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When an organisation's culture lacks a key element, return-to-office mandates simply won't work. Meanwhile employers often refer to diversity, equity and inclusion in their EVPs, but struggle to define why it's a good thing.

Kirsty Harvison, a leadership and change practitioner at Bendelta, tells HR Daily she wonders whether part of the reason why companies such as Amazon are ordering people to come in is that it's an effective way to reduce headcount: "people will self-select out".

But if that's not the reason, these employers will likely face unintended consequences, she says.

Diversity gains, for example, could be lost, because the people impacted most by mandates tend to be those with caring responsibilities, or neurodiverse employees who find the in-person environment more difficult...