My gameplan for RTO mandates

More and more companies are implementing RTO mandates, most notably with Amazon implementing a full time return to office come January 2025.

Why it matters:

Employment related topics have been a copy-cat game for some time.

For example:

• A few big companies conduct layoffs in 2020, everyone else follows

• A few companies start massively hiring again, everyone else follows

• A few companies say they’re going to be remote-first, everyone else follows

• A few companies start with mass layoffs 2H 2022, everyone else follows

• A few companies implement RTO policies, everyone else follows

With a name like Amazon announcing a full time RTO mandate, I honestly think we’re closer to more companies following them with full time RTO (or at least more hybrid) than we are going back to remote being the norm.

Here’s why we’re seeing more RTO

Note: there can be more than one reason. Each company may have varying reasons but these are the most common from what I’m seeing

Silent Layoffs

Layoffs cost money due to the mass amount of severance packages that have to be paid. So how do we lower those costs?

Que in RTO!

One reason for RTO is that they may be looking to cull the herd and get as many people to quit as possible before they start the real layoffs.

Unfortunately the people that are most affected are the ones who were hired remotely in different states, that moved after they were hired, or folks that rely on WFH for childcare.

Management and Oversight:

Some employers are skeptical of remote work productivity and believe that certain roles or tasks are performed better in an office setting, where employees are less prone to distractions.

They want you in the office so they can supervise and make sure you’re at your desk doing what you’re supposed to do.

Of course you can argue that we should be paid on results and productivity - not disagreeing with that.

But the cold hard truth is that even if you’re beating all of your productivity metrics, employers always want more. And having you in the office makes sure you’re being as productive as you can in their eyes.

Utilizing Office Investments:

Companies with significant investments in real estate want to maximize their use.

They already paid for it, so they want to make use of it.

These companies may feel pressured to fill their office spaces as a return on investment and to justify ongoing leases or ownership.

Collaboration and Innovation:

In a more positive light, some employers believe that in-person interactions foster creativity, spontaneous collaboration, and innovation. Physical proximity is often seen as key to brainstorming, problem-solving, and cross-department collaboration.

Instead of scheduling zoom calls or typing on slack all day, it may be easier to do a quick brainstorm/huddle in-person. It’s also a better environment for everyone to learn and grow through “informal” training watching/listening how others work, especially juniors.

Company Culture and Engagement:

Many leaders feel that a company's culture is harder to maintain in a remote environment. They view the office as essential for cultivating a shared sense of mission, belonging, and employee engagement.

The Game Plan:

1: Don’t overreact

It’s easy to see an RTO mandate and think “F this, I’m out!”

But here’s the thing. Remember, this is all a copy-cat game. If Amazon is RTO’ing full time, other FAANGs (Apple, Meta, Google, Microsoft) that RTO’d on a hybrid basis may do the same thing too.

What happens if you quit today, get a job somewhere else tomorrow, then they RTO too?

Depending on your prev job history, you might be stuck for a while if your background looks like a job hopper.

So I’d personally wait it out at first to see what everyone else is doing, who else is RTO’ing, who’s making announcements about poaching RTO talent, etc and take note.

2: Networking (Outbound)

Before applying to roles I’d start tapping into your network.

Previous colleagues, previous managers/directors, college alumni, high school classmates, etc.

See where everyone is and what they’re up to.

Get a pulse on what’s going on. Are they RTOing? Are their friends & network? See how common it is in your niche/industry.

If they work in your field and are remote (or hybrid with better arrangements) then see if they can make any introductions for you.

Note: This is why it’s important to network when you don’t have to, so when the time to comes to ask for a favor, the relationship is already built and they’ll be more willing to help.

3: Networking (Internally)

Now is when you want to start talking to your peers within the org to get as much juice as possible on what’s going on.

Again, another reason why you need to network before you have to!

Someone on the ground level always has the juice aka what’s going on at the management level. Ask around enough and you should find your way to it.

Are they laying people off soon? How many? What LOBs/Divisions? What skillsets? Is there an ETA?

Try to gather as much info as possible.

4: Prep your job search

You don’t have to leave your job yet.

So now’s the time we’ll need to build the foundation for your job search.

• Get your resume done up right

• Start tapping into that network. If you don’t have one, read my previous articles on how to reach out to previous co-workers, college classmates, and college/HS alumni.

• Start prepping for interviews. Do this BEFORE you apply to jobs since you don’t need a new job now. This way when you do finally get an interview, you’re already locked and ready to go since in this market interviews are likely going to be more intense than prev markets you may be used to.

5: Slowly apply to jobs

Again, we don’t want to rush this since there may be a chance your next employer can also RTO FTE.

Since you’re currently working and don’t need to quit, you have leverage. So as your interviewing and negotiating ask all the questions you want regarding RTO and what their plans are.

Make it known up front what your terms are in order to make a move so they don’t waste your time and you avoid getting blind sided down the road as much as possible.

6: Talk to recruiters!

Slowly take more calls from recruiters to see what roles they’re offering. Since we probably can’t look up exact/accurate data on how many remote jobs there are vs. RTO this is a way to get some informal data for yourself.

How many of these jobs they’re sending you are remote vs onsite vs hybrid? How often are they sending you job? What’s the average comp? What other benefits/perks are they offering?

This is real, live market intelligence you can gather on the market to see what’s going on in real time.

Are you seeing more rto/hybrid jobs in your niche? Maybe that’s a sign you gotta stay put (unless someone offers more $$$ or a better opportunity of course).

Are you seeing a decent amount of remote roles? Maybe it’s time time to take a few calls.

Bottom Line:

Don’t make any rash moves. Just because your employer mandated RTO today doesn’t mean you should quit tomorrow.

If Amazon has a successful RTO mandate, trust me, more companies will be joining them and the last thing you want is to quit one company to experience the exact same thing.

So wait a little bit, be patient, let the pieces fall into place, gather as much market intel as possible and decide what’s best for you.

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