As companies begin to encourage employees to return to the office, managers are often placed in a position to implement such changes for their teams. With many direct reports working hybrid or fully remote, it can be a challenging adjustment for them to begin following return-to-office requirements. It is a manager's responsibility to support their team members while implementing the company-wide policies promoting working from the office. 

Managers should strive to ensure that their return-to-office policies are both fair and equitable for their direct reports. While this may be intuitive, it can be much more challenging in practice. When making decisions for how to create a fair and equitable return-to-office policy, managers should take into consideration the following: 

When designing return-to-office policies, consider what work truly needs to be completed in the office. Some roles that are more autonomous in nature may not require multiple days in the office each week, such as data analysis or individual contributor roles. These individuals may find it distracting to be in the office, surrounded by others, when their tasks can be done more easily out of the office. Other roles may be heavily team-based, including project coordination or client-facing roles, thus requiring more time in the office. While making these distinctions, evaluate whether the task should be done remotely. 

By determining which roles are inherently more collaborative rather than those more independently focused, managers can create role-based hybrid frameworks for their direct reports. This structure ensures that time spent in the office is specific to the actual work requirements of each role. 

2. Fairness of Policies 

While accommodating role-specific needs is important, managers should also factor in the fairness of the policies. Fairness entails considering the burden of the new return-to-office policies on individuals. For example, some employees may live a lot further from the office, thus incurring higher commuting costs. Furthermore, some individuals may serve as caregivers for family members, making it more difficult for them to return to the office. 

Managers may adjust their return-to-office policies to allow for flexibility in which days team members should work from the office. This allows individuals to be able to choose which days are best for them to be in person, creating a better work-life balance.

3. Requirements for In-Person Team Meetings 

Highly collaborative teams may largely benefit from having dedicated in-office days for in-person meetings. Teams that require regular meetings may find it easier to mandate a specific day for all individuals to be in person. 

When determining which day to dedicate as an in-person collaboration day, consider the importance of the meetings being in person and the attendance of all individuals. Managers may also find it helpful to gather feedback from employees. While gathering feedback from team members may help set the date, team members may have conflicting preferences. Ultimately, prioritize which day is best for the productivity of the team and the feasibility of team members' in-person attendance. 

4. Providing Supportive Resources 

To promote a fair and equitable return-to-office policy, managers should share resources with their direct reports that support them through these changes. These resources may include mental health and stress management resources, or even Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). 

Some companies may have various financial support resources for employees, such as commuting allowances or discounted child care services providers. Managers should remind employees of the available supporting resources and help team members access them. 

To help leaders gain insight from an outside perspective as to what other leaders and executives are doing to create a fair and equitable return-to-office policy, consider enrolling those leaders in an executive mastermind group.

As a manager who works closely with direct reports, it may feel justified to make special accommodations for individuals. When implementing return-to-office policies, actively avoid presenting any favoritism biases. Return-to-office policies that demonstrate favoritism and set unfair requirements for certain individuals will cause friction within the team. Furthermore, catering more favorably to specific individuals may lead other team members to discredit the return-to-office policies and refuse to follow them. 

Managers must not only implement the return-to-office policies, but also develop strategies to communicate the new policies. When communicating the updated policies, managers should communicate the changes verbally and provide a written record for their direct reports to reference. After communicating the changes, provide opportunities for individual conversations with employees for them to ask questions and reassure them of the support mechanisms in place to provide a seamless transition. During this time, managers should demonstrate that they are there to help their direct reports and help them navigate the new policy. 

Return-to-office policies need to be equitably applied to teams; however, DEI implications should also be taken into consideration. Parents and caregivers who previously worked mostly or fully remote may struggle disproportionately to return to the office. Those with a disability may also have an increased burden when commuting to the office and may require more individual consideration. 

For both instances, work closely with the individual in such circumstances to provide means to support them while also ensuring they can adjust to a more in-person work environment. Communicate with the company's human resources department about company policies and other tools that can support these individuals. 

Ultimately, the most important aspect of implementing a return-to-office strategy is to have open channels of communication. Managers who create feedback mechanisms for their employees to learn about their struggles and successes with the return-to-office policy can appropriately adapt the policy to these needs. Return-to-office policies are aimed at creating more effective teams, but this can only be achieved through communicating effectively within the team.