The office beckons – or at least your boss does

Bosses want desks filled again. Employees are slower to give up remote days. The evidence on whether a full return helps productivity is still mixed — and in some analyses, worse after people came back.

If you went from pajamas to a commute at least part of the week, you are not alone. Employers are eager to repopulate offices. Workers are more reluctant. Amazon tech staff pushed back when CEO Andy Jassy required at least three office days a week. A Slack group of remote workers grew to 16,000 members, and 5,000 employees signed a petition against the policy.

Location is one reason. Some people took the digital-nomad option and now work from a beach. Others moved out of dense cities into suburbs, according to Pew, which means a longer commute if the boss wants them back at a desk — and more space, maybe even a real home office, when they stay put. Our study of commuting time saved by American remote workers puts a number on that trade. Below: why offices are calling, what the surveys actually say, and how to treat in-office days like any other benefit you might negotiate.

What are the pluses of remote work?

Most companies already require some office time, or say they will — but hybrid is the compromise, and many workers would rather change jobs than go back five days a week.

Employee voices are loud. The vast majority of companies already have, or say they will, require an office appearance at least some of the time. The offset: employers may want you back, yet they are increasingly fine with a hybrid schedule, and most have done little to force a full return (aside from well-publicized lines such as Elon Musk's return-or-resign stance).

That caution may be in their interest. Seventy-six percent of respondents to executive search firm Curran, Daly + Associates' Return to Office survey said they want their next job to be fully remote. Add the Robert Half finding that 50 percent of workers would rather find another job than go back to the office full time, and the message is clear: employers who want to keep people will have to offer remote or flexible schedules.

Happy employees also stay longer. Working from home at least part of the time raises happiness rates by 20 percent, TrackingHappiness found. (Throwing a load in the dryer between meetings still beats a Sunday of four loads after five days of commuting.) For more of those figures, see our roundup of remote work statistics.

Clear rules also make people happier. Coming out of the pandemic, most businesses have written down remote work so employees know how flexible the week can be. In fact, 89 percent surveyed by KPMG either established or planned to establish a consistent policy. Telecommunications and technology led that work, which is no surprise.

Why do bosses want you back?

Most of the case for return-to-office rests on beliefs about culture, communication, and management — plus a gap between how executives experience the office and how everyone else does.

C-suite occupants and senior managers see the workplace differently from the people they manage, and their home lives often look different too. Slack senior vice president Brian Elliot told CNBC: “Executives have a better setup at work. They probably have an office with a door. They probably don't have the same childcare issues as many employees.”

Managers and executives at medium and large companies want employees back in the office, Fiverr found. A full third believe employees work harder when a manager is watching, and a quarter think people take shorter breaks when they are being timed.

Small business owners are even more willing to force the issue. Of 1,500 owners questioned by Digital, 39 percent said they wanted everyone back on site and would consider firing people who did not comply.

Forty-five percent of those owners also said they saw a drop in employee productivity. Other studies have found remote work raises productivity to varying degrees. Perception can beat a spreadsheet here — measuring productivity is messy. A Fortune analysis of productivity data argues that the largest drop among workers happened after the return to the office. Productivity rose from the second quarter of 2020 — the start of lockdown — through the end of 2021, when employers began mandating a return.

Money plays a role too. Many businesses negotiate tax breaks with cities for keeping offices there. The theory is that workers spend money and pay taxes where they work. That story weakens if most people work from home most of the time.

What actually happened after the call to return?

Occupancy rose after a post-summer push, but many people show up for part of the day or book off-site meetings on required office days. The mix is still being negotiated.

Employers made a big post-summer push to get people back. It worked to a degree: office occupancy rose in early September, while some employees split the day or scheduled client meetings away from the building on in-office days. If you are back even part-time, office etiquette is the small stuff; the larger fight is still about days on site.

Sector	Number of days
Information and technology	2.68
Finance and insurance	2.23
Professional and business services	2.02

The working world has already shifted. Employers and employees are still arguing over what the map looks like next. If your employer wants more office days than you want to give, try negotiating — the same way you would for a raise or another benefit — after they already see you as someone they need to keep.

Frequently asked questions

Why do bosses want people back in the office?

Mostly culture, communication, and a belief that management is easier in person. Fiverr found a third of managers at medium and large firms think people work harder when watched, and a quarter think breaks get shorter. Small-business owners in a Digital.com survey were willing to fire over a full return (39%).

Will I have to go back full time?

Often no. Hybrid is the common compromise, and 50% of workers in a Robert Half survey would rather change jobs than return full time. Some employers still keep a fully remote track — Adobe, Capital One, Deutsche Bank, Ford, Google, Indeed, LinkedIn, and Salesforce were on that list when this piece was reported. Always verify the current policy.

Did productivity fall when people worked from home?

Some owners say yes (45% in the Digital.com sample). A Fortune analysis of productivity data found the largest drop after return-to-office mandates, with gains from Q2 2020 through the end of 2021. Measuring output is not simple; do not treat either camp as settled science.

How do I negotiate fewer office days?

Treat in-office time like any other benefit. Wait until they already want you, then propose a schedule with proof of output. Put location preference on the resume so you are not surprised in week four. If the commute is the real cost, bring hours — our commuting-time ranking shows how much a city actually takes back.

Which industries still work remotely the most days?

Korn Ferry reported information and technology at 2.68 remote days, finance and insurance at 2.23, and professional and business services at 2.02. Those are averages, not a promise in every posting.