For the past three years, the corporate world has been locked in a territorial dispute. The return-to-office (RTO) wars were defined by geography: the home versus the headquarters. But as 2025 unfolded, the front line shifted. According to a report from commercial real estate giant JLL, Workforce Preference Barometer 2025, the most critical conflict between employers and employees is no longer about location—it is about time.
While structured hybrid policies have become the norm, with 66% of global office workers reporting clear expectations on which days to attend, a new disconnect has emerged. Employees have largely accepted the “where,” but they are aggressively demanding autonomy over the “when.”
