You’ve issued a return-to-office mandate, but can your office handle it?

You’ve brought people back—but now they’re questioning why.
Slow wi-fi, glitchy hybrid meetings, and desks that don’t work are driving frustration—undermining the return-to-office push.

In Australia, Woolworths and Coles now require staff in the office three days per week, while the big four banks are enforcing stricter attendance policies, with some tying office presence to performance. Globally, JPMorgan Chase is pushing five days a week, while Amazon’s return-to-office (RTO) rollout exposed desk shortages and infrastructure strain.

But many offices are no longer built for how teams work today. Networks are under strain, hybrid setups fail, and employee confidence in the office is eroding.

If your technology can’t support this flexible, cloud-first way of working, your RTO strategy may falter before it even begins.

So, why are workplaces struggling to meet RTO demands – and what’s the fix?

1. 1. The shift back to the office: Exposing tech shortfalls

After years of remote work, businesses are bringing teams back—but the office environment is no longer what it was. Hotdesking, hybrid work, and cloud-first operations have rewired employee expectations.

While large enterprises may have in-house IT teams, mid-market organisations often lack resources to upgrade networks, modernise workspaces, and secure devices at scale.

Partnering with a managed service provider (MSP) is increasingly becoming the solution of choice.
MSPs provide access to specialist expertise across device management, cloud services, and proactive network support, enabling businesses to modernise their IT environments without overloading internal teams.

2. 2. Connectivity gaps: Can your network handle the load?

Hybrid work initially reduced office capacity. Now, with RTO mandates driving employees back—often on the same days—networks built for lower occupancy are suddenly being pushed to their limits.
The return to full occupancy, alongside hotdesking and flexible seating, is increasing device density and placing unprecedented pressure on office networks.

Cloud-based applications, video conferencing, and collaboration platforms like Teams, Zoom, and Microsoft 365 are now essential – but they demand far more bandwidth than pre-pandemic systems were designed for.

Patchy Wi-Fi, congested networks, and coverage gaps are eroding productivity, as dropped video calls and slow systems undermine confidence in the office.

Network downtime costs large organisations an average of $9,000 per minute, according to Forbes.

To combat this, businesses are investing in managed network services and wireless site surveys to strengthen capacity, prioritise critical apps, and eliminate wi-fi dead zones.

3. Cyber security risks: More devices, more threats

Cyber security risks aren’t new—but the return to office has increased the complexity.
As employees move between home and office, devices cross networks more frequently, creating blind spots for security teams.

Unpatched software, insecure devices, and weak passwords remain easy entry points for cybercriminals—but now those vulnerabilities can be introduced from home, the office, or anywhere in between.

According to the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC), cyber incidents rose by 23% in 2024, with remote work vulnerabilities continuing to expose businesses.

Businesses can no longer rely on traditional perimeter defences. Every device and login must be treated as a potential threat. Endpoint security, multi-factor authentication (MFA), and Zero Trust models—where every access request is verified—are now baseline requirements.

At the same time, device management, remote monitoring, and regular updates ensure devices stay compliant and protected—regardless of where employees are working.

Cloud security is equally vital. With more data and applications shifting online, a single compromised account or unsecured endpoint can expose an entire organisation’s operations.

4. 4. Desk sharing & meeting rooms: Can your spaces keep up?

The office is now a hub for collaboration—a modern workplace built around flexibility, not just desks.
Hotdesking, shared seating, and hybrid meetings are the norm, but inconsistencies with docking stations, outdated firmware, or capacity issues can derail productivity.

And it’s not just about the tech—capacity is becoming a real problem too. Amazon’s RTO rollout stalled when one office revealed had 2,000 employees—but only 800 desks and 900 parking spaces.
Misalignment—whether due to space shortages, desk setups, or unreliable meeting rooms—erodes employee confidence in RTO.

When desks fail or capacity falls short, productivity stalls, and pressure quickly shifts to IT teams—facing surges in support tickets for docking issues, network dropouts, and meeting room malfunctions.

Ultimately, workspace flexibility only works if the tech and capacity support it:

• Desk booking systems ensure employees know where they’ll be sitting.
• Universal docking stations and regularly maintained plug-and-play setups prevent setup delays.
• Reliable meeting room technology—screens, cameras, and audio that just work avoids wasted time and frustrated teams.
• Self-service support tools and AI-powered troubleshooting help employees resolve issues quickly—easing pressure on IT.

5. 5. Cloud resilience: Keeping your business online

With more employees on-site, cloud platforms remain the backbone.
Any downtime—from a network issue to a service outage—immediately impacts teams relying on real-time collaboration tools.

That’s why business continuity planning and disaster recovery services are now non-negotiable.
Cloud backup solutions, automated failovers, and rapid recovery protocols help restore systems quickly, minimising disruption.

At the same time, resilient data centre and hybrid cloud setups are helping businesses stay agile – ensuring access for employees whether they’re at a desk, a hot desk, or working remotely.

Beyond RTO: The office tech reset

RTO is more than a policy shift—it’s a reset moment. Businesses have an opportunity to modernise office technology and create spaces that enable teams to do their best work—whether they’re on-site, remote, or switching between both.

Fast, reliable networks, flexible workspaces, and seamless hybrid collaboration are no longer optional—they’re expected.

When the office can’t deliver, employees will default to remote work—or question why they’ve returned at all.

RTO has raised expectations. Is your technology ready to meet them?

Talk to our experts about building a resilient, connected, and secure office that supports your teams—wherever they work.

Get in touch with The Missing Link today.