Managers and Employees Don’t See Eye-to-Eye on a Return to the Office

More than four out of 10 employees responding to a poll said they would consider quitting if asked to return to the office full time.

According to a study from the freelance work platform Fiverr, 47 percent of business leaders plan to change remote-work policies in 2023 and bring employees back to the office, Fast Company reported. In a survey of more than 1,000 managers and executives and 1,000 business owners, the study found:

• 1/3 of managers said that employees are more motivated when they know they are being watched by managers.
• 1/4 of managers said workers will take shorter breaks in the office.
• 1/4 of managers are concerned about paying for unused office space.
• 42 percent of managers said they want employees to have easier access to company resources, such as computers.
• 2/3 of executives want employees back full time, compared to roughly half of middle managers.
• 67 percent of bosses at companies with more than 500 employees want employees back full time, versus 45 percent of bosses at companies with under 100 employees.

But employees beg to differ:

• 42 percent of employees polled said they would consider quitting if asked to return to the office full time.
• 61 percent of employees would return to the office if they got a raise.
• 21 percent of employees said no incentive could make them take up their daily commute again.

Casey Gale is managing editor of Convene.

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