When Control Backfires: What “Return-to-Office” Mandates Get Wrong — and How to Fix Them
- Or Bar Cohen
- Oct 6
- 5 min read
Many employers still treat return-to-office (RTO) as a control problem. Employees, however, experience it as a trust and design problem.
When leaders prioritize physical presence over redesigning work to focus on outcomes, autonomy, and culture, they trigger a chain reaction - attrition, disengagement, and quiet quitting. Across the globe (and especially in Israel), we see that forcing old models into a new reality is like riding a scooter through trampolines: unstable, exhausting, and bound to crash.
The Global Picture: Hybrid Is the New Normal
Extensive, multi-country studies show that hybrid and remote work have stabilized—not disappeared.
Research across 40 countries reveals that employees now average 1–2 work-from-home days per week, with higher rates in advanced English-speaking economies and lower levels in East Asia, suggesting that norms and infrastructure shape flexibility as much as job tasks (Aksoy et al., 2025).
Across Europe, Eurofound and the OECD report sustained demand for telework, with substantial cross-country variation depending on digital infrastructure, commute time, and housing density (OECD, 2023; Eurofound, 2024).
In the United Kingdom, workers average about 1.8 home-based days per week—one of the highest levels globally—and many say they would switch jobs rather than return to full-time office work (The Guardian, 2025).
Meanwhile, Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace (2024) reveals a paradox: fully remote employees report the highest engagement but also experience higher stress—proof that flexibility alone isn’t enough; leadership, workload design, and trust still significantly impact productivity.
Bottom line: Hybrid work isn’t a passing phase - it’s a new equilibrium, shaped by context, culture, and capability . Attempts to “snap back” to 2019 norms ignore that the future of work is distributed by design, not dictated by fear.
Israel’s Case: A Microcosm of the Global Tension
High potential, uneven adoption
According to the Taub Center for Social Policy Studies, Israel ranks among the top OECD countries in terms of potential for remote work—approximately 47% of employees hold roles that could be performed from home. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, up to 21% of Israelis worked remotely, declining to around 10% by mid-2021; however, high-tech roles remained at approximately 27% (Taub Center, 2023).
Before the pandemic, just 9% of workers had any remote flexibility at all (Israel Democracy Institute, 2020).
That number has never returned to pre-COVID lows - especially in high-tech, finance, and knowledge industries, where flexibility has become an expectation rather than a perk.
The backlash of “control”
Yet as global firms soften mandates, several large Israeli employers have tried to reassert control—insisting on near-daily attendance in Tel Aviv or Herzliya offices. The result mirrors the global pattern: disengagement and attrition.
A 2023 survey by The Jerusalem Post found that 71% of Israeli employees list flexible hours as a top priority, and 40% name remote/hybrid options as decisive when choosing a job.
At the same time, a 2024 study in Calcalist Tech revealed that over 8,000 Israeli tech professionals had relocated abroad since late 2023—many citing lifestyle, burnout, or lack of flexibility.
The Israel Innovation Authority (2025) reported a 1.2% decline in tech employment—slight, but telling in a sector built on agility and retention.
Mental health and equity gaps
A longitudinal Israeli survey (ResearchGate, 2024) found that remote work was correlated with both lower commute stress and higher symptoms of anxiety and depression—underscoring that hybrid policy design, not location alone, drives well-being.
Moreover, the Taub Center highlighted substantial disparities: employees in Israel’s peripheral regions or Arab sector often lack infrastructure for hybrid work, making one-size-fits-all mandates inequitable.
The lesson: Israel encapsulates the world’s hybrid dilemma—a technologically advanced, innovation-driven economy still wrestling with cultural control reflexes.
Why “Control-First” RTO Fails Everywhere
Misdiagnosed problem.
Leaders conflate visibility with productivity. Yet research across continents shows performance depends more on role design and manager capability than on seat time (Aksoy et al., 2025).
Coordination tax.
When everyone commutes on the same days, calendars become overloaded, and deep work becomes scarce. The office becomes a “noise hub” rather than a collaboration space (Microsoft WorkLab, 2025).
