Return to Office Playbook

Judy Albers - Director of Research Enablement, i4cp
  |  
July 24, 2025
July 24, 2025
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What works, what doesn’t, and how to move forward

Leaders often make return-to-office (RTO) decisions based on personal experience, perceived trends, or stakeholder pressure. But these perceptions aren’t always backed by data.

There’s no proven link between office mandates and improved productivity, collaboration, or culture. This playbook draws from i4cp’s research and insights shared by Brian Elliott , who spoke at i4cp’s Next Practices Now conference (March 2025), and was interviewed by i4cp on Maximizing the Return on Return to Office (May 2025).  

What does drive productivity? Culture health. Manager effectiveness. Trust.

In this guide

  1. The RTO Landscape: What the Data Says

  2. Implementing RTO? Essential Questions to Guide your Implementation

  3. Deciding on RTO? Executive Guidance for RTO Decisions

  4. How to Counter RTO Demands with Data

 

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Judy Albers
Judy Albers, Director of Research Enablement
As director of research enablement, Judy is responsible for creating a suite of practical, easy-to-use tools to help HR leaders implement next practices and drive organizational change.