Over the last year, an increasing number of large companies have enforced return-to-office (RTO) mandates. These policies are designed to enhance productivity and engagement, and in some cases, to initiate voluntary turnover. 

Already, two-thirds of global companies require employees to be in the office at least one day a week, and 90% reported that RTO was planned during the past year.

These efforts have received some backlash, especially in the U.S., where more than half (52%) of employees prefer remote work. Consider:

•  79% of employees believe RTO mandates are designed to serve employers’ needs more than their own

• 53% of employees whose work can be done off-site say they would look for another job within a year if their employer forced them to work at the office full time
• 8 out of 10 companies have already lost employees due to RTO mandates, with 14% saying they lost a lot of talent
• And yet, 85% of employees say that when RTO is done well, it can bolster collaboration and company culture

The stakes are clear: how organizations approach RTO will shape their culture and retention for years to come. Read on to learn how best to support your employees—and their mental health—during an RTO transition.

How RTO Can Impact Employee Mental Health and Morale

RTO can have mixed effects on employee well-being and engagement. While 37% of HR executives noticed workplace morale improve after an RTO mandate, 42% saw a decline. This isn’t surprising, considering 54% of workers feel their employer prioritizes getting talent back in the office over their well-being.

According to a Modern Health study, RTO causes high anxiety for 70% of employees. This is especially true when mandates are abrupt or unclear. Employees can also experience resentment when policies interfere with the top reasons they prefer remote work, which include:

• Flexibility and work-life balance (90%)
• Not having to commute (74%)
• Managing family responsibilities more easily (51%)

RTO workers may also feel a loss of autonomy or worry they will be penalized for their preferences for remote work.

Burnout is another significant risk. While remote and in-office employees experience burnout at nearly the same rate (36% and 35% respectively), the reasons differ. Remote workers may burn out due to work encroaching on their personal lives or too many virtual meetings. For RTO employees, it’s more often due to longer commutes, loss of flexibility, or distracting social interactions with colleagues.

This is especially true for employees who were originally hired to work remotely or those who rely on the flexibility of remote work, such as caregivers or disabled workers. 

What Human-Centered RTO Looks Like

More than 1 in 4 employees who have been required to return to the office don’t feel supported by their employers’ RTO policies. 

To inspire trust and engagement in your employees during an RTO transition, be sure to take their experience into account at every step. Here’s how.

1. Focus on Fairness and Flexibility

According to Modern Health research, 91% of employees say RTO works best when leaders support flexibility and mental health.

As this finding indicates, supporting employees during RTO starts at the decision-making level. While crafting policy details, it’s critical to keep employees’ needs and diverse situations in mind, emphasizing flexibility and fairness. For example, some organizations allow teams to choose which in-office days make the most sense for their work rhythms—giving employees predictability while still meeting business needs. Others offer flex windows for start and end times to accommodate commuting, caregiving obligations, or medical appointments. 

Small adjustments like these can meaningfully reduce stress during an RTO transition.

2. Take Employee Feedback Into Consideration

A vast majority (81%) of employees say they would feel more positive about RTO if they had a say in its design.

Create policies that are truly equitable and meet workers’ needs by involving employee perspectives from the very beginning. Consider conducting interviews or pulse surveys to gauge how employees feel about the upcoming RTO mandate and how they expect their employer to support them. Continue collecting feedback after the mandate has gone into effect to see if adjustments need to be made.

3. Maintain Transparency

From the moment an RTO decision has been made, organizations must be clear and upfront with their employees. 

If workers find certain aspects of the new policy disagreeable, avoid trying to simply recast it in a more flattering light, which may only stir up further feelings of distrust. Instead, offer transparent communication and realistic solutions that will allow employees to bring their best selves to work, keeping burnout and stress at bay. 

4. Take a Phased Approach

Instead of enforcing a blanket RTO mandate abruptly, consider rolling it out in phases. For example, start with two or three days in the office instead of five, which gives employees a chance to adjust gradually.

Or consider taking a team-based approach by first bringing departments back to the office whose work would benefit most from an in-person setting.

5. Discuss and Enforce RTO with Empathy

If you want your employees to trust that you have their best interest at heart, be sure to discuss RTO policies with empathy. From company-wide announcements to one-on-one meetings, ensure that employees feel heard and supported.

Enforcing mandates should also be done with understanding, emphasizing employee needs instead of policy alone. If employees approach you with concerns, take them seriously and make a reasonable effort to reach an equitable solution.

How to Support Mental Health Through an RTO Transition

1. Normalize Mental Health Conversations

A sudden reduction in work flexibility, additional time spent commuting, and distractions from in-house coworkers can lead to employee exhaustion and burnout. Encourage managers to have conversations with team members about their mental health during RTO transitions.

You can also offer informational sessions to help employees recognize symptoms of burnout and how to manage their mental health, especially as it relates to RTO.

2. Encourage Employees to Use Their PTO

Workers who don’t take vacation time or who work during their PTO are more likely to experience burnout and work stress, according to research.

