Push to Get Workers Back in the Office Is Meeting Resistance

Many large companies are tightening their return-to-the-office policies, but workers aren't exactly flooding back to their desks. Names like Microsoft, Paramount, and NBCUniversal are ramping up in-person requirements, with some, such as Paramount, telling employees to return full time or consider a buyout. The New York Times and Microsoft have also increased their in-office quotas, while NBCUniversal has offered "voluntary exit assistance packages" for those unable to comply, reports the Wall Street Journal.

• Over the summer, Fortune reported that, for the first time since COVID, more than half of all desk workers at Fortune 100 firms were now working at places with full in-office requirements.

• However, despite these louder calls for in-person work, office attendance across the US remains stubbornly flat, per the Journal. Data from the workplace think tank Work Forward shows companies have boosted office requirements by 12% compared to early 2024, but many employees are still working from home about a quarter of the time—about the same as in 2023.
• Some managers tasked with enforcing these rules are less than enthusiastic themselves, with a recent survey finding that nearly half of senior managers would accept a pay cut to keep working remotely.
• Logistical headaches haven't helped. Amazon ran out of desks and parking after pushing for full-time office returns, prompting a temporary retreat on the office push in some cities. Dell faced similar snags.

• Meanwhile, some companies are experimenting with other protocols: For instance, at Axon, new hires must show up four days a week, but current staff can largely stick with remote or hybrid routines.
• CNBC notes that multiple reasons may underlie the push to get workers back in their cubes, including not wanting office space with expensive rent to remain empty, as well as a belief that staffers are simply more productive in person. Tougher return-to-office mandates also sometimes coincide with layoffs or attrition, which analysts say may be intentional, effectively encouraging departures without formal layoffs.
• Still, enforcement is inconsistent, and companies rarely crack down unless someone misses a large share of their required days.