The Mandate Episode: Why Return to Work is a Losing Fight

This episode of Softchoice's The Catalyst podcast argues RTO mandates are a losing fight. Brian Elliott (Work Forward, Flex Index — tracking ~9,000 companies) notes only a third of US firms mandate five days; mandates are driven by control, distrust, and attrition-by-design ("passive layoffs," documented by a Richmond Fed survey). Baylor research (3M+ workers) shows women leave at 3x the rate of men, alongside senior talent. An anonymous 30-year IT veteran describes quiet quitting after a broken hybrid promise. Softchoice's Lisa Walkden offers the counterexample: no mandates, team charters, activity-based space, and leadership training — the same redesign muscle that accelerates AI adoption.