August 2nd 2023.
Recent surveys have shown that return-to-office mandates aren't working as well as anticipated. The Greenhouse Candidate Experience report, Federal Reserve’s Survey of Household Economics and Decision Making, and Unispace’s Returning for Good report all highlight the issues between employers and employees.
The Unispace report revealed that almost half of companies with return-to-office mandates have experienced more attrition than expected. On top of that, 29% of these companies are struggling to hire workers. The Greenhouse report also found that over three-quarters of employees are ready to leave their job if their employer ends flexible work schedules. According to the SHED survey, the dissatisfaction of going from a flexible schedule to an office schedule is comparable to taking a 2%-3% pay cut. Moreover, 42% of candidates would reject a job that requires five days in the office.
Employers and local governments have been pushing for people to return to the office for more than a year as commercial real estate markets in large cities suffer, as well as local transportation and eateries. Additionally, working from home allows employees to save money since inflation has driven the cost of lunch to more than $20 a day.
Last year, New York Governor Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams advocated for return-to-office work as subway ridership decreased and people spent less outside their communities. However, earlier this year, Adams had to retract his statements as workers refused to accept jobs that enforced a five-day-a-week return to the office.
The Unispace report also showed that when employees chose to return to the office of their own accord, they were generally more content, motivated, and enthusiastic. This goes to show that employers should consider allowing employees to return to the office when they feel ready, and not forcing them to do so.
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