The global debate over remote work appears to have reached a decisive turning point in 2025, with major technology and financial firms mandating a full return to office for most employees. What began with Amazon enforcing a five-day office work policy at the start of the year has now become a widespread corporate trend.
Over the past months, several leading companies including Dell, IBM, Meta, Salesforce, Snap, Google, Microsoft, Apple, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Disney and AT&T have either rolled back hybrid policies or significantly tightened attendance norms.
Instagram joins five-day office mandate
The latest company to formalise a full-time return is Instagram. In a companywide memo, Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri informed employees that from February 2, 2026, US-based staff will be required to work from the office five days a week.
The move signals a broader shift within the Meta ecosystem and reinforces the growing belief among leadership teams that in-person work is essential for collaboration, speed and company culture.
‘Remote work now reserved for top talent’
According to Sander van ’t Noordende, global CEO of Randstad, the so-called return-to-office war is effectively over. Speaking to Fortune, van ’t Noordende said that only exceptional performers with rare skills will be able to negotiate fully remote roles going forward.
“You have to be very special to be able to demand a 100% remote job,” he said, adding that strong technology expertise or niche professional skills are now prerequisites for such flexibility.
A new hybrid hierarchy emerges
This assessment mirrors predictions made earlier this year by Korn Ferry, which forecast a “new hybrid hierarchy” in workplaces. Under this model, flexibility becomes a privilege rather than a standard benefit, reserved for high-performing or hard-to-replace employees.
Workers in junior or commoditised roles, with less bargaining power, are increasingly expected to be physically present in offices.
From pandemic flexibility to office-first culture
The shift marks a sharp contrast to 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic ushered in widespread remote work. Five years on, many companies that once championed work-from-anywhere models have reversed course.
Executives at firms such as Amazon, JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs have openly argued that office-based work drives better learning, innovation and organisational culture. JPMorgan, which employs over 3.16 lakh people globally, said more than half its workforce already works from the office full-time.
As 2025 draws to a close, the message from corporate leadership is increasingly clear: remote work is no longer the default, but a privilege earned through exceptional value.