With some of the world’s biggest tech companies – including Amazon, Dell and Ubisoft – recently issuing full return to office (RTO) mandates, it looks as though 2025 will see even more firms make a greater effort to force workers back in.
3 in 4 of the business leaders surveyed in a new study confirmed that they were having issues with staff not complying with post-COVID RTO policies, with over half saying that they will be stricter about enforcing them next year.
Despite threats of firing or reductions in bonus and salary, companies are still looking for ways to ensure compliance with their RTO mandates. Many respondents also stated that a greater presence in the office would be beneficial to the career progression of staff.
Non-Compliance and Coffee Badging
The survey was carried out by resume experts ResumeTools, who asked 713 US-based business leaders (i.e. manager-level role or higher) about their companies’ RTO policies.
A massive 77% of respondents said that non-compliance was at least a minor problem for the business, with 8% reporting that it’s a major issue.
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Almost half (47%) said that their employees simply don’t turn up on designated office days. While 2 in 5 said that workers come in but don’t stay the whole day – a practice known as coffee badging in which an individual comes to the office, swipes their badge to register their presence and then heads for home.
“Employees Want Flexibility”
The result is that a total of 52% of respondents said that they are likely to be more strict in enforcing RTO policies in the new year. Two fifths said that they would definitely be stricter.
But ResumeTemplates’ chief career strategist, Julia Toothacre, warns businesses against becoming too heavy-handed with its employees.
She says that the reason for the non-compliance is largely because “companies decided to rule with an iron fist, which resulted in a loss of trust”. Many workers, she says, feel like they have been misled or lied to by their employers’ RTO mandates.
“Employees want flexibility, and when left without a choice, it makes sense that some have decided to cheat the system to take care of their family or themselves.” – Julia Toothacre, ResumeTemplates
Carrot or Stick Approach to RTO
The challenge of how to enforce such policies is not an easy one for business leaders to solve, as proved by staff rebellions at companies like Dell.
The survey results show that 21% lay off workers who refuse to comply, with 18% saying that bonuses are impacted. Strikingly, 7% said that staff who don’t follow RTO policies are subjected to ridicule.
But Toothacre believes that the prospect of quicker career progression is a better way to lure staff back: “promotions are more about relationships, visibility, and influence than they are about performance”.
And the survey showed that 49% of respondents said that employees who spend more time in the office will be more likely to get promoted, while 45% said that there’s a greater likelihood that they’ll receive a pay rise.
