2024: A Year of Debate (RTO)

Ready to dive into the biggest HR controversies of 2024? Our ‘Year of Debate’ series explores the key topics that ignited intense industry discussions. From Gen to AI and DEI, this series provides HR leaders with the information and insights they need to stay ahead of the curve.

The battle lines are drawn as we enter 2025 as the return-to-office (RTO) debate continues to simmer between employers and employees with neither side ready to fully concede. A recent Resume.org survey of business leaders paints a picture of a workforce divided.

Key Findings:

• Majority Mandates More In-Office Time: By year-end 2025, over 73% of companies with existing RTO policies will require at least three days of in-office work.
• Five-Day Workweek Makes a Comeback: Nearly 30% of companies are planning full-time, five-day in-office schedules.
• Remote Work Remains, But Limited: Only 2% of companies will offer one day or less of remote work per week.
• Employee Turnover Concerns: While 49% of companies expressed no concern about employee departures due to RTO, 32% were worried, with some expressing significant concern.
• Drivers for RTO: Companies prioritize collaboration (69%), communication (58%), company culture (51%), productivity (47%), and easier management (41%). Notably, 40% also cited maximizing office space utilization as a factor.

What This Means for HR:

• Prepare for Diverse Needs: Accommodate different preferences by offering flexible hybrid models whenever possible.
• Focus on the “Why”: Communicate the benefits of in-office work to address employee concerns and ensure buy-in.
• Invest in Building a Thriving Workplace: Create a positive, collaborative environment that fosters connection and engagement.
• Be Agile and Adaptable: Monitor employee sentiment and adjust your approach as needed.

As we look ahead to the New Year, here’s HR Daily Advisor’s best RTO content.

Expert Q&A: Controversial Return-to-Office Mandates and the Future of Work

Amazon’s hardline policy on returning to the office or else is being met with resistance, and other companies are considering their options. In a recent Q&A released by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Haslam College of Business, Tim Munyon, Ergen Professor in Business and Janet and Jeff Davis Faculty Fellow at the school, discussed the ramifications of RTO mandates for businesses and employees.

PwC to Use Employee Location Data to Police RTO

The battle over return-to-office (RTO) policies among employers has often been a bitter one with bad blood on both sides. Some employers believe workers are less productive and tend to slack off more when working remotely. Employees often resent what they see as heavy-handed RTO mandates, some of which threaten workers with loss of promotion opportunities or even with termination for failure to comply.

HR Works Podcast: Balancing Data with Decency in Layoffs and Return to Office (Part 1)

In part one of this two-part episode, Sam Naficy, CEO of Prodoscore, a leader in employee visibility and productivity intelligence software, discusses how to incentivize employees to return to office, the value of leveraging data to measure the success of a return to office policy and identifying areas for improvement, the importance of reimagining employee engagement and teams in a hybrid and remote environment, and more.

Measuring the Success of RTO Policies

According to a recent survey by Bamboo HR, 22% of HR departments admit they lack metrics to measure the success of their return-to-office (RTO) policies. Understanding how to effectively gauge the impact of RTO policies is crucial for HR professionals and people managers. Here, we explore how RTO goals can be measured and tracked.

Recent Survey Points to Growing Employee RTO Fears

The ongoing push for a return to the office has become a contentious issue in many workplaces. Employers, in an effort to reestablish pre-pandemic norms, are adopting various tactics, including withholding promotions, to compel staff back to office desks. This approach, however, is meeting resistance, with a significant 25% of employees considering leaving their jobs in response.

Some Business Leaders Welcome RTO-Driven Employee Attrition

We have previously discussed the potential trade-off between talent recruitment and retention on the one hand and Return-to-Office (RTO) policies on the other. Many employees have expressed a strong preference for remote work, with some stating they would rather quit than return to the office. This sentiment has raised concerns about the impact of RTO policies on employee morale and retention. However, recent data suggests that, for some companies, this might have been part of the plan all along.

A Surprising RTO Advocate: Zoom

It’s easy to look at the widespread and COVID-driven shift to remote work and the subsequent, post-COVID return-to-office (RTO) efforts by employers as a battle with clear divisions among key stakeholders. Employers want the perceived boost in productivity and greater collaboration that comes with on-site work. Employees want the flexibility and freedom that comes with remote work. Telecommunications technology companies want the profits that come with supporting a remote, dispersed workforce.

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