For many Americans, the way they work in 2025 has shifted back to in-person work, which is not by choice. Many workers have been told to return to their offices, but most U.S. workers are not required to do so and can be assured there isn’t a universal threat of termination.
This applies to many companies, including tech, finance, retail, and government! Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, said, “Consistent in-person attendance fosters greater creativity and accelerates decision-making.”
This is one of the many reasons companies implement the new rule. While some companies ask for just a few days per week, others want full-time, five-day office attendance. Let’s take a look at the companies leading this shift and when they started these mandates:
1. Amazon
As of January 2025, Amazon mandated that all corporate staff work five days in the office full-time. “It’s easier for our teammates to learn, model, practice, and strengthen our culture; collaborating, brainstorming, and inventing are simpler and more effective; teaching and learning from one another are more seamless; and, teams tend to be better connected to one another,” said CEO Andy Jassy.
Although there have been walkouts and petitions, Amazon’s mind will not be changed easily. They are tracking badge swipes for compliance and urge those who don’t want to comply to seek jobs elsewhere.
2. AT&T
AT&T’s mandate was that starting January 2025, nine core hubs would have office-first for management and staff—five days a week. Employees unwilling to follow the new rules are asked to move on.
“If they want to be a part of building a great culture and environment, they’ll come along…” CEO John Stankey said. “Others may decide, based on their particular circumstances, to move in a different direction.”
3. Walmart
Walmart has mandated the relocation of corporate staff to Bentonville, Arkansas, HQ, or two other central offices. Employees are required to work in person from late 2024 through January 2025.
In an internal memo, Chief People Officer Donna Morris stated, “Working together in person enhances our ability to collaborate, innovate, and move faster.”
4. JPMorgan Chase
All employees are required to work full-time in-office since March 2025, and they are ending all hybrid arrangements. “They should respect that the company is going to decide what’s good for the clients, the company, etc., not an individual,” CEO Jamie Dimon told CNBC. “And so they can get a job — and I’m not being mean — they can get a job elsewhere.”
5. Goldman Sachs
Since 2023, this company has required strict in-person attendance five days a week, with repeated reminders in 2025.
“I do think for a business like ours, which is an innovative, collaborative apprenticeship culture, this is not ideal for us. And it’s not a new normal. It’s an aberration that we’re going to correct as soon as possible,” said CEO David Solomon, stating that he feels remote work should not become the norm.
6. Dell Technologies
Dell has mandated that, as of March 2025, all team members within commuting range must work in the office five days a week. CEO Michael Dell said, “The pace of innovation has never been faster… For all the technology in the world, nothing is faster than the speed of human interaction.”
7. The Washington Post
The Washington Post has ended all remote work and required all staff to work in the office five days a week by June 2025. Publisher William Lewis: “I want that great office energy for us daily… That is how it used to be here before Covid, and we must get this back.”
8. Disney
Since 2023, employees have been required to work four days a week onsite for hybrid roles. In a memo to their employees, CEO Bob Iger said, “Nothing can replace the ability to connect, observe, and create with peers that comes from being physically together.”
9. Barclays
Barclays stated that most of its 85,000 staff members should work in the office for a minimum of three days per week, and for those who have client-facing and senior banking roles, it is five days a week.
Barclays stated, “We recognise the benefits of balancing flexibility for colleagues with the importance of working together to collaborate in our physical locations.”
10. Meta (Facebook)
Since 2023, staff members must work in-office at least three days per week and are tracked with badges. Internal memos warn that “repeated violation of this policy may lead to disciplinary action, up to and including termination.”
11. UPS (United Parcel Service)
As of March 2024, UPS has mandated that all corporate staff be in the office for a whole five-day week. Leadership roles feel that office presence is essential for culture and results.
12. Boeing
Boeing executives emphasize the importance of in-person collaboration in engineering and safety, so corporate workers were required to work full-time in the office as of January 2024
13. Raytheon (RTX)
Since October 2024, all hybrid employees have started working in the office five days a week. Management said, “Collaboration and innovation happen best face-to-face.”
