Barclays' RTO Mandate: A Costly Lesson in Trust

Jan de Vries · 2026-10-13

Barclays thought it had a solid plan. Bring people back to the office, boost collaboration, strengthen culture. Sounds reasonable, right? But here's the thing: even the best-intentioned mandates can backfire spectacularly when they ignore one crucial ingredient—trust. Marcus Iles, a workplace strategist, recently broke down why Barclays' approach missed the mark. And honestly, his insights apply to any company wrestling with remote work policies right now. ### The Problem With Top-Down Mandates When Barclays announced its return-to-office mandate, it wasn't just a policy shift. It was a signal. Employees heard it loud and clear: "We don't trust you to work from home." That's a tough pill to swallow, especially for people who've been grinding away remotely for years. Iles points out that trust isn't a one-way street. If you want employees to buy into a big change, you need to give them a reason beyond "because we said so." You need shared purpose. Without it, you're just issuing orders—and people don't respond well to that. ### Why Shared Purpose Matters More Than Policies Think about the last time you felt genuinely motivated at work. Was it because someone told you to be? Probably not. It was because you believed in what you were doing and felt like your voice mattered. That's the magic of shared purpose. It turns a mandate into a mission. Iles argues that lasting change happens when employees feel like they're part of the decision, not just on the receiving end of it. Barclays, like many companies, skipped that step. They rolled out the policy first and asked questions later. And that's where trust started to crack. ### What Companies Get Wrong About RTO Here's a pattern I've seen over and over: - Leaders assume everyone wants to come back to the office. - They underestimate how much flexibility means to employees. - They treat remote work as a perk, not a proven productivity model. - They announce policies without explaining the "why." - They ignore the emotional impact of forcing change. Any of these sound familiar? You're not alone. Barclays isn't the first to stumble here, and it won't be the last. ### The Trust Equation Iles nails it when he says trust is the foundation of any successful workplace change. But trust isn't built in a day. It's earned through transparency, consistency, and actually listening to your people. If you're a leader planning to bring your team back to the office, ask yourself: - Have I explained why this matters—not just for the company, but for them? - Have I given people a chance to share their concerns? - Am I willing to adjust based on feedback? If the answer to any of those is no, you've got work to do. And no, a free lunch in the breakroom doesn't count as listening. ### A Better Way Forward Barclays' misstep is a golden lesson for the rest of us. It's not about whether remote or in-office work is "better." It's about how you bring people along on the journey. Shared purpose isn't a buzzword. It's the difference between a team that shows up because they have to and one that shows up because they want to. And that, my friends, is what builds lasting success. So before you send that next company-wide email about returning to the office, pause. Ask yourself: Am I building trust or breaking it? Because once it's gone, it's a lot harder to get back.