Returning to the office: how do you set up an office where people want to come back?

Short answer: A return-to-office mandate only works if the office genuinely offers something that’s missing at home. Mandating presence without an environment that supports focused work, effective collaboration, and meaningful connections will mostly spark resistance and leave the office empty—with people ‘present’ but no more productive. The solution lies in the setup: ample quiet workspaces, acoustically sound meeting rooms, a fair booking system, and a flexible layout that accommodates different ways of working.

Many employers in the Netherlands are asking employees to return to the office more frequently. This often meets resistance when the only argument is ‘because that’s just how it is’. This article explores what is truly needed to turn return to office into a value-add rather than a requirement.

Why a bare mandate often backfires

A CNV survey of 1,200 employees shows employers are becoming more restrictive about remote work: 30% of respondents report being allowed to work from home less often than before. Yet the legal reality is more nuanced than many employers assume. The Flexible Work Act grants employees the right to submit a request regarding their work location, but not an absolute right to continue working remotely: an employer may reject such a request if their interests prevail—for example, regarding collaboration, safety, or administrative burdens.

This means that a mandate is often legally defensible. It does not mean it is wise. If employees come to the office and realize they have to make calls in a noisy open space, cannot find a suitable meeting room, or simply do the same work as at home but with more distractions, resistance arises that turns against the organization. The key question is not 'how do we get people here,' but 'what does this office offer that their own workspace does not.'

What the office should offer to make it worth the trip

Quiet and concentration

Many complaints about offices aren’t about atmosphere, but about noise. Video calls, phone conversations, and informal chats create a constant background hum that disrupts deep work. Acoustically shielded workspaces and quiet zones aren’t a luxury—they’re a prerequisite. Without them, employees rationally opt for remote work when tasks demand concentration.

Meeting rooms that actually work

Hybrid meetings – where part of the team is in the office and part is remote – demand different requirements from a space than a traditional meeting room. Good acoustics, a screen visible to everyone, and a setup where remote workers don’t feel like spectators, make the difference between a meaningful discussion and a frustrating session filled with poor audio and missed turns.

A fair and predictable booking system

Nothing undermines trust in 'return to office' faster than arriving at the office and not finding a workspace or meeting room. A reservation system that provides advance insight into availability prevents this friction and makes the choice to come to the office less risky for employees.

Sufficient space per workstation

An office designed more compactly than necessary feels immediately less appealing than a quiet home workspace. How many square meters per workstation are realistic depends on the type of work and the desired balance between fixed and flexible spaces, but an undersized office actually encourages a preference for working from home.

Duty of care still applies with hybrid working

A frequently underestimated point: the employer’s duty of care for a safe and healthy workplace does not end at the office doorstep. Even with hybrid working, the employer remains responsible for a proper workspace, both in the office and (where applicable) at home, including risk assessments and sufficient instructions. An office failing in this regard—too little quiet, non-ergonomic workstations, poor air quality—undermines not only the return-to-office policy but also the legal duty of care.

Well-being as part of the appeal

In addition to physical layout, well-being plays a role in whether employees want to come to the office. An office where people feel good—through natural light, plants, quiet areas, and attention to social connection—becomes a place where people want to go, rather than a place they have to go. A baseline measurement of the current situation reveals the biggest pain points before investing in a redesign.

Practical step-by-step guide for an office that attracts people

1. Identify pain points first before tightening the mandate: ask employees *specifically* why they prefer working from home—not in general terms, but per activity (focused work, collaboration, social interaction).
2. Invest in acoustics and quiet first, often the biggest frustration in open-plan offices.
3. Evaluate your meeting spaces not just on capacity, but on suitability for hybrid collaboration.
4. Implement a reservation system that gives employees certainty about securing a workspace or room in advance.
5. Ensure the duty of care, even for any remaining remote workdays, with an up-to-date risk assessment.
6. Measure and repeat: well-being and satisfaction change after a redesign, so a follow-up measurement shows whether the adjustments have had an effect.

Frequently asked questions

Can an employer mandate that employees return to the office?
In many cases, yes. The Flexible Work Act allows employees to request a change in their work location, but the employer can reject this request if their interests outweigh the employee’s. There is no general legal right to continue working remotely; the broader bill that would have regulated this (the ‘Wet werken waar je wilt’) was rejected by the Eerste Kamer in 2023.

Why do return-to-office mandates often fail?
Because mere presence does not equate to productivity or engagement. If the office does not offer clear added value compared to working from home—such as tranquility, good meeting facilities, or social connection—employees perceive the mandate as meaningless, increasing resistance.

Does the employer’s duty of care remain applicable with hybrid working?
Yes. The employer remains responsible for a safe and healthy work environment, including a risk assessment and sufficient instructions, regardless of whether employees work in the office or (partially) from home.

What’s the first step in improving an office for return to office?
A baseline assessment: mapping employee pain points in the current setup before investing in redesigns. This prevents investing in the wrong solutions.

Sources

• CNV, Flexible Work Act (Wfw) (employers are more reluctant to allow remote work; figures from CNV research)
• Service desk, Work Where You Want Act for employers (status of the bill, rejected by the First Chamber on 26 September 2023, and the provisions of the Flexible Work Act)
• SME Service Desk, Hybrid working (remote work is not mandatory; occupational health and safety requirements also apply at home; CNV figure on decreasing remote work options)

This article provides general information and is not tailored legal advice. In case of doubt, consult a lawyer or the tax authority.

Last updated on 24 October 2026 by Stijn Belmans