Rapidly changing return-to-office policies since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020 have left HR leaders racing to keep up with the latest trends. With the fourth quarter and 2025 strategizing well underway, experts say organizations should pay attention to several likely shifts as they continue refining policies for where employees are working.

These include more employers mandating that employees work five days a week in the office. Currently, 33% of U.S. employers require full-time in-office work, which is expected to rise slightly in 2025 but not exceed 50%, according to Rob Sadow, CEO and co-founder of research platform Flex Index, which has been tracking remote work policies since early 2023.

Some organizations, Sadow says, may be motivated to follow the lead of a number of high-profile companies, such as Amazon, which recently announced a five-day in-office mandate for all employees, and Dell, which instated a similar policy for its sales team.