually asked employees what works best for them?

The office isn’t the enemy … compulsion is.

‘The future of work isn’t simply a choice between remote or office,’ says Emma Clack of Heneom HR, based between Stevenage and Welwyn in Herts. ‘It’s about being overtly flexible without misleading employees. There are big benefits to be gained, including talent retention, boosted productivity and positive morale, helping your business and your employees.’

HR should be leading the way, helping organisations determine and manage the best approach to hybrid working policies for their teams. Would you like to discuss the options with an HR expert? Contact the friendly team at Heneom HR. Let’s find your winning combination.