The RTO CEOs have one thing in common…they’re all men

Possibly the most unpopular workplace trend yet, Return to Office (RTO) policies are stirring up employees as more businesses clamp down on office attendance.

While many are disgruntled over this new rule, female employees are particularly affected, according to research. A study reported by Ricoh revealed that women are three times more likely than men to work part-time or request flexible work arrangements.

But despite the obvious need for flexibility, most RTO mandates are being enforced by male-led businesses, which could be a sign of gender-biased leadership that prioritises traditional in-office structures over the needs of a diverse workforce.

Women most likely to lose out in RTO debate

Women are more likely to benefit from flexible working because they often juggle multiple roles, such as childcare, alongside their careers. Options like remote or part-time arrangements can help balance these demands more easily.

According to a study by UNISON, 47% of female workers had requested flexible working in their roles last year to have a better work-life balance. Meanwhile, 37% requested it to accommodate mental health needs, 36% to fit around their childcare commitments and 29% for physical health reasons.

This strongly suggests that if a company enforces an RTO policy, more female employees are likely to lose out on flexibility options, thus making it harder to manage their personal responsibilities. What’s more, even if they are granted flexibility, there’s the risk of facing consequences, such as missing out on promotions and bonus schemes, or the motherhood penalty for working parents. 

Male leaders champion office work

Despite the clear demand for flexibility and general discontent among employees, many UK businesses including Starling Bank, Amazon, Salesforce and ASOS – all led by male CEOs – ordered a return to the office last year.

Many male leaders have also been vocal about their distaste for flexible and remote working.

Lord Stuart Rose, the former boss of M&S and Asda described remote working as “not doing proper work”, citing it as the main reason for the UK’s lack of employee engagement.

“We have regressed in this country in terms of working practices, productivity and in terms of the country’s wellbeing, I think, by 20 years in the last four,” he commented. “We are creating a whole generation and probably a generation beyond that of people who are used to actually not doing what I call proper work.”

Meanwhile, James Watt, the founder and ex-CEO of BrewDog, faced backlash last month when he posted on LinkedIn that he didn’t believe in work-life balance. He also added that the UK is one of the “least work-oriented countries in the world”, suggesting that people should end their “obsession” with work-life balance.

Jim Ratcliffe, co-owner of Manchester United, issued an ultimatum to the football club’s staff to return to the office full-time, offering a cash bonus to remote workers in exchange for their resignation.

Ratcliffe simply told staff during a meeting: “If you don’t like it, please seek alternative employment,”

Lord Alan Sugar shared a similar sentiment, telling workers to “get their bums back to the office”.

“I’m a great advocate of getting them back to work, because the only way an apprentice is going to learn is from his colleagues,” he said. “That is lacking from this work-from-home, zoom culture.”

Some CEOs reward office presence

Taking things a step further, some businesses have based their promotions and bonuses on office attendance.

Most notably, technology company Dell, which introduced its RTO policy in February 2024, announced employees who worked remotely would not be eligible for promotion. Lloyds Bank also announced earlier this month that it would link in-office attendance with performance-based bonuses for its senior bankers.

For women, this presents a risk for career regression – something Debbie Crosbie, CEO of Nationwide Bank, has commented on.

Talking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme in December, Crosbie said: “One of the only good things that came out of the pandemic was the fact that people got much more comfortable with working flexibly, working from home. And I do think that’s very useful.

“My watch out, though, is that what we find, certainly at Nationwide, is that men are more likely to come into the office than women, and we just need to be really careful that we don’t prevent women from accessing the development-watching.”

As more companies push for a return to the office, it’s clear that women are the ones who stand to lose the most. What’s more, when office attendance starts being tied to promotions and bonuses, they are more likely to miss out.

Additionally, the focus on presenteeism could be damaging not just for work-life balance but for gender equality as well. It risks holding women back in their careers by reinforcing outdated assumptions about productivity and commitment, in turn limiting their access to professional growth opportunities.