However, as the job market has turned, some of those distant agreements no longer apply to some companies. The slowdown in technology and the looming threat of economic instability have meant that employee retention is no longer a top priority — especially with job cuts. Employers now have greater leverage in forcing their workers back into the office. “If an employee doesn’t like a new work arrangement, layoffs mean they’re probably a lot less confident that another role is waiting for them,” says Cooper.
This is true even as the demand for flexibility among workers remains strong. A December 2022 survey of 10,992 US employees shows that 30.6% would like to work from home full-time. And the option for flexibility has even changed the lives of workers: some have extended their working hours to become non-linear, or developed patterns to achieve a better work-life balance based on their virtual work routines. Some workers have even moved away from the commute to the office.
Still, “technology firms have begun to slowly push through mandates to try and lengthen office days,” explains Nicholas Bloom, a professor of economics at Stanford University. “The layoffs will definitely have accelerated this: employees worried about layoffs are now much more likely to come into the office on the days they’re supposed to be working.”
Explain mandates for return to office
Aware that employees may be unhappy with the changes, some have moved away from labeling the changes as a “return to the office” and instead branded them as a move toward “flexible, conscious working,” for example.
But as the labor-friendly labor market continues to sour, that kind of soft corporate message has lost some of its relevance, as it’s becoming easier to replace an employee than it was at the height of the hiring crisis. The workers know that too, says Cooper. That means if their boss tells them to return to the office five days a week — no matter what managers call the policy — employees must comply or risk losing their jobs.
Executives who force employees back into the office could end up losing their top talent. But for management at least, the benefits seem to outweigh the risks. Some companies are willing to spend more time and resources getting employees back into the workplace more regularly — or finding new ones to do so. “It shows how much they appreciate this personal interaction and this leadership style,” says Hancock. “In a way, they’ve seen that some elements have been lost during Covid and this is a way of getting some of that back.”
Aside from wanting workers for business reasons, some experts, including Wendy Hamilton, CEO of Michigan-based TechSmith Corporation, suspect some bosses are giving up flexibility to covertly downsize after a period of over-employment. to. She believes employees who want to stay away can show themselves through the virtual door – and in some cases, employers won’t move to replace them.
Source: www.bbc.com
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