Every few weeks, another CEO dusts off their playbook from 2013 and tries to run it like nothing’s changed.
The message?
Get back to the office. Culture depends on it. Productivity depends on it. The future of work depends on it.
Cue the headlines. Cue the badge swipe dashboards. Cue the echo chamber.
But let’s be honest: this isn’t a comeback. It’s a cover story.
Because behind the posturing, the data tells a different truth:
The office isn’t back—it’s being redefined.
Optics vs. reality.
Yes, some companies are mandating three, four, or even five days a week in the office. But what’s actually happening?
- Offices are still half-empty.
- Mandates are inconsistently enforced.
- Employees are showing up, but often reluctantly and only when absolutely necessary.
- Real estate teams are quietly consolidating, subleasing, and exploring flexible models.
If RTO were really working, we wouldn’t need to keep yelling about it.
What the smart ones are doing.
The companies making meaningful progress aren’t trying to force a return to the old way—they’re architecting something better.
They’ve stopped asking, “How do we get people back to the office?”
And started asking:
“What kind of workplace ecosystem actually works for how our people work now?”
Here’s what that looks like:
- A smaller, intentional HQ—used for high-value, in-person moments, not mandatory seat time.
- Regional hubs in talent-rich markets.
- On-demand workspace access in hundreds of cities.
- Real-time data that guides ongoing portfolio decisions.
- A shift from fixed-cost leasing to flexible workspace-as-a-service.
One standout example? T-Mobile’s playbook is a masterclass:
They shuttered underutilized field offices, spun up a national network of 400+ workspace locations, and saw a 10x increase in employee gathering—all while cutting real estate costs by 80%.
Smart companies aren’t just adapting—they’re thriving because they’re making data-driven choices that actually match how work gets done today.
Want to see how they pulled it off—and where others missed the mark?
👉 Download The state of RTO: enterprise wins, fails, and lessons learned to get the real stories, the hits, the misses, and the lessons that matter.
The price of pretending.
Let’s be real about what it costs to live in denial:
- Wasted capital on empty space.
- Rising attrition driven by rigid mandates.
- Distracted leadership, stuck defending outdated models instead of adapting to reality.
Meanwhile, the companies leaning into flexibility are banking the Hybrid Dividend:
✅ Lower real estate costs
✅ Higher employee engagement
✅ More agile, data-informed decision-making
This isn’t a theory. It’s happening now.
So No, RTO Isn’t “Back”
Not in the way some execs want it to be.
It’s not a boomerang.
It’s not a bounce back.
It’s a messy, uneven recalibration playing out in real time.
The better question isn’t “Is RTO working?”
It’s:
How do we design a workspace strategy that actually works—for our people, our bottom line, and the way business gets done now?
What to Do Next
If you’re still running your real estate strategy on pre-2020 assumptions, it’s time to pause and reassess:
✅ Audit your actual utilization
✅ Listen to employee behavior, not just policy
✅ Model the ROI of flexibility
✅ Start building for what’s next—not what used to be
Because the future of work isn’t something we’re returning to.
It’s something we’re actively building.
And the office? It’s not dead. But it’s definitely not what it was.
Don’t waste time doubling down on a broken model. Get real about how your space is actually being used—and where it’s just burning cash.
💡 Model the ROI of Flexible Office Space and see the numbers for yourself.
It’s simple: you can either keep guessing—or make data-driven moves that actually pay off. Your call.
