Chris Moran, a partner with Troutman Pepper Locke, was quoted in the February 11, 2025 WorkLife article, “RTO Comes With Legal Risks.”

“Ultimately, HR will need to ensure the company’s ADA accommodation process is clearly communicated to employees and managers,” said Christopher Moran, labor and employment attorney at Troutman Pepper Locke.

“The number of people with remote work accommodations post-COVID is probably now significantly higher than pre-COVID,” he said.

Proper documentation and having good policies and practices in place can help protect employers from claims that such decisions are being made unfairly.

“You could have a more robust process that would allow some people who don’t claim to have disabilities to work from home for other reasons that the company believes are acceptable,” said Moran.

Another legal risk posed by RTO mandates comes down to contractual obligations. New hires typically sign employment agreements that stipulate their working arrangements — though many include an employer’s right to make changes to the arrangement.

“In most instances, even if there’s a written telework agreement, it generally allows the employer to change or discontinue the process and to bring the employees back,” Moran said.

Insight Industries + Practices