14. Broadcom
CEO Hock Tan said, “This is how real work gets done.” Therefore, any employees living within 50 miles of an office must work full-time in the office, which is enforced with badge tracking.
15. Home Depot
Some roles that could work from home included corporate employees, technology and IT, customer service and support, and hybrid roles. But, their full return to office policy began in June 2025 for most of the employees. Home Depot sees that in-person culture has a better foundation for training and performance.
16. 3M
Starting in September 2025, all employees must work at least twice a week in the office. Leadership feels that this new policy is vital for innovation and teamwork. Here is a statement from former CEO Mike Roman. Although this quote does not match a statement in 2025, it emphasizes balancing flexibility with the collaborative spirit necessary for product development and team culture. He said: “We’ve learned that we can be more flexible in how we work, but human connection and in-person collaboration remain important, especially for innovation and problem solving.”
17. US Bank
As of March, the U.S. Bank requires all previous hybrid or remote roles to be in the office at least three days per week. Executives know that while they want to balance flexibility, some staff members may seek jobs elsewhere if they prefer better remote work flexibility. Some good news is that part of the shift, U.S. Bank is investing in upgrades and resources in its hub offices to make employees’ on-site days more productive and attractive.
18. Uber
Uber employees used to work two days per week in the office, but that changed to three days per week starting mid-2025. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said, “It is what it is,” in response to criticism as he strives to help the company achieve “greatness” instead of just being “good”.
19. IBM
IBM managers should work on-site for at least three days per week. At least IBM offers relocation benefits to affected staff members who live more than 50 miles from an office, but those who decline or can’t secure a designated remote role must leave the company. This is non-negotiable for management.
20. Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company has mandated that most salaried employees be in the office four days a week starting September 1, 2025.
An internal memo from Ford stated: “We believe working together in person on a day-to-day basis will help accelerate Ford’s transformation into a higher growth, higher margin, less cyclical and more dynamic company.”
And this policy impacts the majority of Ford’s global salaried employees.
21. Google (Alphabet)
Since April 2025, most employees within 50 miles of an office have been required to work at least three days per week in-office.
While some technical and AI teams face stricter requirements like daily in-person work, others have been offered buyouts who were unwilling or even unable to comply.
22. Caterpillar
Since June 2, 2025, Caterpillar has mandated that all U.S. office-based employees return to the office for a five-day work week. Their memo stated, “Being together in person enhances our ability to innovate, collaborate, and make quick decisions.”
This ends their hybrid model, and non-compliance will be considered during performance reviews.
23. Citigroup
While Citigroup still maintains a hybrid work model for most of its employees, requiring three days in-office and the other two days remote, some roles within the company must work in-office five days per week.
Citigroup’s leadership has stated: “Our hybrid work model helps us attract and retain top talent and sets us apart from other companies in our industry—and we remain committed to this model.” Citigroup offers innovative perks, allowing hybrid-designated staff two weeks of fully remote work in August.
24. Tesla
This one happened quite early on. Since June 2022, Tesla has stated that employees are expected to return full-time, which means 40 hours or more per week in the office. Elon Musk did not beat around the bush when he said, “If you don’t show up, we will assume you have resigned.”
While they have tracked attendance with badge swipes, and the senior leaders are expected to be more visible, this return has not come without its headaches, such as overcrowding and equipment shortages.
25. American Electric Power (AEP)
Since June 1, 2025, American Electric Power has ended all hybrid models and required all staff to return full-time to the office. In a statement, a spokesperson mentioned: “We believe that face-to-face, in-person interactions and working together have real benefits as we deliver solutions to power the nation’s growth.”
More or less 5,000 AEP employees will need to return to the office, mostly in places like central Ohio and Indiana. Only people hired to work remotely, or who live far from an office, are excused from this rule.
While some businesses still allow hybrid work, the overall trend is clear: in-person work is becoming standard again. Not everyone is happy about it, especially those who moved farther away or got used to the flexibility. However, companies say this shift is essential for long-term success.
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