Ever since remote work became the norm in 2020, many companies have chopped and changed their stance on returning to the office.
But which organisations have experienced the most significant transformations?
Below, Hubble gives a brief recap of how the return-to-office (RTO) mandates of 10 of the world’s most famous companies have evolved over time.
From Amazon to Apple: How 10 famous companies’ RTO mandates have evolved (infographic)
We’ve created a handy infographic that outlines how the return-to-office mandates of 10 well-known companies have evolved over time.
(These companies were selected from our article, ‘Official List of Every Company’s Back-to-Office Strategy,‘ which provides a more in-depth look at the RTO strategies of 60 companies!)
Prefer to read instead? Below is a brief summary of how each company’s RTO mandates have evolved over time:
1) Amazon
In recent years, Amazon’s return-to-office policy has evolved significantly:
- 2021: Amazon empowered its direct-level leaders to determine whether their teams would work remotely or in the office.
- 2023: A new mandate was introduced, requiring employees to return to the office for a minimum of three days each week.
- 2025: Earlier this year, Amazon announced that starting in January 2025, all employees will be required to work five days a week in the office.
2) Airbnb
Before the pandemic, Airbnb employees worked primarily from the office. However, in 2022, the company made a major shift and adopted a “Live and Work from Anywhere” policy.
Fast-forward to 2024, and the company are continuing to embrace remote work.
Airbnb puts flexibility first, allowing employees to work from home or anywhere within their country, with no impact on their pay.
Rather than holding regular office days, Airbnb encourages team gatherings, with in-person meetings about once per quarter.
Employees can also work in over 170 countries for up to 90 days per year!
3) Apple
Arguably one of the most controversial RTO mandates, Apple has made several U-turns in recent years about its stance on returning to the office:
- 2020: In response to the pandemic, Apple initially implemented a remote work model.
- 2022: The tech giant began transitioning back to in-office work, requiring employees to come in for two days a week.
- 2023: This hybrid model was increased to three days a week, leading to disapproval from Apple employees.
Since then, there has been ongoing employee resistance to the return-to-office mandate, with many expressing dissatisfaction with the hybrid model in surveys.
Under Apple’s hybrid work model, employees are required to be in the office three days a week—on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays—with the remaining two days available for remote work. The third in-office day (in addition to Monday and Tuesday) is flexible and may vary by team.
4) Citigroup
Citigroup’s transformation of its RTO mandate has been quite dramatic. In two years, it has gone from focusing on flexibility to strict tracking and monitoring of employee attendance:
- 2021: Citigroup introduced a hybrid work model in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing for greater remote work flexibility.
- 2023: The company began enforcing stricter return-to-office policies, particularly targeting employees with persistent, unexplained absences.
Citigroup has started using swipe card data to track attendance in the UK, cracking down on employees who frequently miss in-office days. Noncompliance can result in consequences, including impacts on performance evaluations and pay packages.
Currently, employees are required to be in the office three days a week, with the option to work remotely for up to two days. This policy applies to most employees globally, including those in the UK and the US.
5) Disney
Before the pandemic, Disney operated primarily in an office-based environment. However, the company’s widespread shift to remote work lasted only two years before a notable turnaround:
- 2020: Former CEO Bob Chapek quickly adopted a more flexible approach, allowing for remote and hybrid work.
- 2023: CEO Bob Iger mandated a return to the office four days a week, reversing the more relaxed policies established under Chapek.
This shift marks a major change from the flexible hybrid models introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many employees worked remotely or followed a relaxed in-office schedule.
As of March 1, 2023, Disney now requires corporate employees to be in the office four days a week, from Monday to Thursday.
6) eBay
Before 2020, eBay—like most companies—followed a traditional office setup: employees worked in person, while working from home was a special benefit reserved for senior staff.
But after the pandemic hit, eBay took flexibility and remote working to a whole new level:
- 2021: eBay implemented its hybrid model after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- 2022: The company leaned even more into remote work, letting employees primarily work from home while keeping the office available for collaboration and team meet ups.
This shift became permanent, showing eBay’s commitment to a flexible work setup. As of 2024, eBay follows a flexible hybrid model where employees can choose to work remotely or come into the office, depending on their team’s needs.
There’s no strict requirement for days in the office—it varies by team and role, with some positions needing more in-office time than others.
7) J.P. Morgan
Just like the rest of the world, J.P. Morgan allowed for remote work flexibility in response to the pandemic. However, things started to revert back to in-person work in the summer of 2021:
- 2021: J.P. Morgan initiated a gradual return to the office, requiring employees to be on-site at least a few days per week.
- 2023: CEO Jamie Dimon pushed for a stricter policy, raising the number of in-office days to five per week for top leaders and three days for other staff.
Today, J.P. Morgan requires senior leaders and managers to be in the office five days a week, while other employees generally come in three days per week.
8) Meta
Meta (formerly Facebook) is another major company that has gradually enforced stricter remote work rules:
- 2021: Meta announced that most employees could request to work remotely indefinitely.
- 2023: Meta updated its policy, requiring employees in hybrid roles to return to the office three days a week starting in September.
Currently, Meta’s policy requires hybrid employees to be in the office three days a week, applying to most employees who haven’t been approved for fully remote work.
9) Spotify
In February 2021, Spotify introduced its ‘Work From Anywhere’ policy, marking a significant shift toward remote work — even as pandemic restrictions eased.
Fast-forward to 2024, and Spotify still maintains a WFA policy, allowing employees to work from home, the office, or anywhere they choose.
There’s no strict office attendance requirement; the balance between home and office work is decided collaboratively between employees and their managers.
10) X
A lot has changed since X (formerly Twitter) announced a permanent remote work policy in 2020:
2020: X became one of the first major tech companies to announce a permanent remote work policy, allowing employees to work from home indefinitely as long as they remained productive.
2022: After Elon Musk took over, the company began mandating a return to the office, moving away from its flexible remote work arrangements.
2023: The RTO policy was finalised, requiring employees to be in the office at least three days a week.
As of 2024, X’s policy now requires employees to work in the office 40 hours per week, marking a significant shift from its original stance on indefinite remote work.
