Many bosses are planning to step up efforts to get employees into the office.
Listen to this article 6 min
Many employees remain reluctant to return to the office — even on a part-time basis as part of a hybrid workplace — and many managers plan to step up enforcement of attendance policies.
That’s according to a new survey by technology firm Capterra, which found 74% of managers said they will factor office attendance into employee reviews. Another 46% said they have already cut or plan to cut pay or benefits for employees who did not comply with office attendance policies.
Experts have warned employers about the risks of being too rigid with their hybrid setups due to the tight market for talent, but many believe companies will increase their focus on in-office time if the economy turns south after previously embracing a more laid-back approach during the hybrid shift. Some companies are already clamping down. Capterra’s survey found 27% of employers said they have fired at least one employee this year because of poor office attendance.
“If employers are set on getting employees in the office more often, the threat of getting a bad review, losing their benefits or being out of a job will undoubtedly motivate employees to comply,” said Brian Westfall, principal HR analyst at Capterra, in a press release. “That being said, employers aren’t in the clear. If attendance requirements are too strict, too punishing, or poorly rationalized, companies could quickly lose top talent to competitors who are more accommodating.”
When asked if their team or department is currently compliant with office attendance policies, just 42% of managers said they were. Overall about 76% said they have gotten pushback on those policies.
The survey underscores the ongoing struggle between executives and managers who want their employees back in the office and the workers who would rather be at home instead of commuting to a central location every day.
But experts say imposing rigid requirements for in-office attendance — especially in cases where a company’s results are strong or productivity hasn’t dipped — could erode trust between managers and employees.
Maureen Jules-Perez, head of people technology at Capital One, told The Playbook hybrid is here to stay and trust will continue to be critical.
“You’re going to have to put some sweat equity in that trust. Trust is an active term,” she said.
In a hybrid world, Jules-Perez said it’s important for leaders to be authentic and to foster clear agreement on the destination the organization is driving toward.
But, with recession fears looming and many managers suffering from “productivity paranoia,” experts say the battle over remote work is likely to intensify in 2023 if executives view a return to the office as an anecdote for sagging sales or to safeguard against an uneven economy. Penalties could be part of that mindset.
That approach could backfire. About 46% of workers said they would be a lot less willing to go the extra mile if they were no longer allowed remote or hybrid work options, while 39% would quit their job outright if the ability to work from home was taken away, according to a survey of 2,300 full-time American Workers by Owl Labs.
Regardless of the reason, productivity has slipped in 2022, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Experts point to a variety of potential factors, including burnout, as well as seeking out work-life balance and the right mix of pay for their work. “Quiet quitting,” or when workers do only the amount of labor they feel is fair, is a term that took the internet by storm earlier in 2022, even if the concept itself wasn’t new.
While many employees believe they are more productive at home, a large portion of executives and managers are resolute in their desire to end remote work in favor of being present in the office. About 65% of CEOs surveyed as part of KPMG’s 2022 CEO outlook found 65% of CEOs believe in-office work will be the go-to office environment in three years, compared to 28% for hybrid and 7% for fully remote.
A PwC Pulse Survey found 64% of executives agree their company needs people back onsite in order to achieve its strategic goals, up from the 59% who agreed in August 2021, according to the study. About 67% of executives are concerned with the slower-than-expected return to the office.
Piling on is a survey of 1,000 business leaders from ResumeBuilder.com, which found, while 66% of companies require employees to work from the office, about 90% will require employee to return in 2023. About 21% will fire workers who do not return to the office, while about 88% are offering incentives such as commuter benefits, higher pay and catered meals to lure workers back.
But 70% of workers say that, after a competitive salary, workplace flexibility is the most important job factor, according to a recent survey by The Conference Board. About 16% of workers left their job or intend to leave their job for the ability to work from anywhere.
“Many workers have reevaluated their priorities since the beginning of 2020 at the outset of Covid,” said Robin Erickson, vice president of human capital at The Conference Board, in a press release. “Employees are not only demanding to retain the flexibility they gained from being required to work remotely, but they expect genuine and transparent communications to continue from their leaders as well. That’s not to say that pay no longer matters — it’s just not the only thing that matters, or even the most important thing. Now, when looking for a job, workers are weighing a variety of factors unique to them and their needs.”