Recent studies have found that companies that require employees to return to the office do not fare any better than those that do not. In fact, forcing people to give up remote work negatively impacts employee well-being and retention. A Gartner survey of 2,080 knowledge worker employees revealed that when companies force workers back to the office, their intent to stay with the organization declined by 8% on average. High-performing employees, women, and millennials were particularly affected, with their desire to stay dropping by 16%, 11%, and 10% respectively.
According to Caitlin Duffy, a research director in Gartner’s HR practice, mandated on-site requirements can have steep costs for talent attraction and retention, especially for high performers, women, and millennials who value flexibility. The survey also found that RTO mandates prioritize what leaders want over what employees believe they need to do good work.
Another study by the Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh concluded that RTO mandates do not improve an organization’s financial performance and can make workers less satisfied with their jobs and work-life balance. Similarly, a University of Pennsylvania study found that RTO mandates hurt employee satisfaction without significant changes in firm performance.
Contrary to RTO mandates, other studies have shown that remote work can actually improve worker productivity. For example, a survey published by Tech.co found that nearly half of companies experienced higher productivity from remote employees. Additionally, an Upwork survey revealed that one-third of hiring managers reported increased productivity since remote work policies were implemented.
2024-02-04 17:00:04
Article from www.computerworld.com