Researchers from workplace-messaging company Slack found a “large and growing disconnect” between work flexibility for executives versus their staff. Data from April 2022 tells a similar story.
Specifically, in some cases, employees report that top brass are taking advantage of the situation, insisting their employees come in, while they continue to work remotely. There’s a double standard for who is returningĪlthough return mandates are theoretically for all employees – or at least entire departments – the reality may be more uneven. The process has been slow, and it's set to drag on at least a little while longer. It’s a very mixed picture, and companies are really having to feel their way through what is workable for all parties involved. These differing approaches and attitudes mean returns have been happening on an ad hoc and inconsistent basis. For some, the isolation has taken a toll, and others report less productivity at home. Not everyone is at odds with their companies, though – a notable group of workers are relieved and even thrilled to get a break from the remote-work grind. It’s helping in some cases, but not swaying the employees who’ve dug in their heels about staying at home. At some businesses, employers are trying to incentivise workers to come back with more pay or perks. In some extreme cases, as employers stick to their guns, workers are quitting in response, or seeking out roles with a larger remote component. This mismatch has meant a stalemate that’s keeping many returns patchy at best. It’s also shown up in less expected places, like the UK civil service, where workers who want to stay at home and the ministers who want them back are at odds in highly public ways. The battle is front and centre at many companies – it isn’t just happening at places like tech firms (such as Apple, where a high-profile tussle meant some top-ranking talent walked away in early May). Workers and companies are playing a game of chickenĪs much as Covid-19 infection waves have stymied the return-to-office, there’s another reason a widespread return has been a struggle: neither the workers who are enjoying remote work or the employers who want staff in seats are willing to back down. “Having a mortgage, the rise in utility bills, council tax, income tax and the rising train fares, it’s just becoming impossible,” she said. Similarly, London-based events manager Claire said she was struggling to keep up, especially after having put away nearly £6,000 ($7,100) in six months. In April 2022, Umus, a London university lecturer, told BBC Worklife that they were spending nearly a quarter of what they made every day on return-to-work costs. This is especially jarring for workers who were able to save during remote work, when these expenditures weren’t a factor. This reality is putting stress on employees who have to pay for transport, desk lunches, more childcare, clothing and that all-important after-work socialisation – costs they haven’t incurred for nearly two years. Yet wages haven’t kept up with inflation – even despite the salary growth many workers have enjoyed during a favourable pandemic labour market. Consequently, return-to-office-related costs have shot up – think petrol and food, for instance. In the UK, inflation is hovering around 9% the rate is similar in the US, where prices are rising at their fastest rate in 40 years.
Inflation and economic concerns are putting stress on employeesĪs costs rise throughout the world, workers being called back to headquarters are feeling the squeeze. Here are the key lessons so far on heading back into workplaces, and what they might mean for the future of how we work. That means we’re beginning to get some clarity on what return-to-office means – what’s working, as well as what has yet to be settled. Yet while plenty of companies are still working through their new policies, some employees across the globe are now back at their desks, whether on a full-time or hybrid basis. This has meant a lot of uncertainty around what a wide-scale return to office might look like in practice. The evolution of the pandemic has meant that best laid plans have often not materialised, and the flow of workers back into offices has been more of a trickle than a steady stream.
Bringing workers back to their desks has been a rocky road for employers and employees alike.
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