Dell Issues Its 6th RTO Mandate: 5 Days/Week In March
On Friday, January 31, 2025, Business Insider shared an internal memo from CEO Michael Dell calling everyone within one hour of a Dell office to work in the office five days per week.
“Starting March 3, all hybrid and remote team members who live near a Dell office will work in the office five days a week. We are retiring the hybrid policy effective that day,” the CEO, who has a net worth of $117 billion, told staff.
This appears to be a layered approach to RTO. In September of 2024, Dell called all salespeople into the office five days per week (with just three days’ notice).
Here is everything you need to know about Dell’s return-to-office plan: the current policy, the timeline of delays, and the sentiment of Dell employees and leadership about how work will be done at the company.
Dell’s Return To Office: Current Policy
- RTO Date: March 3, 2025
- RTO Policy Update: 6th version
- Notice Date: January 31, 2025
- Location Policy: Office First
- Office Visit Expectations:
- 5 days per week for everyone within one hour of a Dell office
- Remote for anyone further than an hour
- Office Visit Expectations: Five days per week
- Office Space Footprint: Likely decreasing (source)
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Dell’s RTO Timeline
Here is a timeline of Dell’s RTO mandates with the most recent on top.
March 3, 2025: All employees within one hour of a Dell office must return five days per week
“Starting March 3, all hybrid and remote team members who live near a Dell office will work in the office five days a week. We are retiring the hybrid policy effective that day,” Business Insider reported.
September 30, 2024: The sales team gets called into the office with three days’ notice
“With that in mind, starting Monday, Sept. 30th, the expectation is that ALL Global Sales team members who can work from a Dell office be onsite five days a week, regardless of role. Field sellers who can’t go into a Dell office should prioritize time spent in person with customers and partners. Remote sales team members who can’t go into a Dell office should continue to work remotely. More communications pertaining to remote workers will be sent in the coming weeks.”
June 19, 2024: Dell workers ignore the new policy
“Close to 50% of Dell’s full-time workers in the US have opted to stay remote, according to internal data on the entire full-time workforce seen by Business Insider.”
April 5, 2024: Dell declares 39 days/quarter for hybrid employees and restrictions for remote employees
“Hybrid workers must agree to come into an “approved” office at least 39 days each quarter. This is roughly the equivalent of three days per week. Remote workers do not have to come into an approved office at all. However, remote workers aren’t eligible for promotion or to change jobs within the company.”
May 9. 2023: Dell implements a return-to-office policy (hybrid, 3 days/week)
‘This is the beginning of us more clearly defining hybrid work for our company. We look forward to those near an office coming in at least three days a week as soon as you can arrange it,’ Dell Technologies Vice Chairman and Co-Chief Operating Officer Jeff Clarke writes.”
September 7, 2022: Dell declares there will be no official return to the office
Michael Dell said, “Ultimately, we have committed to allow team members around the globe to choose the work style that best fits their lifestyle – whether that is remote or in an office or a blend of the two.”
September 7, 2021: Dell re-opens offices without a set policy (Dell’s first return to office policy)
“Dell Technologies Inc. announced June 30 in an internal memo that the company would reopen its U.S. offices on Sept. 7.”
Sentiment From Dell Leadership
On Remote Work
Michael Dell, 2022: “At Dell, we found no meaningful differences for team members working remotely or office-based even before the pandemic forced everyone home.”
Michael Dell, 2025: “What we’re finding is that for all the technology in the world, nothing is faster than the speed of human interaction,” Michael Dell told staff. “A thirty-second conversation can replace an email back-and-forth that goes on for hours or even days.”
On Hybrid Work
Jeff Clarke (Vice Chair, COO), 2023: “As soon as possible, we’d like more people to work in a hybrid model,” said Clarke. “Those living within about an hour commute to a major Dell office should come onsite at least three days a week. We’re still flexible – work with your leader to determine schedules within this framework that work best for you and the business.”
Michael Dell, 2025:“Starting March 3, all hybrid and remote team members who live near a Dell office will work in the office five days a week. We are retiring the hybrid policy effective that day,”
On Office-Based Work
Michael Dell, 2024: Dell did not answer specific questions from BI regarding the data, but said it believes “in-person connections paired with a flexible approach are critical to drive innovation and value differentiation.”
Michael Dell, 2025: “What we’re finding is that for all the technology in the world, nothing is faster than the speed of human interaction.”
View All Return To Office Plans For The Fortune 100
Every month, we update every Fortune 500 company’s return-to-office policy. You can view the data below.
RTO news & sentiment by company: Alphabet (Google), Amazon, Apple, Bank Of America, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase, Meta (Facebook), Microsoft, Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo |
Also notable is that Dell, in his latest email to workers, stated that the company’s own technologies that it sells to clients around the world turns a “thirty second conversation” into “hours and even days.”
And the problem is so bad that Dell is abandoning its collaboration tech in favor of the office working environment from before the days of IT.
If Dell’s claim is accurate, it’s a stunning indictment of big enterprise technology vendors and their products/services.
Fantastic analysis.