Return-to-office policies ‘creeping up’

A Pew Research Center poll reveals that 46% of employees working remotely at least part-time would likely leave their jobs if forced to return to the office full-time. Despite this resistance, employers are increasingly mandating in-office work, with 75% of workers required to be onsite for part of the week or month as of October 2024, compared to 63% in February 2023. Kim Parker, director of social trends research at Pew, described this trend as “a certain creeping up” of return-to-office policies. Companies including Amazon, AT&T, Boeing, Dell Technologies, JPMorgan Chase, UPS and The Washington Post have called at least some employees back to the office five days a week. Meanwhile, a poll conducted by Bamboo HR found that 28% of workers would consider quitting due to a return-to-office mandate. Separately, a ZipRecruiter survey reveals about 31% of employers reduced remote work opportunities in 2024, down from 43% in 2023. But another 33% expanded remote work, up from 32% the prior year.