Nearly 80% of US corporate CEOs are predicting a full return to the office (RTO) within the next three years.
Not only this, but a recent survey has revealed that they believe employees who push back could see their careers falter.
This survey comes at a time when companies are now sharply dividing between those embracing flexible working; and those mandating strict RTO policies.
Dramatic Shift in RTO Views
The KPMG survey took in the views of 1300 CEOs, 400 of which are US-based, and covered everything from AI investment to net-zero goals.
But it is the hard line on hybrid working that has caught attention. This is because a KPMG survey carried out earlier this year recorded only 34% of CEOs saying that there would be a full return to the office. That figure is now 79%.
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Of those interviewed, only 17% said that roles that had traditionally been office-based might be hybrid, which was a climb down from 46% in the earlier survey. And only 4% envisaged roles being fully remote.
Wave of RTO Mandates
As Inc.com states, the shift seems to be driven by the increasing number of multinational companies, which are taking a tough stance on getting their employees back into the office.
Elon Musk’s employees at Tesla and X were given their RTO mandates more than two years ago; and the execs at Tesla have adopted extreme measures including tracking office attendance and even turning up at the homes of sick employees.
Despite widespread anger among employees, Dell has pushed ahead with a five-day RTO policy as has Amazon, whose employees will start their return to full time office attendance from January.
Non-compliance to be Punished
In a move that also mirrors the big tech players, 86% of the CEOs surveyed revealed that they “will reward employees who make an effort to come into the office with favorable assignments, raises or promotions”.
While companies including Dell and X seem to have taken more of a stick than a carrot approach, companies both small and huge are signaling that not being present in the office may hinder an employee’s career progression.
However, some companies are opting for a RTO policy but still supporting flexible hours. What remains to be seen is whether enough companies will offer hybrid and flexible working policies that employees facing strict mandates may have the option of looking elsewhere.