Six in 10 employers want to bring their employees back to the office full-time within the next three years, according to a new Inside the Workplace survey from FM:Systems. But mandating that return can have a negative impact on employee satisfaction.
Half of the 549 U.S. business leaders FM:Systems surveyed reported that their employees are spending more time in the office than they were last year — 54% said this is due to mandates from management, while 44% cite incentives as the driver of increased in-office attendance. Almost half (46%) of survey participants said they think employee performance is better in the office, and improving company culture was the top reason they pressured employees to return.
“When you force people back to the office, which most people don’t like,” said the study’s author Mark Ma, “they react negatively to this mandate because they know they can do the job [remotely].” – Mark Ma, University of Pittsburgh
