A recent study has uncovered a startling truth about post-pandemic work culture: return to office (RTO) mandates might be a covert strategy to reduce workforce numbers. 

Conducted by HR software company BambooHR, the survey involved over 1,500 employees, including a significant portion working in HR, and its findings paint a grim picture of today's workplace dynamics.

The study indicates that the push for RTO has largely failed, with one particularly striking statistic revealing that 25% of executives and 20% of HR professionals hoped these mandates would lead to staff departures. This admission highlights a strategic intent behind RTO policies, suggesting they were seen as a means to encourage resignations without resorting to overt layoffs.

Indeed, some employees did leave their positions in response to RTO mandates at major companies, but the numbers were insufficient to meet corporate downsizing goals. The study found that more than a third (37%) of leadership believed their organizations had implemented layoffs in the past year due to insufficient voluntary resignations following RTO enforcement. 

Additionally, nearly the same proportion suspected that the real motive behind bringing employees back to the office was closer monitoring.

This shift back to office work has fostered a workplace culture that is increasingly performative, suspicious, and divisive, according to the study's conclusions. Both remote and in-office employees feel compelled to demonstrate their productivity, with over a third of respondents indicating that being visibly active and social at work is a key aspect of their daily routine. This drive to be seen may, paradoxically, be undermining actual productivity.

Anita Grantham, BambooHR’s head of HR and the study's author, noted that 42% of surveyed employees attend the office primarily to be seen by their superiors. This suggests that the physical presence of employees is not necessarily translating into greater productivity. On the contrary, both remote and in-office workers reported spending around two hours each day not working, with those in-office likely dedicating this time to appearing busy rather than completing tasks.

Away from the office, remote employees experience their own pressures, driven by the "green status effect," where they feel obligated to remain constantly online and available to prove their presence. This phenomenon highlights the pervasive culture of distrust and performance that many companies have adopted.

Grantham emphasized the detrimental impact of these cultures on company growth, stating, "The distrusting and performative cultures some companies are cultivating are harmful to bottom-line growth." She argued that while RTO policies can be beneficial, they must consider individual employee needs to be effective. "The conversation around work modes is one of the most important things to address and get clear on as a business. It often gets reduced to just RTO, but it's actually a much bigger conversation." 

The study’s findings align with broader trends and observations in the workforce. Economist Nick Bloom declared the return to office trend effectively dead late last year, noting that implementation rates had plateaued and remote work had emerged victorious. By early 2024, financial results corroborated this, showing no significant profit improvements attributable to RTO policies.

Additionally, the survey highlighted a significant oversight by companies enforcing RTO: 22% of HR professionals admitted their organizations had no metrics to measure the success of RTO mandates. This lack of evaluation underscores the hastiness and potential mismanagement of RTO implementations, contributing to widespread employee dissatisfaction.

Employee happiness metrics, as tracked by BambooHR, hit an all-time low at the end of 2023, driven primarily by low pay. However, the study also identified increased workplace surveillance and a lack of autonomy as significant contributors to this decline.

Grantham proposed that the key to successful work arrangements—be they remote, in-office, or hybrid—lies in cultivating an open culture that values employee feedback and eschews micromanagement. "The mental and emotional burdens workers face today are real, and the companies who seek employee feedback with the intent to listen and improve are the ones who will win," she concluded.

The study highlights the critical need for organizations to rethink their approach to workplace policies in the post-pandemic era. While RTO mandates may have been intended to reduce headcount subtly, their implementation has often been hasty and counterproductive, leading to a more stressed and less productive workforce. The path forward, as suggested by Grantham, involves a more nuanced and employee-centric approach that acknowledges the diverse needs of today’s workforce and prioritizes genuine engagement and well-being over superficial measures of productivity.