Your work policy is no longer an HR footnote. For senior talent it is one of the first things they check, and it quietly decides who says yes to your call. Get it wrong and your shortlist shrinks before the search even starts.
Who leaves first
A 2024 study of S&P 500 companies, tracking more than three million tech and finance professionals on LinkedIn, found that after strict return-to-office mandates, the people most likely to leave were more senior employees, highly skilled employees and women. Hiring also got harder: vacancies took around 23% longer to fill and the hire rate fell by 17%.
In other words, the talent you most want to hire is the talent most sensitive to how you work.
It looks different in every market
The Gulf
Office presence and face-to-face relationships remain the norm, especially at leadership level. Relocating leaders expect it.
The UK and Europe
Hybrid is the default expectation for senior professionals. A full five days in the office narrows the field.
Cross-border hires
A leader moving from London to Riyadh is changing more than an office. Be clear on expectations from the first call.
How to use your policy to win, not lose
- 1Decide per role, not per company. A regional delivery leader and a platform architect may need very different patterns.
- 2Put it in the brief and the first conversation. Surprises at offer stage cost you finalists.
- 3Explain the why. “Tuesdays and Thursdays are client and team days” lands better than “three days in the office”.
- 4Treat flexibility as part of the package. For senior hires, it can be worth as much as salary.
- 5Track the declines. If good candidates are saying no because of the policy, that is data your leadership team needs to see.
The best leaders are not choosing between office and home. They are choosing employers who can explain how they work, and why.
Ameera Talent SolutionsKiller questions before you open the search
| How many days a week must this leader be on site? | Number |
| Is that requirement written into the brief? | Yes / No |
| Can you explain the business reason in one sentence? | Yes / No |
| How many candidates declined last year because of the work policy? | Number |
| Is flexibility part of the offer you can negotiate? | Yes / No |
Hiring across the Gulf, UK and Europe?
We help you position your role and your policy so the right leaders say yes.
Request a callSources: Korn Ferry Talent Acquisition Trends report; Human Resources Director (December 2024), reporting the S&P 500 return-to-office study.