The last time we checked in on the Great Return-To-Office Experiment, the subject was causing varied degrees of resistance. Several large employers launched policies for full-time workers to “badge in” 3 days per week, but currently, few mega-employers have fully shifted into a 5-day RTO mandate for office positions. Also, there’s been a trend toward workers viewing hardline mandates as “soft layoffs,” which is not fantastic for morale. In cities where large companies headquarters, commute times add up, and workers see themselves as losing hours per day in the RTO movement.
Well, RTO might be about to receive a big push. Several major companies, including Disney, Starbucks, JPMorgan, and Zoom are signaling that it’s time to roll back hybrid work arrangements for full-time workers. To that end, incoming Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol gave a speech on the “power in having everybody together,” although he stopped short of a 5-day mandate while adding, “We’re all adults here.”
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy also recently penned a memo requiring a full return to in-person work in Jan. 2025. And much further along the spectrum, some Biglaw firms plan to enforce 5-day RTO mandates by hitting associates and partners in the pocketbook with financial penalties, including withholding bonuses and partner draws, which may not sit well.
With any shift in workplace conditions, employers should be prepared for what could come next:
- Don’t cheerlead: Morning Brew points towards the importance of maintaining empathy, not cheerleading, for those workers who feel that full-time RTO will cause “both tangible and intangible losses” to their quality of life. They will experience less leisure time, and face increased costs for commuting, caregiving, and so on. Workers might feel that their situations have grown harder, and right now, they probably won’t listen too hard to a speech about “innovation” or “collaboration.” So, be ready to acknowledge how mandates impact their lives daily, listen, and take the feedback seriously.
- Guard against backlash in advance: Attorney Cary Burke, in a LinkedIn post, argues that a strict 5-day RTO for lawyers is a surefire way to drive away top revenue generators and drive workers to “engage in protected concerted activities” because under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), “Work location and hours are essential terms and conditions.” And although employers hold more RTO cards in times of inflation and high demand, do they really want to encourage frustration that could lead to organizing?
- Understand the “flight risks”: Workers who could decide to look elsewhere after a strict RTO mandate might include top performers, Millennials, and women. Consider whether the potential losses in morale and talent are worth the risk that a one-size-fits-all mandate presents. Flexible work arrangements are often worth more than a raise to workers; perks like travel-time compensation or meal vouchers could go a long way. Creativity in building solutions and involving workers in the process are essential here.
This also brings us back to a universal truth: workers want to know that their employers are listening to their concerns. As always, if employers do not listen, unions will always be happy to step in and fill that vacuum.
