Uber Hits the Gas on RTO Requirements
Plus, the growing disconnect between high-profile RTO mandates and actual workplace attendance data.
👋 Happy Tuesday! Reddit's /antiwork forum has an entire thread dedicated to "subtle acts of resistance" against return-to-office mandates, including tactics like never answering phones when out of office, maximizing socialization time, and even intentionally burning popcorn in the microwave—symptoms of what Carnegie Mellon professor Denise Rousseau calls a broken "implicit agreement" between employers and employees.
In this week’s edition:
🚗 Uber Ups RTO Requirements
📊 Will a Recession Boost RTO?
🎥 The Now and Next of Work
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THIS WEEK’S FLEX FOCUS 🔍
Uber's New Mandate: Three Days In-Office, No Exceptions
Uber is increasing its in-office requirement to three days weekly starting June, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi announced Monday.
The new policy will require all employees to be in the office Tuesday through Thursday, including many who had previously received approval to work fully remotely. Khosrowshahi justified the change by stating, "While remote work has some benefits, being in the office fuels collaboration, sparks creativity, and increases velocity."
The company plans to monitor attendance "at both team and individual levels" to ensure compliance with the new expectations. Uber's shift mirrors similar moves by other tech giants like Google, which has recently called previously approved remote workers back to the office.
FLEX WORK QUICK HITS 💥
Stay ahead of the curve with our curated roundup of the trending flexible work stories making waves right now. Here's what you need to know 👇
Entrepreneur: While remote workers may miss out on spontaneous interactions, leaders have an opportunity to counter isolation through intentional connections, regular check-ins, and normalizing mental health conversations.
WorkLife: RTO policies are reshaping workplace fashion beyond dress codes, creating a complex negotiation of power and identity.
Yahoo News: Workers are engaging in small acts of "revenge RTO" like arriving late, leaving early, and taking office supplies home in response to return-to-office mandates they perceive as unfair.
Bloomberg Law: PwC UK may discipline employees who don’t meet its three-day office requirement, as executive Phillippa O'Connor told Parliament the policy is part of the firm's "fairness agenda”.
STAT OF THE WEEK 📈
Recession Unlikely to Drive Major RTO Push
Despite high-profile RTO mandates from leaders like Jassy and Diamond, Stanford and Federal Reserve research shows only 12% of executives plan to increase office time in 2025, with that figure barely rising to 14% even in a severe recession scenario. In the mid-market sector, Auvik CEO Doug Murray reports that return-to-office requirements have "leveled off" with little year-over-year change based on their IT worker surveys. Murray leverages this trend for his own company, embracing a distributed workforce as "an incredible competitive advantage in terms of where we can hire."
FLEXPERT INSIGHTS 🧠
The RTO Mirage: Why Office Attendance is Barely Budging Despite Noise
In his latest Work Forward newsletter, Brian Elliott examines the disconnect between high-profile RTO mandates and actual workplace attendance data. Despite prominent CEOs implementing stricter policies, multiple data sources show office attendance has increased by just 2-3% in 2025, with WFH levels remaining remarkably stable.
The newsletter points to a growing "credibility gap" between official policies and workplace reality, with many managers quietly accommodating hybrid arrangements to retain top talent regardless of corporate mandates. Brian argues that organizations waste valuable resources on policy enforcement rather than addressing more pressing business challenges like AI adoption, economic uncertainties, and talent retention in a competitive market.
VIDEO SPOTLIGHT 🎥
The Now and Next of Work
The transformation of work has accelerated beyond predictions, driven by AI advancement, economic shifts, and evolving workforce expectations. Forward-thinking organizations are integrating AI while strengthening human connection, building inclusive environments, and fostering innovation across distributed teams.
In this thought-provoking session, industry leaders dissect the current state of work, emerging trends and the path forward for undergoing rapid transformation where technology and human potential converge to redefine possibilities. Moderated by Laurie Ruettimann, panelists are Work Forward CEO Brian Elliott, NASCAR's CHRO John Ferguson and Intuitive's CHRO Pat Wadors.
COMPANY SPOTLIGHT ✨
Lowe's Companies, Inc. is a home improvement retail company that has been operating since 1946, providing everything from appliances to DIY construction tools to consumers. With a mission to provide 'affordable high-quality home improvement products', it carries a vision to 'help people love where they live'. Headquartered in Mooresville, North Carolina, it has over 2,200 retail stores across the U.S. and Canada.
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