The RTO Mirage: Ben Eubanks Challenges Corporate Return-to-Office Mandates

In a recent LinkedIn post, Ben Eubanks discusses the significant disconnect between the widely reported corporate push for return-to-office (RTO) policies and the actual, ongoing trends in the U.S. workforce. Eubanks, drawing on data and his experience in HR and recruitment, argues that the narrative of a mass exodus from remote work is largely a media-driven phenomenon that doesn’t reflect broader employee behavior.

Eubanks highlights the statistical reality, stating:

The mandates from major corporations are getting 100% of the press, but the broader market simply isn’t following their lead.

According to Eubanks, recent data from the Census and Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that the percentage of the U.S. workforce working from home, at least part-time, has remained stable at approximately 22% since 2025. This figure, he contends, stands in stark contrast to the high-profile RTO announcements from large companies, which often dominate headlines.

The HR Perspective and the Limits of Mandates

Eubanks acknowledges the valid concerns driving executive decisions regarding RTO. As a former HR practitioner, he understands the challenges leaders face, including:

• The sense of isolation among employees.
• The breakdown in organic mentorship for junior staff.
• Difficulties in tracking productivity solely through digital means.

However, Eubanks cautions against rigid enforcement, arguing that such strategies are often counterproductive.

But drawing a hard line in the sand rarely works. Over the last 10+ years of tracking workforce trends with our research team at Lighthouse, we’ve seen one consistent truth: you cannot MANDATE your way to high performance or strong culture.

He further elaborates that strict, inflexible mandates tend to correlate with increased employee turnover and slower hiring processes, without delivering a clear return on investment or disruption.

Trust as a Foundational Element

In Eubanks’s view, the underlying issue is a lack of trust, which he believes is essential for any meaningful workplace interaction. He quotes George Rogers, emphasizing:

As George Rogers would say, trust is the essential foundation for every workplace interaction that matters. And this “you have to be present for us to trust you’re doing your work” attitude won’t work.

This perspective suggests that a focus on physical presence as a proxy for productivity undermines the trust necessary for a healthy work environment.

The Reality of the Modern Talent Market

Eubanks points out that in the current tight labor market, hybrid flexibility has transitioned from being a mere perk to a fundamental expectation for a significant portion of the knowledge worker population. He argues that organizations attempting to impose pre-2020 work models on today’s talent pool are out of step with prevailing expectations.

It feels like many organizations are trying to force a pre-2020 playbook onto a 2026 talent pool that just isn’t interested in playing by those old rules.

Instead of focusing on compliance measures like badge swipes, Eubanks proposes a shift in strategy. He advocates for investing in the development of better managers who are equipped to effectively lead hybrid teams. This approach, he suggests, would be more productive than fighting against established data and employee preferences.

The central question Eubanks poses to organizations is whether they will continue to dispute the data or accept that the 22% remote/hybrid workforce represents a new, enduring baseline.