Why Employers Are Asking You to Return to the Office

As the debate around remote work continues, many employees are wondering why companies are pushing for a return to the office. While flexibility remains important, there are critical business reasons driving the shift. From cybersecurity threats to fraud prevention, collaboration challenges to legal risks—this article breaks down the real factors employers are weighing, backed by examples from 2024 and beyond.

1. Cybersecurity Threats Are Escalating

Remote work has expanded the digital attack surface. Personal devices, unsecured home Wi-Fi, and multiple access points make it easier for cybercriminals to strike.

• In April 2025, Marks & Spencer (M&S) suffered a ransomware attack that wiped out their payment systems and caused losses of £300 million to £570 million in market value. The breach was partly attributed to vulnerabilities in hybrid work infrastructure (source).

• In December 2024, the U.S. Treasury experienced a breach due to compromised remote access tools, highlighting how high-level organizations are still vulnerable when employees work from unsecured networks (source).

Centralizing operations in an office allows for stronger IT control, multi-factor authentication enforcement, and physical device management—key layers of security that are hard to replicate in a fully remote setting.

2. Fraudulent Candidates Are on the Rise

Remote work has made it easier for individuals to fake identities and infiltrate companies.

• In 2024, a U.S. cybersecurity firm mistakenly hired a North Korean IT worker posing as a U.S.-based professional. The hire resulted in data theft and a crypto ransom attempt (source).

• The U.S. Department of Justice revealed that operatives tied to North Korea were hired by over 100 American companies using stolen identities. In many cases, these operatives were working simultaneously at multiple firms (source).

• In a high-profile case, KnowBe4, a security firm, onboarded a candidate under the alias “Kyle,” only to discover later that he was a state-sponsored operative (source).

Being in-office allows employers to verify IDs, conduct in-person interviews, and reduce the chances of hiring imposters through digital-only processes.

3. In-Person Work Drives Better Collaboration and Innovation

The spontaneous exchange of ideas, mentorship, and creative brainstorming are much harder to replicate in Zoom calls and Slack threads.

• In July 2025, 3M instituted a policy requiring employees to return to the office four days per week, citing a need to restore collaborative culture and accelerate innovation (source).

• Uber now mandates in-office work Tuesdays through Thursdays, linking office attendance to access to company perks like sabbaticals (source).

• Google, Meta, IBM, and others are enforcing 3-to-5-day in-office mandates across key departments (source).

Leaders say being physically together builds team trust, sharpens problem-solving, and helps new hires integrate faster.

4. Visibility and Performance Management

With remote work, it becomes harder to consistently monitor productivity and team engagement.

• A 2024 Gallup report noted that U.S. employee engagement was up to 31 percent in companies with structured hybrid or in-office policies—suggesting that the right balance improves motivation and output (source).

• Companies like Google and JPMorgan have tied in-office attendance to performance evaluations. These policies aim to ensure that visibility and accountability are consistent across teams (source).

Employers want to ensure that high-performing talent is rewarded fairly—and being in the office gives managers a more complete view of contributions.

5. Legal and Compliance Considerations

Remote work raises legal questions around pay equity, expense reimbursements, data protection, and employee accommodations.

• The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires employers to make reasonable accommodations for disabilities, which becomes more complex in remote settings (source).

• Pay transparency laws differ by location. In a remote model, companies must navigate compliance in multiple states—often with different wage disclosure requirements.

Being on-site simplifies policy implementation and minimizes potential lawsuits related to inconsistent practices.

6. Shadow IT and Data Loss Risks

Remote employees often use personal devices or install unapproved apps, increasing the risk of data leaks.

• Shadow IT—technology used outside of the approved corporate stack—has grown by over 50 percent since 2021. IT teams often can’t track or secure this usage, exposing businesses to breach risks (source).

In contrast, in-office setups allow IT departments to better manage software access, control sensitive data, and implement enterprise-grade security tools.

7. Operational Disruptions and Hardware Management

Remote infrastructure makes routine maintenance and tech support more difficult.

• In July 2025, a British Airways password upgrade failed to sync across remote devices, locking staff out of critical systems and forcing in-office resets.

Physical presence allows companies to quickly troubleshoot hardware issues and push security updates without costly delays.

Real-World Company Examples

What It Means for You

If your employer is asking you to return to the office, it’s likely not just about control or optics. It’s about:

• Enhancing security across people, systems, and data

• Building stronger relationships and knowledge transfer

• Supporting fair evaluations and career development

• Ensuring legal compliance and minimizing fraud

• Strengthening the foundation for innovation and trust

As the workplace evolves, hybrid and in-person strategies are becoming less about preference and more about protection, productivity, and long-term viability.

Final Thoughts

Return-to-office policies are being shaped by real business risks and operational lessons from the past few years. While remote work brought flexibility, employers now recognize the need for stronger guardrails, deeper collaboration, and fraud prevention. If you’re returning to the office, you’re not going backward—you’re stepping into a future where security, culture, and innovation are front and center.