Don’t let return-to-office fever push women out of the workforce
The workplace has changed over six years, and some of the shifts were good — for women especially. Pittsburgh employers shouldn’t throw out flexibility in a rush to return to 2019 norms.
With great excitement, PNC Bank has called back its remote workforce for mandatory five-day-a-week office attendance starting in May. While this is excellent for Downtown businesses, the big push for in-office attendance is causing concern for employees across the region who are worried that their employers may follow suit, and with little thoughtfulness.
Over the past several years, companies have adapted quickly, implementing hybrid and remote work models out of COVID-19 necessity. Productivity did not collapse. Women remained in the workforce because flexibility allowed them to balance professional expectations with caregiving responsibilities that continue to fall disproportionately on them. Now, as many employers shift back to rigid in-office mandates, we see a troubling pattern.
Policies designed for simplicity are creating complexity in the lives of working women, who make up 52% of the management and professional workforce, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Research from McKinsey & Company and LeanIn.org consistently shows that flexibility ranks among the top reasons women stay in the workforce. Midcareer women, especially those on leadership tracks, are more likely to consider stepping back or leaving when flexibility is reduced. Women of color report even greater strain under inflexible policies.
Brave Women Project Founder and Board Chair Holly Joy McIlwain, left, and Executive Director Kelli A. Komondor at a book launch for “Twenty Won,” on Aug. 21, 2021, at the Sto-Rox Public Library. Komondor created the book which includes 20 essays by authors including McIlwain. (Courtesy photo)
This means that the very people who intimately know of the challenges posed by rigid and perhaps uninformed return-to-office policies may be less prevalent at the decision-making table. This can’t be good.
If companies want to experience a deeper ROI in this RTO callback, then it is more important than ever to get the right people at the table to lead these discussions. Not surprisingly, they may not be the people who are currently working at your organization.
As organizations across Pittsburgh and beyond formalize return-to-office policies, it is time for a more grounded and thoughtful conversation about impact.
At Brave Women Project, we see both the data and the risk. The data confirms what women are telling us directly: Flexibility is not a perk. It is infrastructure. When return to office policies are rigid, organizations risk losing experienced talent, increasing burnout and widening leadership gaps. These are not abstract concerns. They are retention issues. They are succession planning issues. They are economic issues.
Our confidential, members-only conversations called CAYA, for Come As You Are, provide a psychologically safe space for women to speak honestly about what they are navigating in their workplaces and at home. The themes are consistent:
Anxiety about logistics
Fear of being perceived as less committed if they request hybrid options
Quiet exhaustion from trying to meet both professional and personal expectations
without structural support.
Women are not asking for special treatment. They are asking for sustainable structures. Organizations built new ways of working during a crisis and proved they can work. Now is not the time to ignore what we all learned.
Common sense RTO
Holly McIlwain will be leading the return to office conversation in Penn State University’s continuing ed program for CPAs and attorneys this spring. She is a SHRM-SCP credentialed professional with expertise in this area. Her guidelines for RTO policies:
Establish metrics for meaningful success — not just time in office chairs
Plan meetings thoughtfully, respecting employees’ multi-layered lives
Have one-on-ones that help build understanding of employees’ off-work challenges
Focus on equity, not equality, so employees feel heard and cared-for
Communicate expectations clearly and frequently, while being flexible within reason.
Common sense return-to-office policies do not mean eliminating in-person collaboration. They mean designing with intention. They prioritize outcomes over optics. They allow role-based flexibility rather than blanket mandates. They equip managers to lead hybrid teams effectively. They acknowledge caregiving as a workforce reality rather than a private burden.
If we want women to lead, advance, stay and transform industries long term, our policies must reflect that goal. If we want to experience real return on investment in the beautiful Downtown area, then it requires acknowledgment that the future of work will not be determined by a drive to fill office square footage. It will be determined by whether leaders are willing to align policy with lived experience. This is not about remote versus office. It is about retention, sustainability, and building environments where talented women can remain and rise without burning out or opting out.
The path forward requires listening. The women are already telling us what works.
Holly Joy McIlwain is a former HR leader, the founder and board chair of Brave Women Project and the Founder of NarrowSpaces, where she equips leaders and organizations with practical strategies to navigate complexity, culture and growth with clarity and courage. She can be reached at hollyjoymcilwain@gmail.com.
Kelli Komondor is the executive director of Brave Women Project, a community where professional women embrace bravery and continuous growth built on unwavering support and meaningful connections. She can be reached at kelli@bwp.life.
