COMP NEWS – More than half of U.S. employers have begun enforcing return-to-office mandates, but a survey shows that a mere 4% of U.S. CEOs intend to enforce a full-time return to office following extreme backlash and resignations from resistant talent.

In the past year, employers have enforced return-to-office mandates, despite employee demand for flexibility. Are employees winning the battle against RTO at last? 

 

Fifty percent of U.S. employers have issued some form of an RTO mandate since 2022, according to a survey from workplace management app Deskbird. And while the trend was initially created to promote in-person connection and collaboration, employees aren’t interested — as such, just 4% of U.S. CEOs said they will continue to prioritize a full-time return to the office.

 

“I made a prediction at the beginning of this year that everybody would pick a side on RTO, and we see that happening,” says Jennifer Dulski, CEO of software company Rising Team. “The companies that land on the side of flexible work will be the winning companies.”

Contrary to the points of many employers, data shows that working remotely actually increases productivity for workers.

While employers have touted the benefits of in-person work on productivity, data reveals that employees benefit from remote arrangements: 77% of those who work remotely at least a few times per month show increased productivity, according to a survey by ConnectSolutions, with 30% doing more work in less time and 24% doing more work in the same period of time. 

 

When it comes to hiring, remote first arrangements win, too: 41% of applicants said they’d consider a job that was fully remote more than any other option, with only one in ten saying they’d consider a role with an in-office split, according to a survey from McKinsey. 

 

“We’re currently in a place where employers have slightly more power because of the economy and layoffs, and so it’s only natural that employees feel that it’s risky to leave their jobs right now,” Dulski says. “But that will not last forever — the more the market returns, the more companies will need to offer flexibility.” 

To read more about the ongoing fight over return-to-office mandates, click here.

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