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Honda on Wednesday issued a return-to-office order for its US-based staff, according to an internal memo viewed by Business Insider.
“As Honda faces a rapidly changing business environment and increasingly competitive market conditions, we believe it is essential for associates to return to working primarily at on-site offices. Therefore, effective October 6, 2025, Honda is requiring associates to work on-site at least 80% of their work week,” the memo reads.
The memo says spontaneous interactions between staff members are “critical” to driving innovation at the company, and working on-site will promote essential in-person collaboration and problem solving. It was signed by Kazuhiro Takizawa, the president and CEO of American Honda Motors Co., and Kensuke Oe, the president of Honda Development & Manufacturing of America.
“This information is being shared with associates today to provide the longest timeline possible to begin to prepare for this transition,” the memo continues. “Simultaneously, Honda is evaluation how this change will impact facilities, including cafeterias and common spaces, as well as studying other workstyle-related items to ease the transition and prepare sites for associates to be able to start reporting to the office as early as July 7, 2025.”
Honda employs 30,000 associates in the US, with manufacturing plants throughout the country, including Alabama, Indiana, Ohio, North and South Carolina, and Georgia, according to its public employment statistics. Seventy-five percent of those employees work in manufacturing, and 24% in sales, research and development, and finance. It is unclear exactly how many Honda employees are remote workers.
“We understand that workstyle change is difficult, and associates will likely have many questions now and in the coming months,” the memo reads. “But, we believe this will make Honda an even stronger and more competitive company for the future.”
When reached by Business Insider, a spokesperson for Honda confirmed the RTO order and its October 6 deadline.
“Beginning October 6, Honda will return to a majority onsite work style requiring our associates to work on-site 80% of the time,” the spokesperson said. “This decision is driven by the rapidly changing business environment, which requires increased collaboration and innovation that we believe can best be achieved through in-person teamwork. Our work policy will continue to provide flexibility for our associates to work remotely up to 20% of the time.”
With its Wednesday memo, Honda joins a list of major companies, including JPMorgan and Amazon, that have issued RTO orders.
Read the full memo below:
This email is intended for US associates at American Honda, American Honda Finance Corp., American Honda Foundation, Honda Development & Manufacturing of America, and Honda Racing Corp. USA. As Honda faces a rapidly changing business environment and increasingly competitive market conditions, we believe it is essential for associates to return to working primarily at on-site offices. Therefore, effective October 6, 2025, Honda is requiring associates to work on-site at least 80% of their work week Increasing opportunities for spontaneous interaction and Y-Gaya style discussions is needed to drive innovation, strengthen our Challenging Spirit and maintain a customer-centric focus. This is critical to Honda’s Second Founding. Additionally, in keeping with the Honda PHilosophy, working primarily on-site increases the likelihood of associates going “to the spot” to understand the real situation and address key problems by collaborating with teams, peers and leaders. This information is being shared with associates today to provide the longest timeline possible to begin to prepare for this transition. Simultaneously, Honda is evaluation how this change will impact facilities, including cafeterias and common spaces, as well as studying other workstyle-related items to ease the transition and prepare sites for associates to be able to start reporting to the office as early as July 7, 2025. We understand that workstyle change is difficult, and associates will likely have many questions now and in the coming months. But, we believe this will make Honda an even stronger and more competitive company for the future. We are committed to continuing communication, and you will see additional updates to support your team with this transition. If you have questions, please contact a member of your leadership team or local HR business partner. Thank you for your support. Kazuhiro Takizawa President & CEO, American Honda Motor Co., Inc Chief Officer, North America Regional Operations Kensuke Oe President, Honda Development & Manufacturing of America
