The WPP return to office policy became a flashpoint in January 2025, when the global advertising group’s push for stricter office attendance met an employee petition. As one of the largest global advertising agencies, WPP’s decision carried weight across the creative and agency industries. It also exposed a growing divide between what leadership wanted and what the workforce expected.
The case shows how hard it is to set one return-to-office (RTO) policy for a global workforce with different laws, commutes and cultural norms.
What happened with WPP’s return to office policy?
In January 2025, WPP’s push for stricter return-to-office policies sparked backlash, with employees launching a petition against the move. The debate was not just about desks and chairs. It was about how a global agency navigates hybrid work while respecting diverse cultural norms, labor laws and operational realities in every region.
A return-to-office (RTO) policy sets how many days, or which days, employees are expected to work from the office.
Why is one global RTO policy so hard to set?
A single global policy has to work in very different places. With offices in London, New York, Shanghai, São Paulo and Mumbai, WPP’s policies must account for vastly different regional work cultures, labor laws and commuting realities. A rule that feels reasonable in one city can feel like a step backward in another, and employees notice.
Labor law is a clear example. Labor laws in France enforce a “right to disconnect,” protecting employees from work-related communications outside office hours. In the UK, hybrid work legislation promotes flexibility. In Germany, strict labor protections make blanket RTO policies harder to enforce, while in India employees may expect more flexibility to manage family responsibilities.
The right to disconnect is a legal protection that lets employees ignore work-related communications outside their working hours.
Employees in these regions may see stricter RTO mandates as a step backward. That is the core challenge in creating a unified global policy.
Why do agency leaders want people back in the office?
For agency leaders, the case for RTO usually rests on collaboration, culture and creativity. WPP CEO Mark Read emphasized the value of in-person interaction. Leadership sees in-office time as critical for brainstorming sessions, project kickoffs and team camaraderie, the moments where creative work often starts.
That case for in-person time does not rule out hybrid work. It highlights the importance of balance. Agencies thrive on creativity, but that creativity depends on a workforce that feels valued and trusted, which is something hybrid models are well placed to support.
What were WPP employees concerned about?
Employees at WPP, and across the agency world, said rigid RTO policies ignored the realities of modern work. In London and São Paulo, long commutes add hours to the workday and cut into family and personal time. In New York, younger employees may see hybrid work as a non-negotiable part of their career decisions.
Kadence’s own data showed employees favoring a two-day in-office model, with three days remote, as the best hybrid balance. That model keeps the benefits of face-to-face collaboration while leaving room for focused, independent work.
Without nuanced, localized approaches, WPP risked alienating its workforce and creating friction across its global offices.
What are the risks of rigid RTO policies for global agencies?
Rigid RTO policies carry three main risks for a global agency: losing talent to more flexible competitors, paying for expensive offices that sit underused, and weakening the team culture the policy was meant to protect. Each risk grows with the number of cities and cultures a single policy has to cover.
Talent retention. According to an ADP survey, 64% of employees said they would consider leaving a job that lacked flexibility. Agencies like Publicis and Omnicom, which continued to embrace hybrid models, could attract creative talent dissatisfied with WPP’s policies.
Operational cost. Maintaining office space in high-cost cities like London and New York strains budgets, especially if that space stays underutilized. Hybrid models let companies right-size office footprints and invest in tools that support remote collaboration instead.
Agency culture. Stricter mandates could harm the culture they are meant to protect. Global agencies rely heavily on cohesive team dynamics, so any policy that strains them is a crucial consideration.
How can a global agency build a hybrid strategy that works?
A global hybrid strategy works when it is consistent in principle and local in practice. Agencies like WPP need a nuanced approach that reflects their global footprint: policies tuned to local law and culture, technology that keeps teams connected across offices, and data that shows whether each policy is working as intended.
- Regional flexibility: tailor policies to local labor laws and norms, such as France’s right to disconnect or expectations for work-life balance in India.
- Technology investment: equip teams with collaboration tools so communication works whether employees are in the office or remote.
- Data-driven decisions: use workplace analytics to track office usage and hybrid policy adherence, so leaders can see whether policies work as intended in each location.
For enterprise real estate and HR leaders, the governance point matters most. A global policy framework can set shared principles, while each region sets attendance expectations that fit its laws, commutes and teams. The hybrid work strategy guide covers how to structure this.
What did the WPP case signal for hybrid work?
WPP’s return-to-office mandate was a litmus test for hybrid work in global agencies. Leadership saw the move as a way to foster creativity and culture, but it risked alienating employees, particularly in regions where flexibility had become the norm. The agency world thrives on innovation, and innovation requires a workforce that feels empowered, not constrained.
As WPP’s global peers continued to evolve their hybrid strategies, the open question in January 2025 was whether rigid policies would drive the industry forward or leave agencies struggling to attract and retain talent. The data and employee sentiment at the time suggested that flexibility is a necessity, not a perk. The return-to-office guide looks at how other employers have approached the same decision.
Frequently asked questions
Why did WPP employees push back on the return to office policy?
In January 2025, employees launched a petition against WPP’s stricter RTO push. Concerns included long commutes in cities such as London and São Paulo and the loss of flexibility many had come to expect.
Why is a single RTO policy hard for global companies?
Labor laws, commuting patterns and cultural norms differ by country. France enforces a right to disconnect, the UK promotes flexibility, and Germany’s labor protections make blanket policies harder to enforce.
How can agencies balance creativity and flexibility?
Use in-office time for the work that benefits from it, such as brainstorming and project kickoffs, localize policies by region, and track office usage to check that the policy works.
