The adoption of return-to-office mandates by a growing number of companies around the world has led to the rise of a new and risky workplace trend dubbed “hushed hybrid”.

This is when a manager allows their employees to bypass return-to-office requirements and continue to work flexibly from home in contradiction to wider company policy.

According to a number of HR and workplace experts, this new trend may be a short-term win for workers and their preference for flexible work but carries significant risks in the longer term.

Instead of “hushed hybrid” these experts recommend that employers that are adopting new mandates better communicate why they are required, and work with their staff to find some level of flexibility.

Companies around the world, particularly tech firms, were forced to quickly move to remote work following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This led to many key benefits for employees, company culture and productivity, and with the loosening of restrictions around the world, many companies have not looked back and declined to require workers to attend the office.

Many firms have adopted a hybrid working model, with employees either allowed to choose which days they attend the office or mandated to attend on certain days per week, but not every day.

There is a growing movement among some companies for a permanent return to the office full-time, a mandate which is often driven by senior executives, and not necessarily supported by managers at the same companies.

Earlier this month Amazon announced a full-time return to the office for its near-300,000 corporate employees, with the tech giant’s CEO Andy Jassy saying that the “advantages of being together in the office are significant”.

The NSW government recently ordered all of its public servants back to the office, with new guidelines stating that the “starting position” for all employees is to “work principally in an approved workplace”.

The fight against return-to-office mandates

This has led to the growth of a “hushed hybrid”, where managers are allowing their employees to work flexibly and retain their work-from-home benefits in contradiction to wider company policies.

According to Gartner HR Practice advisory director Neal Woolrich, there should be “little surprise” that workers and managers are railing against return-to-office (RTO) mandates.

“These mandates carry a steep cost for organisations, especially in creating conflict between employees and management,” Woolrich told Information Age.

“Employees tell us they are more likely to want to leave an organisation that forces them into the office.

“In theory, ‘hushed hybrid’ is a win for employees.”

The adoption of this hushed hybrid model in the workplace in response to this will bring with it significant risks, Woolrich said.

“Managers and leaders taking it into their own hands by embracing ‘hushed hybrid’ and ignoring RTO compliance may find it causes them bigger problems later, especially in terms of equity between other employees in the organisation,” he said.

“It’s also potentially risky for managers’ own career progression if organisations include onsite attendance in their performance goals.”

The prized drawcard

Robert Half director Nicole Gorton agreed, saying that having contrasting approaches to working from home within a company can lead to major issues down the track.

“If an organisation is mandating in-office attendance, it is often to facilitate face-to-face collaboration, assist with ‘on the job’ learning, increase productivity and form stronger social connections with purpose,” Gorton told Information Age.

“Intentionally not adhering to these directives as a department leader or worker can cause friction between business leaders, teams and individual employees.”

If a company does opt to plough ahead with a RTO mandate, they will need to provide some concessions to workers, Gorton said.

“As flexibility is the most prized drawcard for staff aside from salary, businesses need to be strategic about how they implement these mandates without ruffling feathers or leading employees to turn to outcomes like hushed hybrid working,” she said.

“Mandated office days, no matter if it is two days or five days, need to be layered with flexibility for it to work effectively.

“For example, giving employees the ability to step out of the office or finish early for a commitment is essential to promoting healthy work-life harmony and autonomy among workers.”

While some companies have moved to get their workers back into the office, a number of studies have found that workers are happier and more productive when working from home or when they have access to flexible working conditions.

According to a recent survey, employees working from home allocate about a third of the time they save from their commute to extra unpaid work, and one in five said that working from home makes them a “lot more productive”.