This is a challenging time of shifting dynamics for the employer-employee relationship
The avalanche of organizations implementing RTO policies (return to office) has begun, and while there are some for whom in-office work is desired, it’s no secret that many employees who from 2020-2025 relished the freedom and efficiency of hybrid or remote working now report feeling constrained and torn by full RTO.
HR and L&D pros, keenly aware of the dangers of attrition once the labor market opens up, find themselves in the awkward position of having to not only communicate and enforce RTO policies but also engage staff who may be feeling stressed or resistant.
As a people-focused company, we at Insights find ourselves in the trenches with many of our clients, working shoulder to shoulder to develop programs to reengage and motivate resistant employees, all while training and developing people for success in an in-person environment.
This article includes some of our learnings from the last year of RTO…
Organizations must take an holistic approach to RTO to ease the transition
Wise employers have created well-phased, thoughtful return-to-work schedules, communication plans, feedback mechanisms, in-person mentoring opportunities and workplace socialising options, but even they are realising that one size doesn’t fit all.
What one person needs to thrive in an in-person setting may repel the next person. Think introverted and extroverted energy, thinkers and feelers. Those who want to lead, and those who want to contribute in other ways...
Why this matters to HR pros:
- According to one survey, 22% of HR professionals in the US admitted in 2024 to not having any metric in place to measure the success of their full RTO policies
- For unprepared leaders, RTO may backfire if employees can’t embrace the new working reality, especially those with low tolerance for change or mistrust of their firm’s motivations (other studies show that mistrust is high right now)
- Employee morale is already on a knife edge in some companies, where talented hires are readily weighing up their career options, waiting to take the leap once the market shifts. And for those who’ve been brought back to the office, they are struggling to engage with colleagues and projects the way they used to
Gallup's recent State of the Workforce report reveals that the result of these issues is low engagement across the board, and especially among managers who often take the brunt of responsivity when employees aren’t happy.
Why a new in-person era brings lots of opportunities for workers
The Return-To-Office trend is where Insights Discovery and the power of better awareness can help.
As we’ve already seen with some of our work with large entities like the UK’s NHS, Insights Discovery is a game-changer in tackling workplace friction and pressures.
Awareness around communication styles is essential when there’s an interpersonal challenge of any kind. Apply this kind of training to the context of returners who are often struggling to reframe their professional identities and to function well in all-day in-person settings.
A key part of easing the RTO transition is knowledge of how we’re choosing to communicate with (possibly dis-engaged or fearful) co-workers, and how that style lands with others, and how others communicate with us in return.
RTO mandates mean that team leaders have their hands extra-full. On top of existing people management responsibilities, they’re now navigating a range of behavorial and emotional reactions to people returning to the office.
But let’s look on the bright side and acknowledge that RTO can open a new era opportunity for us to reflect on what we need when working in-person and on how we show up for others.
It’s also a unique opportunity for employers to re-energize their communication culture, enhance collaboration, reconnect disconnected groups and help teams of very different individuals learn how to work and function effectively together – a super-skill for life, not just for work.
Find out: Is your office culture energising or draining?
Using the Insights Discovery four-color model to describe types of personality and behavior, we can find ways through some of the RTO challenges.
The common language of color empowers co-workers to overcome common interpersonal challenges. It also teaches teams how to communicate in a supportive way that creates psychological safety.
Through the lens of four main color energies, co-workers can recognize their own preferred communication style, how and why it might differ from that of their colleagues, and how they might adapt their dominant style to suit certain workplace situations.
Never has this been more relevant!
Discovering your lead color energy - Cool Blue, Fiery Red (the Thinking energies, based on Jungian psychology), Sunshine Yellow or Earth Green (Jung’s Feeling energies) can help you dial up your empathy for others’ working styles and preferences.
We get to understand our own and other people’s values and how they affect our decisions and reactions.
Let’s lean into how each of these four personality types might react to being back ‘at work’ full-time. What might they need most from their team leaders and from each other? This level of awareness - of ourself and others - is to understanding why some aspect of the corporate culture might be energising to some, but draining for others.
Insights Discovery Thinking color energies...
Insights Discovery Feeling color energies...
Why the impact of RTO on different personalities may not be what you expect
Specific color energies aside, the potential impact of RTO on extraverted vs. introverted personality types may not always be what you expect.
It’s easy to assume that people with a preference for extraversion will thrive in face-to face-settings, especially a busy, lively environment with plenty of opportunities for interaction. But it may depend whom they’re interacting with and whether their working styles align in this new setting. Multiple extraverted types in one place may be too much for some.
Those with a preference for introversion may well find the multi-level stimuli of an office/workplace excessive and challenging. They’ll welcome retreat time and options for digital as well as in-person informal or social dialogue. But they may thrive more than expected if they can find the peace and structure they need.
Create intentional opportunities to connect, collaborate and build in-person team cohesion
Over time, once employees have readjusted to the daily commute and its impact on childcare, eldercare or other responsibilities, corporate leaders may observe their workforce gradually embracing renewed opportunities to collaborate, brainstorm, teach, learn and experience spontaneity.
Other positives may include a more solid sense of belonging and community, possibly a clearer professional identity, enhanced mentoring experiences, more diverse perspectives on everyday interpersonal challenges and the benefits of chance conversations and the ideas and decisions that flow from those.
It’s an opportunity for employers to review training programs to improve self and others-awareness, team dynamics, communication and collaboration.
The working model is far less important than the work environment that leaders create
McKinsey Quarterly, Feb 2025
Practical steps HR and L&D can take to help people feel positive about returning to the office
- Offer time and support. Some employees may leap in, but for others, it may take a while to adjust
- Build a culture of trust, autonomy and clear expectations
- Offer flexibility around schedules and be ultra-mindful of the workload impact of different time zones on meeting availability and expectations, and if their clients/partners are still working remotely
- Visibility and availability: Being back in the office yet on back-to-back calls is not connecting with your team! Make sure that calendar slots are protected for impromptu working sessions and more informal activities and moments
- Listen and respond on what is working well for people and what isn’t
- Define metrics: How will you measure the impact of RTO. What will you look for?
As we work to bring people back together in the name of productivity and company culture, it's worth remembering that the five-day workweek was created by Henry Ford in 1926 for a very different kind of workforce. Today’s knowledge workers benefit from flexibility, but that doesn't mean working in isolation; being together in person still plays a vital role in building trust, collaboration and shared purpose.
At Insights, we champion change by focusing on what matters most: your people. The success of change initiatives relies on your team’s adaptability and how effectively they’re supported through different stages of change like change resistance, acceptance and moving forward. Building on Insights Discovery, Thriving Through Change is a program that teaches organizations how to foster a culture empathy and open communication, so that employees feel ready to embrace change naturally and intuitively.
