Dell Employee Morale Hits Lows as Return-to-Office Policy Takes Toll

After months of ramping up its return-to-office (RTO) efforts, Dell employees have responded with strong dissatisfaction.

Employees at Dell accuse management of ignoring their concerns after an annual survey revealed deep unhappiness across the company. The "Tell Dell" questionnaire, circulated for eight years, became a platform for employees to voice their opinions on Dell's increasingly stringent RTO policy. The feedback was overwhelmingly negative.

Widespread Anger at Dell’s RTO Policy

The annual survey results, shared with Business Insider, showed that around 98,000 employees participated. A key metric, the employee net promoter score (eNPS), which measures how employees rate Dell as a workplace, dropped significantly from 62 to 48. The global marketing team saw a 68% drop, with some teams' eNPS plummeting to zero.

Employees claim the survey results are being ignored. "It’s as if every leader was given the OK to ignore it," a Dell employee told Business Insider. In contrast to previous years, when management responded with action plans, this year’s results seem to have been downplayed. A Dell spokesperson told the news site that the eNPS is "just one question in a robust survey that gives us a current snapshot of employee sentiment."

Dell Culture Compromised

Discontent has been simmering since Dell reversed its remote working policy over a year ago. An internal memo mandated that all employees living within an hour of a Dell hub must be at their desk three days a week. This was despite CEO Michael Dell’s earlier statement on LinkedIn that companies enforcing office hours were "doing it wrong."

This move angered employees, with accusations that it was a "soft layoff" strategy, following widespread layoffs in February last year. This view gained traction when another leaked memo in February this year targeted hybrid workers for a compulsory three-day return, warning that non-compliance would be “career-limiting.”

RTO Fosters a Surveillance Society

Further aggravating the situation, a whistle-blower revealed to The Register in May that Dell had implemented a color-coding system to track employee attendance, potentially flagging persistent absentees with a red marker.

Despite the threats, many employees continue to work from home. Business Insider reported last month that nearly half of Dell’s full-time U

S workforce has rejected the RTO mandate.

Industry-Wide Trends

Dell’s stringent approach is reflected across various sectors. Elon Musk demanded that employees at X and Tesla return to the office. Apple faced initial resistance but eventually, CEO Tim Cook reinforced the RTO policy for collaboration purposes. Amazon has used surveillance to monitor employees who “coffee badge” — come to the office briefly to show their presence and then leave.

Employees are fighting back by either ignoring the mandates or openly expressing their sense of betrayal, as seen with SAP employees. Flexibility remains a top priority for workers, according to PwC’s Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey 2024. Employers who disregard this trend risk facing widespread non-compliance or even mass resignations.

Dell’s situation exemplifies the growing tension between corporate RTO policies and employees' desire for flexible working conditions. As the battle over workplace norms continues, companies must navigate these challenges carefully to maintain employee morale and productivity.