Australian offices see surge in RTO mandates: Robert Half survey
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — Australian employers are increasingly requiring employees to return to the office full-time, with a Robert Half survey revealing a “domino effect” as companies follow each other’s lead in mandating in-office work.
The online survey, conducted in November 2024 among 500 hiring managers, found that 84% of Australian employers are influenced by other companies’ return-to-office policies when determining their own workplace arrangements.
Five-day office week makes a comeback
Thirty-nine percent of employers now mandate five days a week in the office, making it the most common arrangement. This is followed by four-day mandates (22%) and three-day requirements (20%).
The average number of days employees are required to be in the office has increased to 3.64 days per week in 2025, up from 3.43 days in 2024. Meanwhile, just 7% of employers now allow fully remote work, down from 9% last year.
“We’re observing a fascinating domino effect in the return-to-office landscape this year, pressuring businesses to conform,” says Nicole Gorton, Director at Robert Half.
“Employers are back in the driver’s seat and dictate office attendance, knowing others are doing the same.”
Employee resistance fading
The survey also found that workers are becoming more accepting of office mandates, with 63% of employers reporting improved attitudes toward office attendance compared to previous years.
“As workers adjust back to the pre-pandemic way of working and observe similar mandates elsewhere, they are less reluctant to oppose these mandates in their current workplace,” Gorton adds.
However, regional differences exist. Victorian employees, who experienced longer work-from-home periods during the pandemic, show the most resistance. About 13% of Victorian employers report worsened attitudes toward office mandates, compared to 12% in New South Wales, 10% in Western Australia, and just 2% in Queensland.
Queensland employers are most likely to follow other companies’ lead (87%), closely followed by NSW and Western Australia (both 86%). Victorian employers are less inclined to conform, with 25% saying other businesses’ policies don’t affect their decisions.
“As employers adapt their work arrangements to meet the evolving needs of their business and their workforce, they are doing so while emphasizing in-person collaboration for employee morale, productivity and client service. However, finding the balance between in-office needs and employee wellbeing is instrumental to business success,” concluded Gorton.
