Who Really Owns the Return-to-Office Mandate?
The return-to-office (RTO) conversation isn’t new — but it’s evolving. What began as a logistical challenge has become a cultural one. Across industries, leaders are trying to balance flexibility, connection, and belonging in ways that feel authentic and sustainable.
Yet one question keeps surfacing: Who actually owns the return-to-office mandate?
Because without clear governance, even the best-intentioned plans lose momentum.
From Experiment to Expectation
Over the past few years, RTO strategies have followed a familiar arc. First came experimentation — hybrid schedules, flexible days, redesigned offices meant to rekindle collaboration. Then came mandates and timelines, some celebrated, others resisted.
Today, most organisations have landed in the middle — still refining what “hybrid” really means and how to make it work. The lesson is clear: return-to-office was never just about where people work. It’s about how they experience work — and what makes being together meaningful.
Beyond Logistics: RTO as a Cultural Strategy
Forward-thinking companies now recognise that RTO is not a facilities or HR initiative; it’s a culture and experience strategy. They’re asking: What makes the office worth returning to?
That’s where workplace hospitality comes in — an approach that treats employees as valued guests by creating environments, services, and interactions that make every day at the office feel seamless and supportive.
At Circles, we see workplace hospitality as the connective tissue that bridges operational needs and human experience — turning the office from a mandate into a magnet.
The RTO Ownership Dilemma
Still, even as organisations reimagine their offices, one obstacle persists: no single function can — or should — own RTO.
Facilities manages space and utilisation. HR focuses on people and engagement. IT enables digital collaboration. Line managers look to drive performance. Each group plays a crucial role, but when their efforts operate independently, employees get mixed messages and uneven experiences.
This lack of coordination doesn’t just create inefficiency — it erodes trust. People start to wonder who’s leading, what’s expected, and whether the return-to-office experience will be worth the effort.
A Better Model: Governance, Not Ownership
The solution isn’t finding one owner — it’s building a governance model that unites the many owners behind a shared purpose.
An effective RTO governance approach brings together HR, Facilities, IT, Communications, and business leaders in a coordinated framework that drives alignment, consistency, and accountability.
Here’s what that looks like in practice:
- Shared accountability: A cross-functional steering group sets vision and metrics, ensuring each function’s actions ladder up to the same employee-experience goals.
- Defined roles and decisions: Governance clarifies who designs policy, who delivers experience, and who measures impact — avoiding overlap or confusion.
- Employee-centric design: Every decision is viewed through the lens of workplace hospitality: anticipating needs, removing friction, and making the office feel intuitive, connected, and energising.
When organisations operate this way, RTO evolves from a fragmented initiative into a cohesive strategy that reflects the company’s culture and values.
Where Workplace Hospitality Fits In
Workplace hospitality gives RTO governance its heartbeat. It’s what connects data to empathy, policies to people, and logistics to lived experience.
By embedding hospitality principles — personalisation, care, and ease — across every function, companies can ensure that every stakeholder, from Facilities to HR to IT, contributes to the same goal: making the office a place where people want to be.
This shift doesn’t require major investments or sweeping mandates. It requires alignment, clarity, and an intentional focus on how employees feel when they’re on site. That’s the bridge between operational success and emotional engagement — and it’s where Circles helps companies lead.
Turning Mandate into Momentum
Return-to-office will never succeed through policy alone. It takes thoughtful governance, clear communication, and a hospitality-driven experience that makes being together meaningful.
When those elements come together, the office stops being a requirement. It becomes a destination — one that fosters connection, productivity, and belonging.
At Circles, we believe that’s what modern workplace hospitality is all about: turning RTO from a mandate into momentum.
