Return-To-Office Push Could Make Workplaces ‘More White And More Male,’ Expert Warns

The push for full-time office work is gaining momentum at major companies, but experts warn it may come at a significant cost to workplace diversity.

Harvard Business School professor Prithwiraj Choudhury told Washington Post that these policies risk making workforces “more white and more male,” reducing organizational diversity and innovation. 

A Shift Back to the Office

Companies like Amazon, Goldman Sachs, and JPMorgan Chase have mandated employees to return to the office five days a week. Amazon, for example, enforced this policy in September 2024 after initially introducing a hybrid model last year.

While employers argue these mandates promote collaboration and corporate culture, they starkly contrast with the flexibility of pandemic-era remote work policies that employees widely embraced.

For underrepresented groups—such as women, caregivers, and people of color—rigid return-to-office (RTO) mandates create unique challenges, potentially undoing years of progress in building inclusive workplaces.

Flexibility Boosts Diversity

During the pandemic, remote work became a refuge for many marginalized groups.

A 2021 study revealed that 97% of Black knowledge workers were not ready to return to the office, citing freedom from workplace racism and politics as key benefits of working from home.

Since then, several studies have underscored the advantages of flexible work in attracting diverse talent. For example, a Wharton School study found that offering remote work options increased applications from women by 15% and from minorities by 33%. 

A 2022 study in Time magazine found that 30% of white men wanted to return to a traditional office setting, in contrast to 22% of women (Black women included) wanting to return. 

Meta also saw an unexpected increase in diverse hires in 2022 after expanding its remote working options. 

Read: A Great Career Shouldn’t Come At The Expense Of Your Identity. The Role Remote Work Plays In Preserving Latinx Culture

Disparities in Workplace Wellbeing

The rollback of remote work is already affecting employee wellbeing.

Research from Johns Hopkins Carey Business School revealed a steep decline in workplace wellbeing among Black, young, and female employees in 2023 as in-office mandates returned.

Gartner’s 2023 survey also found that rigid RTO policies disproportionately drive high-performing employees, women, and millennials to quit, underscoring the risks companies face by not offering flexible arrangements.

Challenges for Employees and Companies

For many workers, returning to the office presents logistical and emotional hurdles.

Former Amazon employees, for example, report being forced to relocate or leave due to rigid policies.  Caregivers and those with neurodiverse needs cite significant challenges in adapting to these changes.

Experts warn that the true impact of such policies may unfold over time, with the loss of diverse candidates in hiring pools and eventual turnover among current employees. 

Meanwhile, companies that maintain flexible work policies are better positioned to attract and retain diverse talent.