Unfortunately, both scenarios are common. Almost half of all workers (46%) don’t use all their PTO, and 68% of employees admit to working while on vacation. This means workers may benefit from regular reminders to use all their vacation hours. If your organization offers mental health days, encourage employees to take advantage of those as well.

Reminders aren’t enough, though. Seek to build a culture where employees feel safe to use their full PTO and are not pressured to perform while off the clock. One of the most effective ways to do this is by having leaders model the behavior themselves—taking time off, disconnecting fully, and openly reinforcing that rest is expected, not penalized. When managers set the tone, employees are far more likely to feel comfortable doing the same.

3. Offer Proactive Mental Health Support

According to Modern Health data, 81% of employees believe companies need stronger mental health benefits. Get ahead of RTO-related burnout and work stress by providing robust mental health support, including preventive care, not just crisis intervention. This can include:

• Mental health and personal growth coaching
• 1:1 or group sessions with licensed therapists
• Self-paced digital programs for physical, mental, career, relational, and financial well-being.
• Employee community groups for solidarity and support

Modern Health provides all these modalities for care and more in over 200 countries and more than 80 languages. Plus, employees who need immediate assistance can reach out to our 24/7 crisis line or connect with a provider within 24 hours of scheduling an appointment on average.

Our emphasis on preventive care puts employees in the driver’s seat when it comes to their mental well-being so that they can avoid more serious (and costly) mental health concerns down the road.

4. Regularly Discuss What Resources Are Available

Even the highest-quality mental health benefits are in vain if employees don’t know they exist. A majority of employees (88%) believe workplaces must actively encourage the use of their mental health resources.

Be sure to regularly communicate what resources are available and how to use them. This can take the form of:

• Companywide emails
• Quarterly lunch-and-learn sessions or webinars
• Reminders during group or 1:1 meetings
• Flyers displayed throughout the office
• Home mailers

Protecting the Mental Health of a Diverse Workforce During RTO

While the above recommendations can apply to workforces as a whole, leaders must also realize that some employees may need extra support during an RTO transition. Ignoring their needs may cause organizations to lose talent and miss out on valuable perspectives. 

Ensure your RTO policy is flexible enough to adapt to the diverse needs of all employee groups, including caregivers, neurodiverse and disabled workers, and global teams.

Caregivers

Nearly 3 out of 4 employees have some sort of caregiving responsibilities, many of whom are mothers. Unfortunately, 74% of employees believe RTO mandates make it harder for working mothers to remain in the workforce. 

The “sandwich generation”—those caring for children and aging relatives simultaneously—also tends to struggle with RTO. In fact, 40% of sandwich generation workers would look for another job or quit if forced to return to the office, indicating that the need for support is essential.

Because of the added mental load and scheduling challenges, working parents and caregivers typically rely more on remote work than non-caregivers do. Picking up kids from daycare, collecting prescriptions, attending medical appointments, and finding quality childcare or eldercare can be tougher to accomplish during RTO transitions.

To better support caregivers during RTO, consider offering flexible scheduling options, expanded remote-eligible days for those with complex responsibilities, or temporary accommodations during high-demand periods (e.g., school breaks, medical cycles, eldercare disruptions). Even small flexibilities can significantly reduce stress and prevent turnover among this group.

Neurodiverse and Disabled Employees

One study found that 63% of employees with disabilities prefer remote work compared to 51% of non-disabled workers. According to the same study, 43% with disabilities say they would consider quitting their job if their organization implemented RTO policies, while only 27% of non-disabled employees felt the same way.

Some offices are not designed to accommodate certain disabilities. Depending on their disability, some employees may struggle to get to work, and those with compromised immune systems may feel unsafe in a crowded setting.

Neurodiverse employees, too, may have a difficult time focusing and being creative in the office, which may trigger sensory sensitivities. And depending on the condition, adjusting to a new routine can be just as challenging.

Organizations can support neurodiverse and disabled workers by ensuring the office environment is accessible and sensory-aware—offering quiet zones, adjustable lighting, or noise-reduction resources. Clear accommodation pathways, hybrid arrangements, and predictable scheduling can also help employees manage symptoms, energy, and transportation needs.

Global Teams

An employee’s cultural background or geographic location can also determine how RTO affects them. For example, employees in more urban areas with public transportation may have an easier time commuting to the office than those who live in rural areas, as long commutes can become exhausting over time.

Workers from marginalized or underrepresented communities may be more likely to encounter microagressions, issues with accessibility, or other forms of discrimination in an office setting—contributing to an overall sense of discomfort or lack of psychological safety.

Support for global teams can include tailoring RTO expectations by region, acknowledging cultural and commuting differences, and providing local leaders with flexibility to adapt the policy to their employees’ realities. Ensuring psychological safety across offices—especially for marginalized or underrepresented groups—may require local DEI partnerships, manager training, and periodic climate checks.

RTO Is a Chance to Rebuild Culture, Not Just Work Habits

RTO is a cultural shift—not just a logistical one. When inadequately handled, these mandates can harm employee well-being and retention. But when approached with empathy and the right resources, they can produce a more engaged and productive workforce. Organizations that invest in psychological safety and mental health will retain top talent and build long-term trust with their employees.