The mandate mirage: RTO theater in a time that demands transformation.

Let's call it what it is: a mirage.

The Return-to-Office (RTO) mandate isn't always about productivity. It's not about collaboration. It's not even about culture.

More often, it's about deception—sometimes unintentional, sometimes strategic.

It's leadership-as-theater.

It looks decisive.

It feels safe.

But it's a bluff.

And worse—it's a missed opportunity to evolve.

The deception runs deep.

In many cases, leaders are deceiving themselves—clinging to the comforting belief that "If we can just get everyone back to the office, things will go back to normal."

That belief is a relic. Normal is gone. And the workforce knows it.

In other cases, the deception is intentional.

It's the quiet part said out loud behind closed doors:

"Come back to the office because that's how we work best."

Translation? "We're hoping attrition will solve our headcount problem."

If that's your plan, say it. Don't wrap it in the flag of collaboration or culture. Employees can see through the smoke.

Let's be honest—this isn't strategy.

A mandate is not a strategy.

Presence is not performance.

And ordering people back to the office is not the same as designing a workplace where they want to be.

Let's talk straight—for every seat at the table:

• If you are the CEO – This is a legacy moment. Will you be remembered as the leader who adapted—or the one who clung to the past? Issuing a mandate might feel bold. But real leadership is figuring out how to unlock performance in a new world of work. That takes courage, not control.
  
  
• If you're a CRE or workplace leader – This is your inflection point. You can either double down on legacy models—or seize the opportunity to design a truly adaptive workplace ecosystem. Flexible, data-informed, human-centered. Stop defending square footage. Start delivering value.
  
  
• If you're a CFO – Real estate is your second-biggest line item. If you're clinging to long-term leases with 50% utilization "just to keep the culture alive," you're burning capital and missing the flex dividend.
  
  
• If you're a sales leader – You know where your team works best: wherever the customer is. Mandating desk time won't move pipeline—it'll just create churn.
  
  
• If you're an HR or people leader – RTO mandates are trust killers. You've spent years advocating for employee well-being, inclusion, and flexibility. Don't let outdated office dogma undo that progress.
  
  
• If you're a stockholder – Watch for signs of lazy leadership. Companies leaning into flexibility are cutting costs and winning talent. The rest? They're performing RTO theater on borrowed time.

Look, I get it.

Before the pandemic, the playbook for this new world of work didn't exist.

There was no "how-to" manual for distributed teams, hybrid hubs, or on-demand space ecosystems. The old rules died fast—and no one handed you new ones.

So, if you're unsure? You're not alone.

You should be excused for not knowing.

But history won't be as kind to those who put their heads in the sand.

And it will be downright ruthless to those who try to drag us back to a past that no longer fits.

There is a better path.

Here's what leadership looks like now:

✅ Start with trust. Empower your people with choice. Let data—not dogma—guide your next move.

✅ Design for how work really happens. Not how it used to.

✅ Rethink your real estate stack. Flexible, on-demand, and rightsized for how teams actually operate.

✅ Lead with clarity, not coercion. Invite people to gather with purpose—not out of obligation.

We're in a revolution—not a regression.

This is your moment to lead, not retreat.

Looking to make sense of this shift? 

RTO: making it work—a strategic guide—outlines a powerful workplace optimization framework to build flexible, future-ready models. Leaders who rethink their strategies using these insights are seeing measurable gains in both financial performance and employee satisfaction. 

👉 Download the Guide

Ready to move beyond the mirage?

If you're a workplace or real estate leader wondering where to start, start with visibility.

Start with truth—not tradition.

Our Portfolio Manager platform gives enterprise leaders a real-time view into how their teams are working, what spaces they're choosing, and where waste and opportunity are hiding in plain sight.

✨ Smarter data.

✨ Agile strategy.

✨ No more guessing.

You don't need another mandate.

You need a map.

Let's build it together. Talk with a workplace planning expert.