For a long time, it had been alleged that employees felt like they were less likely to experience a boost in collaboration with return-to-office policies, and it seems like they had a valid argument.
It appears that quite a large number of executives had hoped that their office push would rid them of workers.
Among over 1,500 surveyed managers in the US, according to BambooHR research, a fourth of the leadership team had hoped that requiring employees to be in the office might prompt voluntary resignations.
This is known as the “badges-in equals voluntary departure” plan. It includes setting a badges-in policy and waiting for those who have had enough to leave.
These results confirm a fear of those in the remote-working community that had been expressed for months or longer.
As workers began to declare office mandates to be a form of job reduction in disguise, it felt like alarmist rhetoric to those with headquarters mandates. It now appears their gut was correct.
Worker resistance and blowback against companies
Workers have not taken kindly to the forced comeback. One of the most high-profile cases is that of Amazon. Some 30,000 employees signed a petition against the firm’s plan to have workers return to the office. Thousands have threatened to walk out.
Employees told the media outlet Fortune that they had updated their profiles on the job site LinkedIn and applied to other companies the minute their bosses called for them to work five days a month in the office.
But the friction hasn’t been without its pains. The studies included in this survey reveal that 99% of companies with RTO policies have noted decreased engagement among employees.
Nearly half of the companies requiring employees to return to work have noted their turnover rates have surpassed expectations. Nearly one-third of those companies struggle with hiring.
But there is another element to the data released by BambooHR: nearly one in three employees say they would consider leaving the organization if they had to return to in-office work.
One strategy that did not bear fruit
This is the kicker. Despite the hope that their return to the office plan could facilitate a mass quit without laying off employees with pink slips in hand, the situation of a mass quit did not come to fruition.
This means that the calculus went wrong. It did not empty the payroll in a quiet way. It strained the trust and morale, and still resulted in job losses.
It seems the debate over returning to the office is still open-ended, and one thing that’s sure to emerge from this body of research is that the days of just talking about returning to the office for teaming purposes may well be numbered.
Employees felt like there had to be another reason at work, and it appears their instincts were correct. It’s now up to business leaders.
No Comments