It’s been almost four years since the COVID-19 pandemic sent companies scrambling to organize remote work, but now those employers are struggling to get their workers back into the office.
Last year, we saw a wave of companies introducing return-to-office mandates, signaling an end to COVID-era remote work. While employers claimed these policies would improve productivity and raise their bottom line, employees say they brought a loss of work-life balance and increased costs.
So, who’s right? A new study by the Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh suggests it might be the employees. The study reports that companies who implemented strict policies saw no significant change in employee productivity or financial gains compared to those who had no such policies.
Regret from RTO mandates
While companies that have implemented return-to-office mandates have found no change in productivity or profits, they have seen increased turnover and lower employee satisfaction.
Close to 80% of executives interviewed by Envoy regretted their return-to-office approach and would do things differently now. Larry Gadea, Envoy’s CEO and founder, explains that “many companies are realizing they could have been a lot more measured in their approach”.
Employees whose workplaces have introduced mandates say they found the move to be ‘aggressive’, and have reported that little to no support was offered for those who would need to relocate or engage in a lengthy commute to meet the requirements. Others have said that while their employer was requiring in-office attendance, there isn’t enough office space to accommodate everyone. Some employees have also reported that the overall atmosphere in their offices is ‘unhappy’ and that they no longer feel as strongly about the success of the company.
Employee-centered policies
The risk of losing top talent to a strict RTO mandate has caused some companies to reevaluate their approach.
Employers looking to bring their workers back to the office should consider team structures, venues where each team is most productive, and how frequent in-person cooperation time is needed before announcing return-to-office plans. These measures will ensure policies work for employees and won’t disrupt already established patterns of work.
Employers should also consider factors external to work that may affect the success of a return-to-office mandate. After seeing significant employee criticism of their mandate, Ernst & Young executives spoke to employees to learn what was holding them back from embracing the policy. They found that employees were worried about providing pet and child care while they were away from home.
In response, EY introduced a fund to reimburse workers up to $800 a year for costs incurred from commuting, pet care, and dependent care, causing a 150% increase in office attendance. Frank Giampietro, EY’s Chief Wellbeing Officer for the Americas, said that they didn’t need to completely redo their policy to make their employees happy, they just needed to listen to what was important to them and offer resources to address their problems.
Nothing is set in stone – yet
There’s still time to revise policies and listen to employees before it’s too late. Experts estimate it will take at least another year before companies settle into an office routine that employees are happy with and executives don’t regret.
Any company looking to implement a return-to-office mandate, or revise their existing policy, should try making decisions with their employees, instead of for them, and they just might see increased satisfaction and loyalty across the board.
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Colleen Douglas
Senior Marketing Coordinator
Executive Platforms
Colleen joined the Executive Platforms team in May of 2022. She has five years of experience in event marketing, with an emphasis on copywriting and digital strategies.
Colleen has a BA Honours in Business Communications from Brock University and a Diploma in Digital Media Marketing from George Brown College.