Return to the office is backfiring

Return to office plans for corporations that are firm on in-office work are not going well. Staff members have gotten used to a flexible schedule and the elimination of a daily commute for the last two years.

What’s next:

• Employees at these holdout organizations will be forced to choose between their well-being and going back to the office. The choice is easy for many: well-being.
• Large corporations that have always been public about return to office plans will continue to face push back as they force Millennials back into a routine that they don’t want to return to
• While most companies have already moved to hybrid or remote operations, some holdouts will continue to make headlines because of the publicity generated from high-level resignations.

Go deeper: CEOs that want “butts in seats” still cling to the outdated idea that productivity equates to in-person collaboration, when the digital communication tools have existed for years. Slack, Microsoft Teams, Skype, Zoom, digital whiteboards, and even email was around before the pandemic — tools created to enable collaboration from anywhere.

A recent Axios Ispos 100 poll showed that the majority of workers who are already working remotely want to continue to WFH. Interestingly, Millennials were the largest segment of respondents to warrant this request (84%).

There are no scientific surveys that explain why some holdout CEOs are still demanding a return to the office. A recent survey from Future Forum (funded by Slack) revealed a double-standard that executives were demanding employees to show up to the office, meanwhile they themselves were not required to. A recent NY Times article even covered multiple return-to-office events that created an environment of “forced fun” that seemed out-of-touch.

Why it matters: A minority of employers are still mandating a return to the office, while 90% have accepted hybrid work is the future. The companies that haven’t accepted the future of work could see resignations by both employees and leaders alike, which could have an impact on recruiting high quality talent.

If you’re working in a hybrid or remote role and want to continue doing so at your next job, don’t compromise. Remote work has already been standardized in our society and it doesn’t need to be a negotiation point with a company that’s unwilling to be flexible. Recent graduates might not have the same leverage, but for many who have just a few years of experience, WFH is possible for the rest of your career.

Read on:

• Return-To-Office Plans Unravel as Workers Rebel in Tight Job Market (Bloomberg)
• Inflexible return-to-office policies are hammering employee experience scores (Future Forum)
• Just 4% Of Employers Are Making Everyone Return To The Office Full-Time, Survey Finds (Forbes)
• Apple’s Director of Machine Learning Resigns Due to Return to Office Work (Macrumors)
• Millennials drive remote work push (Axios)
• The rules for hybrid work were always made up (NY Times)