Return-to-office mandates are surging — and Gen Z is taking the brunt of it.
According to new data from Owl Labs, a staggering 82% of Gen Z knowledge workers say their company has issued or increased in-office mandates this year. That’s nearly double the average across all workers (47%). And while companies may be betting that more time in the office equals more productivity, the fallout suggests otherwise: 84% of Gen Z employees are now actively looking for more flexible jobs.
It’s easy to assume younger workers just want to stay home. But the real story is more nuanced. Gen Z doesn’t dislike offices — they dislike being told to show up without a good reason.
Mandates Are Rising — and So Is Turnover
The pressure to bring employees back is mounting. Fifty-six percent of HR leaders now say their companies have formal in-office requirements — the highest level in three years. And 60% of workers believe full-time office mandates will become even more common in 2025.
But mandates come at a cost. Among HR leaders with strict in-office policies, 44% report retention problems, compared to just 34% of those without mandates. Nearly two-thirds say it’s harder to find qualified candidates, and over half are bracing for a spike in legal disputes as accommodation requests for remote work pile up.
You can mandate presence. You can’t mandate loyalty.
Gen Z Wants Offices That Work — Not Just Offices That Exist
Despite headlines about remote work resistance, Gen Z is pragmatic. Many want to be in the office — when it’s intentional. They’re showing up to empty rooms, outdated rituals, and little clarity on who will be there and why. What they’re rejecting isn’t work — it’s waste.
Remote work, to them, isn’t a perk. It’s a proxy for autonomy, trust, and modernity. In fact, two-thirds of workers say they wouldn’t trade remote work for a 15% pay raise. And 70% of hybrid or remote employees say they’d start job hunting if forced back full-time at their current salary.
What Companies Get Wrong About RTO
The current RTO wave is fueled by good intentions — a desire for collaboration, creativity, and culture. But the approach is all wrong. Flexibility is fading, yet most mandates still lack the tools or structures to make time in-office actually valuable. The result? Disillusionment, attrition, and headlines about generational disengagement.
Here’s what the best companies are doing instead:
- Designing for presence, not enforcing it: They align in-office time around collaboration, not control.
- Giving people visibility and choice: Using tools like Kadence to show when teammates are in and what’s happening in the office that day.
- Treating flexibility as a strategy, not a concession: Recognizing that hybrid work is about performance, not preference.
Offices Can Still Win — If We Let Go of Control
Gen Z isn’t rejecting the office. They’re asking companies to evolve it. To make it relevant, relational, and worth the commute.
At Kadence, we’re helping organizations do just that. With smart scheduling, team coordination, and real-time insights, we make every office day count — for everyone.
Book a demo with our hybrid experts and design a workplace Gen Z wants to be part of.
