What should a return-to-office policy include?

The required in-office days and which days they are, who the policy applies to and any exempt or remote-designated roles, the exception and accommodation process, how attendance is tracked, what happens with non-compliance, and the reasoning behind the policy. Vagueness on any of these is where RTO policies generate conflict.

How many days a week are companies requiring in 2026?

It splits. A visible group of large companies, especially in finance and big tech, have moved to five days, and JLL has reported a majority of Fortune 100 employees now under five-day requirements. But the more common pattern for most companies is a stricter hybrid of around three days, frequently Tuesday through Thursday, with enforcement tightening rather than days simply increasing.

How do you enforce a return-to-office policy?

Common methods include badge or login tracking, manager check-ins, attendance dashboards, and tying presence to performance or promotion decisions. The harder question is whether to enforce strictly at all: research suggests rigid five-day mandates can drive voluntary attrition, sometimes among your strongest people, so enforcement should be deliberate, not reflexive.

What is the biggest mistake in an RTO policy?

Ambiguity. A policy that says 'mostly in office' or 'come in regularly' without defining days, exceptions, and consequences creates constant friction and unequal enforcement across teams. The second biggest is forgetting accommodations, which can create legal exposure. Be specific and build in a clear exception process.

Does RTO affect onboarding?

Significantly. New hires need to know the actual in-office expectation from day one, and onboarding itself works best when the office days are coordinated so the right people are present. An RTO shift is a good reason to rebuild your onboarding around a clear backbone plus deliberate in-person anchor days.

Remote onboarding

How to Write a Return-to-Office Policy (With Template)

Sakha TeamJune 5, 202610 min read

A return-to-office policy is the document that tells employees when they are expected on-site, who it applies to, and what happens if they are not there. In 2026 almost every company needs one in writing, because the era of vague "we are mostly back" understanding has produced exactly the inconsistency and resentment you would expect. This guide covers what a good RTO policy includes, a template, and the question most companies dodge: how hard to enforce it. (General information, not legal advice.)

The 2026 reality, briefly

The headlines are about five-day mandates: JLL has reported that a majority of Fortune 100 employees are now under five-day office requirements, a dramatic jump from a couple of years ago, and big names in finance and tech have led the way. But the more representative pattern for most companies, especially the 20 to 200 person range, is a stricter hybrid (commonly around three days, often Tuesday through Thursday) with tighter enforcement rather than simply more days. The defining 2026 move is less ambiguity, not universal five-day attendance.

There is also a quieter dynamic worth knowing: economists who study remote work have noted that rigid mandates can function as attrition by design, prompting voluntary exits without layoffs, and that the people who leave are not always the ones you would want to lose. That is the reason enforcement deserves thought rather than reflex.

What a return-to-office policy should include

Section	What to state
The requirement	Exact in-office days and which days they are
Scope	Who it covers; remote-designated or exempt roles
Exceptions	Accommodation process (disability, caregiving, distance)
The reasoning	Why these days, what in-person is for
Tracking	How attendance is measured
Consequences	What non-compliance means, applied consistently
Effective date	When it starts, with enough notice

A template

"[Company] return-to-office policy. Effective [date].

Employees in [covered roles] are expected to work from the [location] office on [number] days per week: [specific days]. These days are when we [reason: team collaboration, mentorship, in-person planning].

This policy applies to [scope]. The following roles are designated remote or have modified arrangements: [list]. Employees needing an accommodation for medical, disability, caregiving, or other reasons should contact [name/process].

Attendance is recorded via [method]. Sustained non-compliance without an approved exception will be addressed through [process].

Questions: contact [name] or ask in [channel]."

Adapt the specifics; keep the precision.

The enforcement question

Here is where leadership has to be honest about intent. A policy you announce but do not enforce trains everyone to ignore policies. A policy you enforce rigidly may cost you people you wanted to keep. The workable middle is usually: be specific about the expectation, track it transparently, address genuine outliers, and tie presence to outcomes (mentorship happening, collaboration improving) rather than to attendance as an end in itself. If you cannot articulate what the office days are for, the policy will feel like control for its own sake, and that is what drives the resentment.

Do not forget onboarding

An RTO policy and onboarding are linked more tightly than most companies notice. New hires must know the real expectation from day one, not absorb it through confusion. And onboarding works far better when in-office days are coordinated so a new hire's manager, buddy, and team are actually present, rather than commuting in to sit on video calls. An RTO change is the right moment to rebuild onboarding around a remote-capable backbone plus deliberate in-person anchor days, the structure that makes either mode work. The fuller remote and hybrid playbooks are in remote onboarding best practices and the remote work policy guide.

How Sakha helps

Sakha's policy generator drafts a clear, specific RTO policy and its review flags the vague phrasing that makes these policies unenforceable. Published into your knowledge base, it means the constant questions (which days do I need to be in, what is the exception process, does this apply to my role) get answered instantly in Slack instead of landing on HR. And Sakha runs the onboarding backbone that makes the in-office days purposeful: the flow, the answers, and the tracking happen regardless of location, so the office days can be spent on the human connection they are actually for. Clear policy, answerable everywhere, onboarding that fits the model.

Curious how Sakha runs onboarding inside Slack? See how it works.