The noise around return-to-office (RTO) mandates is growing louder. Executives are making bold declarations about office attendance, headlines are capturing attention, and return plans are taking shape across industries. But when you look more closely at the data—and what’s really happening inside organizations—a different picture emerges.
Brian Elliott, in his recent newsletter The RTO Mirage, offers a grounded analysis of this moment. Across multiple studies and data sources, he shows that despite renewed mandates, office attendance has remained relatively unchanged.
Work-from-home levels are stable. The March uptick in foot traffic is just noise, not trend. In fact, Q1 2025 office use remains down 36% compared to 2019—essentially identical to last year.
Elliott’s takeaway?
The numbers tell the story. But what’s more revealing is the growing chasm between corporate policy and actual workplace behavior.
The Credibility Gap Between Policy and Practice
Many organizations are issuing strict mandates for office attendance—three days minimum, four days preferred, five days ideal. But what happens next? In most cases, teams continue working in hybrid modes. Managers, focused on outcomes, quietly look the other way. HR circulates attendance reports while team leads prioritize retention and performance.
Elliott points to something many workplace leaders are experiencing firsthand: the tension between evolving policy and the practical decisions managers make every day. Leaders may introduce new requirements, but in many organizations, those policies are applied with nuance and flexibility.
Managers are balancing expectations with performance. When a strong team member thrives in a flexible routine, most leaders are choosing to support their success—regardless of badge counts. It’s not resistance; it’s adaptation.
The result is “hushed hybrid.” Policy says one thing; practice does another. As Elliott observes, policies aren’t reality. And that reality is shaped by business pressures: when a top performer prefers three days a week instead of five, most managers won’t risk losing them.
This is a signal that the ways people work best are more varied—and more intentional—than one-size mandates allow. Instead of doubling down on compliance, forward-looking organizations are asking better questions.
A Smarter Focus: Workplace Performance
The companies getting hybrid right aren’t worried about compliance. They’re investing in performance.
Instead of treating the office as a static destination, they see it as a dynamic system—something to be tuned and iterated. These organizations are asking deeper questions: What’s the purpose of in-person time? What work gets better when we’re together? How do we align schedules, spaces, and systems to support that?
That mindset shift shows up in three places:
- Space Optimization: Using workplace data to understand what’s being used, when, and why—then making smarter decisions about office design and footprint.
- Employee Engagement: Focusing on the quality of in-person time, not the quantity. That includes purposeful moments for collaboration, social connection, and culture-building.
- Strategic Reporting: Equipping leaders with insights into how teams are working across time and space—not just whether they’re physically present.
This is where Kadence comes in. Our platform empowers organizations to orchestrate hybrid work—not just track office attendance. We help companies move from policies that assume to systems that adapt. From oversight to insight. From guesswork to clarity. It’s the evolution of hybrid work.
What’s Actually Changing (and Why It Matters)
None of this means the workplace is standing still. In fact, some of the most forward-thinking companies are shifting their approach in meaningful ways.
Take early-career employees. We’re seeing consolidation into regional hubs, particularly for entry-level roles where coaching and learning benefit from proximity. This isn’t about returning to the office—it’s about designing environments that support growth.
Similarly, team structures are evolving. Time zone alignment is emerging as a quiet best practice. Instead of sprawling global teams, companies are organizing around 1–2 zone overlaps and common core hours. That’s making real-time collaboration more sustainable without giving up flexibility.
And then there’s AI. The most innovative companies are integrating generative AI into scheduling, knowledge management, and meetings—recognizing that legacy models haven’t kept pace with modern workflows.
The thread through all of this isn’t rigidity. It’s intentionality.
Why Kadence Believes in Performance-Driven Hybrid
At Kadence, we’ve always believed hybrid isn’t a compromise—it’s a design challenge. And when it’s done well, it becomes a strategic advantage.
We see every day how our customers are reducing real estate costs, increasing employee satisfaction, and driving better business performance—not by enforcing mandates, but by giving teams tools to work with clarity and intent.
We help organizations align people, spaces, and schedules around what matters most: outcomes.
Because policies may look good on paper. But performance is what builds companies.
If you’re ready to move beyond the badge swipe and toward a workplace that works, book a demo with our hybrid experts.
