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Tech CEOs are backtracking on RTO mandates—now, just 3% want workers in the office full-time
(finance.yahoo.com)
- Tech CEOs have been trying to force workers back into the office for the past two years, often threatening layoffs.
- However, a new study shows that tech bosses are now backing down from their demands.
- Only 3% of tech companies now require workers to be in the office full-time, down from 8% last year.
- The study, conducted by Flex Index, analyzed the flexible work policies of 2,670 tech companies employing over 11 million people.
- The number of fully flexible tech firms has increased from 75% in 2023 to 79% this year.
- The most popular policy among tech firms is now the "employee's choice" model, where employees can choose when and where they work.
- This model is now used by 56% of tech firms, up from 38% in 2023.
- Only 18% of firms now dictate which days their workers need to work from the office.
- Despite tech companies being well-positioned to work from home, many CEOs have flip-flopped on their remote work policies.
- In 2020, companies like Meta, Twitter, and Shopify announced they would leverage remote work, but many have since backtracked on those promises.
- A survey of US CEOs by KPMG found that only one-third expect a full return to the office in the next three years, down from 62% last year.
- Resistance from workers has been cited as a reason for the change in CEO attitudes towards remote work.
- Amazon is an example of how contentious the RTO battle can be, with around 30,000 employees signing a petition against the company's in-office mandate.
- Dropbox co-founder and CEO Drew Houston summed up the situation, saying that CEOs keep hitting the "go-back-to-2019" button, but it's not working.
I feel like the option has been working in a bullpen like area for one or two days a week.
You get a lot more of the small questions that people ask in person but seem resistant over Teams or a phone call.
You also get to hear other interactions, which can be valuable. Seeing someone else go through a new task can be a learning experience, or you can see someone else struggling with a task and help them.
You don't really get that in corporate mandated fun time, and introverts need the time to better get to know others as they slowly open up. That said, the value of face time goes down from 2 days a week and there is some value in having alone work time.