Survey Finds Return To Office Mandates Are Just Layoffs In Disguise Meant To Make Workers Quit
Company executives were hoping the return-to-office mandates would lead to high turnover rates.
Pixel-Shot | Shutterstock For the last few years, leadership at many companies has slowly attempted to transition their employees away from remote work and back to in-person positions. This choice led to an outcry from working-class individuals, many of whom considered quitting their jobs all because of the return-to-office mandates.
Now, it seems as if that might have been the reaction the company executives were hoping for.
A survey found that return-to-office mandates were just layoffs in disguise meant to make workers quit.
According to research from BambooHR, a survey of over 1500 U.S. managers found that a quarter of C-suite executives hoped for some voluntary turnover among workers after implementing a return-to-office policy.
One in five HR professionals also admitted their in-office policy was meant to make staff quit.
It's no secret that these rigid policies have been a point of contention for many workers.
At Amazon, around 30,000 employees signed a petition protesting the company’s in-office mandate, and more than 1,800 pledged to walk out from their jobs to take a stand.
While the majority of Americans didn't work from home pre-COVID-19, it became something they enjoyed after being forced into it during the pandemic. Some of the perks include no commute, the ability to work from the comfort of their living room, and increased flexibility.
Many also realized that going into the office was entirely unnecessary, as they were just as productive, if not more so, from home.
Andrey_Popov | Shutterstock
Yet that hasn't stopped companies from implementing these return-to-office mandates — and may even be the reason they are enforcing them. If they are looking for a way to stealthily eliminate employees, this may be the way to go.
In separate data published by Fortune, nearly half of companies with return-to-office mandates witnessed a higher level of employee attrition than they had anticipated, and 29% of companies enforcing office returns are struggling with recruitment.
Despite the risk of losing employees, many companies plan to increase return-to-office requirements.
According to findings from ResumeBuilder, a quarter of U.S. companies will require their workers to show up at the office more often next year, even though doing so may cause some productive employees to quit.
Among companies planning to require an increased number of days in the office, 86% cited productivity as the top reason for doing so, followed by a desire to improve company culture (71%), employee well-being (57%), and retention (55%). Yet, there is no evidence it will do so.
In fact, research from the Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh found that these mandates have no impact on companies' financial performance and can cause a "significant decline" in employee satisfaction.
So, employee satisfaction and productivity likely aren't the true reasons for these mandates. Frankly, it seems these company execs want to shrink their teams and simultaneously regain control over their remaining employees, which isn't fair and doesn't promote a healthy work environment.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.