Novo Nordisk's Five-Day Office Mandate, Announced Days After Layoffs, Reignites RTO Debate
Should companies require employees back in the office five days a week? Novo Nordisk, the maker of Ozempic and Wegovy, announced in early September that staff will be required in the office five days a week, coming just days after the company cut 9,000 jobs. The move follows a steep decline in the company's market value, from roughly $640 billion in mid-2024 to about $242 billion now, and arrives under a new CEO working to reset the company's product pipeline and competitive position. Critics have questioned the timing, suggesting the mandate could nudge reluctant employees toward voluntarily leaving without triggering severance costs.
The move joins a broader wave of large employers tightening in-person requirements in 2026. Instagram began requiring five days a week for U.S. employees with assigned desks in February, while Home Depot, Stellantis, PNC Financial and Sherwin-Williams have all shifted from hybrid schedules to stricter in-office policies over the past year. According to a survey of nearly 1,000 business leaders by Resume Builder, roughly 30% of companies now require five days in office, up from 28% in 2025, and separate research from JLL found 54% of Fortune 100 employees were on a five-day schedule as of mid-2025, up from just 11% a year earlier.
The policies remain unpopular with workers. A KPMG survey found 83% of CEOs still expect a full return to office within three years despite the pushback, while other research has linked strict five-day mandates to roughly 14% higher turnover, concentrated among senior employees and top performers who have the most other job options.
The case for:
Executives argue in-person collaboration speeds up decisions during major restructurings, which they say matters most right when a company like Novo Nordisk is resetting its strategy.
Some leaders treat office presence as an accountability proxy, arguing it's easier to manage performance and rebuild culture when teams share a physical space.
Companies such as Sherwin-Williams have paired stricter policies with limited remote-day banks, framing the shift as intentional culture-building rather than a blunt penalty.
The case against:
Research cited by workplace analysts links strict five-day mandates to roughly 14% higher turnover, with the losses concentrated among senior staff and top performers who can most easily leave.
Employees affected by similar mandates, including protesting California state workers, cite real burdens like childcare gaps, longer commutes and added pollution from forced in-person schedules.
Skeptics argue that pairing a five-day mandate with a 9,000-person layoff, as Novo Nordisk did, looks more like a quiet way to shrink headcount than a genuine productivity strategy.
What's your take?
Should companies like Novo Nordisk require employees back in the office five days a week? Yes 
No 
Other 
Sources:
#ReturnToOffice #WorkLifeBalance #NovoNordisk #FutureOfWork #CorporateCulture
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