The CEOs drawing a hard line on return-to-office policies – By Alex Christian (BBC) / Sept 5, 2023
Throughout the past couple of years, many employers have been relatively lenient about office returns, even in stricter industries like finance and consulting. In response, employees have largely shown a preference for remote work.
By July 2023, data from Kastle Systems, measuring entry swipes at office buildings, showed the average workplace occupancy among 41,000 businesses in the US sat at around 50%. In response to diminished attendance, some of the world’s biggest firms have even been forced to slash their real estate footprints.
“Senior leaders are running out of patience,” says Brent Cassell, vice president, advisory in the HR practice of consulting firm Gartner, based in Virginia, US. “Many companies formally introduced hybrid working schedules in spring 2022, but most strategies were characterised as soft reopenings: ‘We want you back, your badges work, we won’t check attendance’. But they realised after inviting them back and offering ‘Free Bagel Tuesdays’ that no one came.”
Now as employees return to work following summer breaks, many may well find that employers expect them to take up the commuter lifestyle again.
