11.08.2025

Nearly half of UK firms now demand full‑time office attendance.

HR Consultant

Nearly half of UK firms now demand full‑time office attendance.

But rigid return‑to‑office policies can mask the same equity risks we’ve been warning about.

You might’ve seen it:

A recent British Chambers of Commerce survey shows 48% of businesses want everyone in the office daily - up from 27% earlier this year.

Sounds like a management problem, right?

But if you look closer, it’s about who’s paying the price.

Here’s what leaders often overlook:

Caregivers, especially women, often depend on hybrid models to manage family demands.

Men are still less likely to shoulder domestic responsibilities, so they get labelled ‘dedicated’ for showing up.

A ‘hard-to-call’ attendance expectation becomes a litmus test for who's committed..

not who’s performing.

That’s not fairness.

That’s perception bias.

Truth is-

Gender equity doesn’t hear attendance policy.

It sees lived realities.

When equity isn’t built into culture, not just compliance -

policies like “must be onsite 5 days” can actually reinforce bias.

So before you go hybrid-neutral or revert to rigid mandates, ask:

Who in my organisation needs flexibility to perform, and who gets penalised for it?

Am I demanding visibility instead of delivering value?

Could this office-first stance quietly push talent, especially women, out the door?

That’s a gender equity risk - just not the kind that springs from hiring stats or pay gaps.

If you’re serious about building real inclusion (not just following a policy),

you should attend to our free live workshop on 14th August at 11am.

https://lnkd.in/eSghkFbi

We’ll unpack how equity gaps show up in every corner of leadership, from hybrid expectations to motherhood leave -

and how to spot them before they become legal liability.

And if you want to self-audit quietly before that?

Take our HR Risk & Gender Equity Scorecard - a free, quick diagnostic that shows you where hidden risks are living in your business. You'll also receive a comprehensive report with action steps immediately.

🔗 Scorecard: https://lnkd.in/eSsM-XeH

What assumptions do your attendance policies reveal - about who you really value?

👋🏽 𝗛𝗶, 𝗜’𝗺 𝗧𝗶𝗻𝗮, 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗥 𝗛𝗮𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁.
𝗪𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗛𝗥 “𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀” 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝘁.
𝗪𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝘅 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗥 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴.

𝗠𝘆 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻? 𝗘𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗱 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 - 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲.

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Tina Rahman

HR Habitat

HR Consultant

Founder of HR Habitat, award winner of "Best HR & Employment Law Consultancy, 2024" title. As featured in BBC Oline, BBC Asian Network Radio, Telegraph & more.