New research doesn't support return-to-office mandates, and neither do workers
There’s some good news for those of us who love sitting around in sweatpants all day, unshaven and unshowered, while still earning a steady income and contributing at least marginally to society. Sure, we may not be allowed to ply our trades among Elysian expanses of chip and chocolate pretzel crumbs—i.e., our beds and couches—forever, because those decisions are still up to The Man. But new research into so-called return-to-work mandates suggests that whatever motivation managers have for herding their employees back into cubicles, it has precious little to do with companies’ bottom lines.
While the COVID-19 pandemic upended the economy, interrupted millions of kids’ educations, and left untold emotional scars, it also ushered in a new workplace paradigm that could contribute significantly to employee retention and morale—if only managers have the foresight and courage to take advantage. But many employers are still insisting on bringing their workers back to the office grind, even as a persistently tight labor market gives those employees far more leverage and options.