Remote Work and Return-to-Office Policies: How Best to Avoid Risks

Remote work has remained a popular option in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic when it proliferated to protect the health and safety of workers. Many employees favor remote work due to the reduced commute, less time spent on appearance and the flexibility to allow for doctors’ visits, family obligations, etc. Employers, on the other hand, have in comparison been less inclined to continue remote work polices post-pandemic, with some adamant about requiring employees to return to their offices for work, or in hybrid roles.

In June 2022, McKinsey & Company released the results of the third edition of the American Opportunity Survey (AOS)ⁱ, which questioned 25,000 Americans among a cross section of workers, jobs and employment types  on flexible work. According to results of the AOS, which was conducted in spring of 2022, 58% of those surveyed--equivalent to 92 million people--reported having the opportunity to work from home at least one day a week. This represents a major shift in the workplace and in society as well, with 35% of the respondents reporting they can work from home full time and another 23% able to work from home one to four days a week. Only 13% of employed respondents replied that although they can work from home, they opt not to do so. 41% of survey respondents reported they do not have the option to work from home. This may be attributed to the fact that some work cannot be performed outside of the workplace or because some employers are insistent that employees work on site.ⁱⁱ Another important confirmation from the AOS is that employees overwhelmingly choose remote work; 87% of employees choose remote work when given the option and are spending an average of three days a week working from home.ⁱⁱⁱ

The AOS results show great consistency on the matter of remote work among employees of different genders, ethnicities, ages and educational and income levels. People  seek more flexibility in how they work with 65% of respondents agreeing they would be willing to work remotely all the time. However, there are discrepancies of opportunity revealed in the AOS with 61% of men stating they are offered remote work and only 52% of women being given the opportunity. Younger workers report more remote work opportunities than older workers.^iv

Job seekers highly value autonomy as to where and when they work; therefore, it is an important factor for employers to understand as they face the need to hire. The AOS respondents replied that when hunting for a job recently or when planning to do so, the third most popular reason for the job hunt was looking for a flexible work environment, after seeking greater pay and better career opportunities. According to McKinsey research, those who left the workplace during COVID-19 say that workplace flexibility was the top reason they accepted new employment. Employers need to be aware that when a candidate is considering multiple job offers with similar pay, flexible work opportunities can become the deciding factor in their decision.^v

A Clash in Perspectives on Remote Work

Beginning in 2022-2023, conflict arose as employers began to issue return-to-office (RTO) policies. Business leaders are encountering strong resistance to these polices from employees and are forced to reevaluate old approaches. In 2023, JP Morgan, for example, issued a staff memo to its managing directors to be in the office five days a week “to lead by example.” This directive arose from the fact that workers were failing to satisfy their employer’s target of being in the office three days a week, a hybrid work from home schedule. In the memo, managers were encouraged to consider “corrective action” against employees failing to show up three days of the week as required. Following issuance of the memo, JP Morgan staff began a campaign on the company’s internal messaging board that was highly critical of the directive which led to the company’s placing a lock on further comments.  Among the employee criticisms were messages that the directive was “tone deaf” and “divisive.”^vi

In September of this year, Tik Tok introduced a tool to track office attendance of its employees and threatened to discipline employees who failed to comply with its new RTO mandates. The new tool is an app built into the company’s internal software that monitors badge swipes and asks employees to explain any failure to be present at the office in accordance with the RTO policy. Tik Tok’s new policy requires many of its employees to work in the office three days of the week as of October 1, while some teams are required to be in the office all five days of the work week. According to an expert on hybrid work, it is “exceedingly rare” for a company to monitor badge swipes so closely and threaten discipline for noncompliance.  Technology companies like Zoom and Meta have begun to require employees to report to the office two to three days per week during this past summer and fall to interact with their teams.^vii Some of the companies have encountered pushback including Amazon where there was a walk out of employees in May.^viii

Navigating the Future of the Workforce

A writer on leadership has analogized this moment in the workforce to the paradigm shift that took place after World War II when leaders had to adapt to a world in which employee deference and obedience could not be assumed given the shattering and equalizing experience of the war.  According to this expert, the current environment demands leaders who will be “great at enabling and anticipating—more a coach at the side than a player on the pitch—and fabulous storytellers to create culture and loyalty.” Since employees proved during the pandemic they can be trusted working remotely even under great duress, they want to be trusted to do so now.^ix