Trust signal failure.
Mandates communicate mistrust. Employees interpret “we need to see you” as “we don’t trust you.”In tight labor markets, such as Israel’s tech sector, trust erosion often leads to turnover.
Equity blind spots.
Commute length, caregiving responsibilities, and housing costs vary dramatically. Uniform rules unintentionally penalize those already balancing more constraints.
Practical Solution: A Playbook for “Flexibility with Accountability”
Start with roles, not rules
Map every job by task interdependence and onsite necessity:
On-site critical (labs, hardware ops).
Hybrid collaborative (cross-functional projects).
Remote-dominant (analysis, development, writing).
Tie presence to purpose, not preference.
Design “anchor moments,” not “mandatory days”
Shift from “3 days in” to intentional presence—offsites, sprint kick-offs, retrospectives. In Israel, co-working hubs in Haifa or Be’er Sheva can replace daily commutes to Tel Aviv while maintaining collaboration.
Measure outcomes, not attendance
Create team-level dashboards (OKRs, project cycle time, satisfaction, error rates). Transparency reduces micromanagement and strengthens accountability.
Rebuild meeting culture
Adopt an asynchronous-first communication approach: utilize task boards, Loom summaries, and shared documents. Limit meetings to decisions, not updates. Microsoft’s Work Trend Index (2025) reveals that fragmented focus, rather than remote work, drives burnout.
Train managers in hybrid craft
The true differentiator is management quality: feedback, clarity, empathy. Managers who communicate purpose and boundaries turn flexibility into performance.
Pilot, learn, iterate.
Test hybrid models for 8–12 weeks per team; publish data on engagement and output. Involve employees early—Israel’s startups already use agile sprints; apply that mindset to work models.
Address commutes directly
Offer travel stipends, staggered hours, and regional hubs. Given traffic, physical presence must earn its value.
Build governance, not bureaucracy
Establish a light “Hybrid Council” (HR, Facilities, IT, Legal, and team leaders) to set guardrails, evaluate pilots, and ensure compliance with evolving Israeli labor laws (e.g., right-to-disconnect, equipment stipends).
Communication Matters More Than Policy
What you say shapes how your people interpret the policy.
Say:
“Here’s why we meet in person, how we’ll measure success, and when flexibility applies.”
Avoid:
“Because culture,” “we need to see you,” or “the CEO decided.”
RTO success is 70% communication, 30% logistics.
Bonus: Executive Checklist
Role taxonomy completed and shared
Team anchor-moment calendar published
Outcome metrics are defined and visible
Meeting hygiene standards enforced
Manager hybrid-leadership training complete
Commute policy updated and localized
Pilot results reviewed and scaled
The Hybrid Council operates quarterly
References (APA Style)
Aksoy, C. G., Barrero, J. M., Bloom, N., Davis, S. J., Dolls, M., & Zarate, P. (2025). The global persistence of work from home. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2509892122
Eurofound. (2024). Living and Working in the EU e-survey. https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/
Gallup. (2024). State of the Global Workplace Report. https://www.gallup.com/
Microsoft WorkLab. (2025). Breaking Down the Infinite Workday. https://www.microsoft.com/worklab
OECD. (2023). The Surge of Teleworking: A New Tool for Local Development? Paris: OECD Publishing.
Taub Center for Social Policy Studies. (2023). The Ability to Work from Home Among Workers in Israel. https://www.taubcenter.org.il/
Israel Democracy Institute. (2020). Will Israeli Workers Go Back to the Office? https://en.idi.org.il/articles/33870
Israel Innovation Authority. (2025). High-Tech Employment Report. https://innovationisrael.org.il/
The Jerusalem Post. (2023, March 12). Flexibility Tops Israeli Employees’ Priorities.
Calcalist Tech. (2024, June 18). Over 8,000 Israeli Tech Professionals Have Relocated Abroad.
ResearchGate. (2024). Examining Associations Between Remote Work and Anxiety and Depression: A Longitudinal Study in Israel.
The Guardian. (2025, May 24). UK Employees Work from Home More than Global Peers.
Comments