Many Americans Would Look for New Jobs if Forced Back to Office

The return to the office is well underway, but it might spell trouble for companies who offer their employees no choice but in-person work.

With commuting costs racking up a pretty penny and the flexibility of pandemic era remote work still preferred, more than one in three Americans who work fully or partly from home say they'd either quit or look for another job if their employer ordered them back to the office full-time, according to the Owl Labs' State of Hybrid Work 2023 report.

Specifically, one in three of these workers would start to look for a new job, with 6 percent saying they would full on quit.

The report, compiled by video conferencing company Owl Labs, found that the majority of Americans prefer the flexibility of working hybrid, based on the responses of 2,000 full-time workers in the United States in June.

And while most U.S. employees have returned to the office full-time at 66 percent, there's a growing number that say they'd look for different jobs if their employer does this with no flexible options.

Roughly 62 percent of respondents said they'd take a pay cut of 10 percent or more as long as they could achieve flexibility where they work.

The issue of staying or leaving a once hybrid job that is now fully in office is a question each employee has to contend with based on their unique life circumstances. But it's an issue that appears more gendered in nature—10 percent of female employees said they would quit if required to swap hybrid working for office working compared to just 1 percent of men, which could reveal differing childcare and family expectations at home.

The costs of returning to the office can also be high, both financially and personally, with commuter workers spending an average of $51 per day to go to the office, according to Business Insider.

Workers have shared their frustrations and concerns with employers forcing them back to the office full time, with a vocal group believing it serves the company while just hurting employees, whose life circumstances might demand more flexibility.

"After three wonderful years of waking up five minutes before my morning standups, spending breaks walking my dogs in a nearby forest or taking care of chores so I didn't have to spend my weekends on them, and saving thousands of dollars on commute expenses my work's executive team announced a mandatory return to office this morning," one Redditor shared on an anti-work conversation forum.

"This comes after they repeatedly announcing that work from home has been a resounding success, has improved productivity, and has saved the company millions. Even promising in writing that work from home would be a permanent change."

While many other employees have moved or sold cars due to the promises of the company, they now risk being fired if they don't comply, the employee said.

"Leadership has refused to provide any data supporting their new claims that working from home is inefficient and does not allow for effective communication, and instead has insisted that we trust that they know what is best for the company," the user continued.

Others feel requiring in-office work could have unforeseen consequences for the overall state of work.

"All I'm saying is I hope these employers ending remote work and demanding their staff come back into the office understand that it is so much easier to organize a union when you're all together like that," said X (formerly known as Twitter) user Maura Quint (@behindyourback).

The comment started an outpouring of frustrated workers criticizing the actions of companies to end remote work.

"Best part is that all the offices are like, 'you need to be here at least 3 days a week' No, 2 days would have been fine. You're just being petty," wrote Wendle Esq on the platform.

Others feel that the coronavirus provided a unique opportunity to reanalyze how best workplaces can function, but not all employers are learning those lessons.

"I never cared where our employees worked or even if they worked eight hours a day. Just get the work done," Twitter user @beaudeluxe said. "I always thought if they were really smart, they'd find a way to get it done in 3 to 4 hours and spend the rest of the day in the park or beach."

Still, an increasing number of businesses in various sectors have pushed for work back in the office, touting the benefits of a staff that can more closely work together in the same room. Social networking, diversity and productivity are all said to be important advantages of a workforce that works in person together at least some of the time.

Even Zoom, the technology firm behind many remote work and school meetings during the pandemic, has mandated all employees return to the office part of the week, alongside tech giants like Amazon.

For younger workers, working in the office may prove even more advantageous, as they look to learn from more experienced employees and learn the ropes of their industry.

"While some employers have somewhat traditional mindsets that drive their mandates for bringing employees back to the office, many think more broadly than that," Mark Clark, a business professor at American University, told Newsweek.

"They recognize that innovation arises from frequent and often spontaneous interactions, building relationships that enable people to risk sharing ideas that aren't yet fully developed. Employers also see that their newer recruits need to interact with more seasoned employees, spurring both sets to learn professional skills and update their ways of thinking."

More Flexible Working Styles

Another new trend is the action of "coffee badging" or going into the office to show your face for a few hours and then leaving.

The Owl Labs report found more than half of hybrid employees have "coffee badged," with another 8 percent saying they'd like to try it.

Many employers have touted in-person office work as necessary for high levels of productivity and meeting bottom lines. But current trends reflect employees don't feel this is the case.

A whopping 91 percent of survey respondents said they are the same or more productive in their working style.

"Even a few years ago, the thought of working in a hybrid arrangement was—excuse the pun—remote to most people," Nela Richardson, chief economist at ADP, previously told CNBC Make It. "But now it's clear that hybrid work and the desire for flexibility after two years of working from home is not going away—in fact, it's growing in momentum."

The desire to quit if an employer asks for full-time office work may be less related to an aversion to the office itself and more a desire for greater control over their working style.

"It's not just that people want to work from their houses—they might have spotty WiFi, and not everyone wants to stare at dirty dishes while they're trying to focus," Richardson said. "But people have gotten used to having more autonomy over their work the past two years, whether it's being able to pick their kids up from daycare or going to doctor's appointments without having to ask for time off."