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Don’t let return-to-office fever push women out of the workforce
by Guest commentary by Holly McIlwain and Kelli A. Komondor, Pittsburgh's Public Source March 20, 2026
Don’t let return-to-office fever push women out of the workforce
Share this:
Views and to-dos from your Pittsburgh neighbors.
With great excitement, PNC Bank has called back its remote workforce for mandatory five-day-a-week office attendance starting in May. While this is excellent for Downtown businesses, the big push for in-office attendance is causing concern for employees across the region who are worried that their employers may follow suit, and with little thoughtfulness.
Over the past several years, companies have adapted quickly, implementing hybrid and remote work models out of COVID-19 necessity. Productivity did not collapse. Women remained in the workforce because flexibility allowed them to balance professional expectations with caregiving responsibilities that continue to fall disproportionately on them. Now, as many employers shift back to rigid in-office mandates, we see a troubling pattern.
Policies designed for simplicity are creating complexity in the lives of working women, who make up 52% of the management and professional workforce, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Research from McKinsey & Company and LeanIn.org consistently shows that flexibility ranks among the top reasons women stay in the workforce. Midcareer women, especially those on leadership tracks, are more likely to consider stepping back or leaving when flexibility is reduced. Women of color report even greater strain under inflexible policies.
This means that the very people who intimately know of the challenges posed by rigid and perhaps uninformed return-to-office policies may be less prevalent at the decision-making table. This can’t be good.
If companies want to experience a deeper ROI in this RTO callback, then it is more important than ever to get the right people at the table to lead these discussions. Not surprisingly, they may not be the people who are currently working at your organization.
As organizations across Pittsburgh and beyond formalize return-to-office policies, it is time for a more grounded and thoughtful conversation about impact.
At Brave Women Project, we see both the data and the risk. The data confirms what women are telling us directly: Flexibility is not a perk. It is infrastructure. When return to office policies are rigid, organizations risk losing experienced talent, increasing burnout and widening leadership gaps. These are not abstract concerns. They are retention issues. They are succession planning issues. They are economic issues.
Our confidential, members-only conversations called CAYA, for Come As You Are, provide a psychologically safe space for women to speak honestly about what they are navigating in their workplaces and at home. The themes are consistent:
Women are not asking for special treatment. They are asking for sustainable structures. Organizations built new ways of working during a crisis and proved they can work. Now is not the time to ignore what we all learned.
Common sense RTO
Holly McIlwain will be leading the return to office conversation in Penn State University’s continuing ed program for CPAs and attorneys this spring. She is a SHRM-SCP credentialed professional with expertise in this area. Her guidelines for RTO policies:
Common sense return-to-office policies do not mean eliminating in-person collaboration. They mean designing with intention. They prioritize outcomes over optics. They allow role-based flexibility rather than blanket mandates. They equip managers to lead hybrid teams effectively. They acknowledge caregiving as a workforce reality rather than a private burden.
If we want women to lead, advance, stay and transform industries long term, our policies must reflect that goal. If we want to experience real return on investment in the beautiful Downtown area, then it requires acknowledgment that the future of work will not be determined by a drive to fill office square footage. It will be determined by whether leaders are willing to align policy with lived experience. This is not about remote versus office. It is about retention, sustainability, and building environments where talented women can remain and rise without burning out or opting out.
The path forward requires listening. The women are already telling us what works.
Holly Joy McIlwain is a former HR leader, the founder and board chair of Brave Women Project and the Founder of NarrowSpaces, where she equips leaders and organizations with practical strategies to navigate complexity, culture and growth with clarity and courage. She can be reached at hollyjoymcilwain@gmail.com.
Kelli Komondor is the executive director of Brave Women Project, a community where professional women embrace bravery and continuous growth built on unwavering support and meaningful connections. She can be reached at kelli@bwp.life.
Related
This story was made possible by donations to our independent, nonprofit newsroom.
Can you help us keep going with a gift?
We’re Pittsburgh’s Public Source. Since 2011, we’ve taken pride in serving our community by delivering accurate, timely, and impactful journalism — without paywalls. We believe that everyone deserves access to information about local decisions and events that affect them.
But it takes a lot of resources to produce this reporting, from compensating our staff, to the technology that brings it to you, to fact-checking every line, and much more. Reader support is crucial to our ability to keep doing this work.
If you learned something new from this story, consider supporting us with a donation today. Your donation helps ensure that everyone in Allegheny County can stay informed about issues that impact their lives. Thank you for your support!
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