GM delays return-to-office plan to 2023, just days after it said staff would be required to come back this year

Recently, GM told staff to return to the office later this year but five days later, executives postponed the plan after further discussion.

• GM pushed back its return-to-office plans, just days after telling staff they'd have to come in.
• On Friday, the company told staff to expect to return at least three days a week this year. 
• But a memo sent the following Tuesday said the change will not begin before the first quarter of 2023.

General Motors has walked back a call for corporate staff to return to the office later this year, less than a week after announcing it to workers. 

On Friday, the company told corporate staff that are currently working remotely that they'd be expected to work in person at least three days a week, starting later this year. 

However, in a memo seen by Insider, senior leaders walked back the plans on Tuesday, telling workers that the change will not begin before the first quarter of 2023. The "clarification" came after dialogue that had taken place since Friday's announcement, GM said. 

Executives also have no plans to mandate which days employees return, and instead will leave the decision to individual teams and managers, GM said.  

"As we move to a more regular in-person work cycle, our plan is to collaboratively design the solution that best balances the needs of the enterprise with the needs of employees. We're spending the next few weeks listening to feedback and will work to incorporate it into our plans," a GM spokesperson told Insider. 

Workers across various industries have been enjoying greater flexibility following the widespread shift to remote work during the pandemic. However, this has sometimes caused tension between their bosses who want them to return to the office.

As a major manufacturer, a significant part of GM's workforce work in factories or in roles that require them to work on the premises. But others have the flexibility to choose how and where they work, under CEO Mary Barra's "Work Appropriately" plan announced in 2021. 

Around 2,300 people work at the Renaissance Center in Detroit, GM's global headquarters, according to the company's website.

GM is among several high-profile companies to have faced challenges getting staff to return. Some Apple staffers have been fighting CEO Tim Cook's call for them to return to the office at least three days a week.