Tech CEOs have spent the last two years forcing workers back into the office—but now, research shows they've given up in the tug-of-war battle on working from home.
  • Tech CEOs have been trying to force workers back into the office for the past two years, often threatening layoffs.
  • However, a new study shows that tech bosses are now backing down from their demands.
  • Only 3% of tech companies now require workers to be in the office full-time, down from 8% last year.
  • The study, conducted by Flex Index, analyzed the flexible work policies of 2,670 tech companies employing over 11 million people.
  • The number of fully flexible tech firms has increased from 75% in 2023 to 79% this year.
  • The most popular policy among tech firms is now the “employee’s choice” model, where employees can choose when and where they work.
  • This model is now used by 56% of tech firms, up from 38% in 2023.
  • Only 18% of firms now dictate which days their workers need to work from the office.
  • Despite tech companies being well-positioned to work from home, many CEOs have flip-flopped on their remote work policies.
  • In 2020, companies like Meta, Twitter, and Shopify announced they would leverage remote work, but many have since backtracked on those promises.
  • A survey of US CEOs by KPMG found that only one-third expect a full return to the office in the next three years, down from 62% last year.
  • Resistance from workers has been cited as a reason for the change in CEO attitudes towards remote work.
  • Amazon is an example of how contentious the RTO battle can be, with around 30,000 employees signing a petition against the company’s in-office mandate.
  • Dropbox co-founder and CEO Drew Houston summed up the situation, saying that CEOs keep hitting the “go-back-to-2019” button, but it’s not working.
  • mesamuneEnglish
    70•1 month ago

    We had a huge push to RTO…then the higher ups stopped showing up, which ment the workers were the only ones that really had to do it. So they stopped as well (whos going to snitch?) Now its back to once a week which is even less than before the RTO announcement. No one cares and it was over a year ago.

    • PunkieEnglish
      36•1 month ago

      I have had two tech jobs like that, even before COVID, starting in 2016. The first time, it was a company that outgrew their workspace. They put us in ‘rent-an-office’ spaces for a bit, and then my boss started working from home a few days a week. Then he allowed me to. We moved to a new office, but it was always empty in my section. That was fine, too, but the commute was terrible, so I started doing 2 days a week, then once a week, then a few times a month. I rarely saw my other coworkers in person, and nobody said anything aloud.

      The next job started because of COVID, and when they started doing RTO, they also wanted to do “hot desking” (no assigned seating) and open office plans, and I was not having that. I was not going to work in a “cafeteria” like setting. So I got contracted work and have worked from home 100% for several years now. Nobody has office space, and we work all over the world to collaborate. I get paid very well.

      I hope i never had to go back to an office. I reach retirement age in about 15 years, and I am hoping to make it.

      • mesamuneEnglish
        18•1 month ago

        Sound like a good gig. Ive floated the idea of going back to being a contractor, but my job is very flexable and im liking it quite a lot. Its tempting…

        “Hot desking” sounds terrible! Theres a reason people decorate their seating and have their own place! And open office…thats a productivity killer.

    • HobbitFoot English
      14•1 month ago

      Yeah. If management isn’t going to show up, then there isn’t a reason for everyone else to show up.

      That said, there are benefits to having some face time with people that you don’t get from full remote. It just has to be done in a thoughtful way.

      • @[email protected]English
        6•1 month ago

        Not part of the corporate scene, but is it necessary those face time benefits occur at the office in a work context? Or could it be a monthly BBQ?

        Oh wait, that either takes precious weekend hours or we’re back in office time, even if we’re outdoors.

        Nvm.

        • HobbitFoot English
          8•1 month ago

          I feel like the option has been working in a bullpen like area for one or two days a week.

          You get a lot more of the small questions that people ask in person but seem resistant over Teams or a phone call.

          You also get to hear other interactions, which can be valuable. Seeing someone else go through a new task can be a learning experience, or you can see someone else struggling with a task and help them.

          You don’t really get that in corporate mandated fun time, and introverts need the time to better get to know others as they slowly open up. That said, the value of face time goes down from 2 days a week and there is some value in having alone work time.