Report Finds 1 in 4 Employers Use Return-to-Office Mandates to Push Staff Out

"25% of VP and C-suite Executives Admit They Anticipated Voluntary Resignations with Return-to-Office Policies"

The push for employees to return to the office, which has troubled white-collar workers for years, may have been partly intended to encourage resignations. A recent study reveals that one in four VP and C-suite executives admitted they hoped to see voluntary turnover as a result of ending remote work in their organizations. This insight sheds light on why many companies decided to terminate hybrid and remote work policies, despite their benefits for productivity and support for employees with disabilities or caregiving responsibilities.

Quarter of Executives Confess to Wanting Staff to Resign

A BambooHR study surveyed 1,504 full-time US employees about remote work, revealing varied productivity preferences: some thrive in-person, while others excel remotely. Notably, the study highlights a link between remote work and office downsizing. About 28% of remote workers feared they would be laid off before their in-office counterparts. Additionally, the push to return to the office could drive employees to seek new jobs.

“Nearly 37% of managers, directors, and executives believe layoffs occurred because fewer employees than expected quit during their return-to-office (RTO) initiatives. This belief is supported by the fact that 25% of VP and C-suite executives, along with 18% of HR professionals, admitted they hoped for voluntary turnover during RTO.”

The 25% of executives who view RTO as a tool for reducing staff may not fully represent all executives, as this is only the percentage willing to publicly acknowledge this motive.

Is This the Reason Executives Dislike Remote Work?

This revelation aligns with existing quotes and statistics on the in-person versus remote work debate across industries.

For instance, Mike Hopkins, SVP of Amazon Video and Studios, admitted last year that he has "no data either way" regarding Amazon's return-to-office mandate. The company is even denying promotions to remote workers, seemingly without supporting data. However, if the goal is to increase voluntary turnover, this strategy might make sense.

The findings also support a study from last month, which found that the push to return to the office is causing high performers to leave companies at a higher rate than lower performers. This technically increases voluntary turnover, even if it’s not the type executives are aiming for.

Previously, the primary reason for executives' insistence on ending remote work was thought to be the need to justify real estate investments. Now, there’s another plausible explanation.

Working Remotely Despite the Challenges

I know what you’re thinking—it’s time to figure out how to get these executives on their own voluntary turnover journey. Productivity is suffering due to the RTO push, and it seems many executives are willing to sacrifice productivity if it makes their employees unhappy.

The white-collar work environment is unstable right now, with layoffs, inflation, price hikes, and in-office work mandates all combining forces like infinity stones in the hands of a C-suite executive intent on destroying your work-life balance.

Despite this, finding a remote work position is still possible. We regularly compile the best open positions at remote-friendly tech companies like Microsoft and Google, so keep an eye out and prepare your best interview responses.