Being forced back to the office? You might find it’s not that bad
The push to get remote workers back to the office continues to snare more office workers who are still enjoying fully-remote work or hybrid schedules. As of now, 85% of office workers go into the office at least once a week, according to a survey conducted by ResumeBuilder.
For those dreading the return, an expectation reset may be in order.
The survey found 63% who’ve returned say going back to the office has improved their productivity. Younger workers are most likely to say so.
“They find it is easier for teamwork, motivation and communication,” said Stacie Haller, a career coach at ResumeBuilder. “But what’s interesting if you look underneath it is that about half of our respondents make under $75,000. So it is really a lot of folks who are building their career and need that experience of working with people.”
Not all of those who’ve returned to the office feel that way, with 13% saying it has worsened their productivity. And one in four of those say that is a result of resenting their employer for forcing them back.
“I am hearing grumblings out there of the inequities of who gets to go into the office and who doesn’t,” Haller said. “And if you start to resent your employer because of what your perceive as favoring other people, that’s when your productivity might slip. There is a little bit of passive-aggression going on there.”
The survey found 68% of workers would still prefer to work less frequently from the office. Haller thinks progressive employers are listening to what their employees are telling them they want and need.
“I think employees want to be listened to,” Haller said. “I think if employers give them some flexibility and say they understand they have a life, and there are days you may need to work from home, that is very helpful to some people. Just knowing they have the time if they need it, even though they are being asked to come back to the office.”
While many remote workers feel it frees them from office distractions, nearly half said they actually feel there are actually fewer distractions at work, many of whom may be parents with children at home.
Top complaints about returning to the office is it makes work/life balance more difficult and that commuting drains their energy.
ResumeBuilder’s survey was conducted online on June 15 and included responses from 1,500 full-time employees at a corporate job. The full survey results are online.