Want to create an interactive transcript for this episode?
Podcast: Leadership Article Review Podcast
Episode: The Hidden Costs of Return-to-Office Mandates: How Policy Enforcement Erodes Talent, Trust, and Competitive Advantage, by Jonathan H. Westover PhD
Description:
Abstract: Return-to-office (RTO) mandates have emerged as a dominant organizational response to perceived productivity and culture challenges in post-pandemic work environments. However, mounting evidence suggests that mandatory in-office attendance policies generate substantial hidden costs that undermine the very outcomes leaders seek to achieve. This article synthesizes research on talent attrition, employee engagement, and competitive positioning to demonstrate that RTO mandates often function as blunt instruments that erode organizational capability rather than build it. Drawing on behavioral economics, organizational psychology, and strategic human capital research, we examine how policy enforcement approaches trigger psychological contract violations, selection effects that disproportionately lose...