As companies like Amazon and JPMorgan lead the charge in enforcing return-to-office (RTO) mandates, new survey results from TopResume, the world’s largest resume-writing service, shed light on how American workers truly feel about the shift. According to a survey of 1,000 career-driven U.S. employees, remote workers are pushing back, with many unwilling to give up the flexibility they’ve grown accustomed to over the past several years since the global pandemic.
Key findings from the survey include the following.
- Over half (60%) of remote workers report that employers have demanded more in-office time in the last two years, with 38% being required to return to the office five days a week.
- One in six employees say they would quit their job if forced to return to the office full-time, signaling potential loss for companies enforcing strict RTO policies.
- Over one-third of millennials intend to defy RTO mandates, with 37% planning to ignore company policies and either continue working remotely or go to the office less frequently than required.
- Most (96%) workers agree that carefully selected incentives, such as flexible schedules and pay raises, could be key to enticing them back to the office.
- Two in five employees believe RTO would significantly decrease their job satisfaction, citing concerns over work-life balance and mental health.
“As more companies push for employees to return to the office, workers are increasingly voicing concerns over the loss of flexibility and its detrimental impact on mental health and work-life balance as outweighing any productivity improvements,” says Amanda Augustine, career expert for TopResume and certified career coach. “While offering enticing incentives may help, workers’ growing need for flexibility and autonomy remains a significant challenge for businesses who refuse to bend.”
