Are return-to-office mandates the new generational divide?

It takes something extraordinary to change the way we’ve always done things. Overnight, the Covid-19 pandemic changed America’s relationship with work.

Now, almost four years later, companies and workers are trying to rebuild a new way of working. And as return-to-office (RTO) mandates start pouring in, we’re seeing generational differences emerge over whether it’s better to work remote, hybrid, or be fully back in the office.

Growth of remote working

Between 2019 and 2021, the number of people primarily working from home in the U.S. tripled from 5.7% (which is around 9 million people) to 17.9% (around 27.6 million people), according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

How have things changed since? By March 2023, about a third (35%) of workers who have jobs that can be done remotely were working from home all of the time, the Pew Research Center found, while 41% were working a hybrid schedule, up from 35% in January 2022.

During the height of Covid-19 lockdowns, companies knew it made sense for employees to stay at home if they could. But as vaccines emerged and lockdowns and rules eased, everyone was left to figure out what to do next. Rent was being paid on offices that weren’t fully occupied, but not every employee, or company, wanted to be wholly back in the office.

On top of this, there were worries about staff productivity while working remotely. For some, being at home led to higher levels of productivity, and a better way of balancing work and life. But some employers preferred to have employees in the office, rather than working alone.

Returning to the office

Those concerns about productivity were highlighted when Amazon announced that office staff had to return to the office at least three days a week. CEO Andy Jassy said in a memo that: “It’s easier to learn, model, practice, and strengthen our culture when we’re in the office together most of the time and surrounded by our colleagues.”

This news came amidst layoffs as the e-commerce company adjusted to post-pandemic business, but even despite staff protests over issues including the RTO mandate, Amazon put even more emphasis on office time by the end of 2023.

It wasn’t the only major company introducing RTO mandates. In late 2023, Goldman Sachs asked its employees to be in the office five days a week. Google expects most employees to be in the office three days a week, while EY and KPMG have also announced RTO mandates.

Which is better?

The introduction of the mandates is forcing employers to ask what works better for their company, and workers to question what helps them have the best work-life balance. After all, the pandemic had even allowed some people to move away from big cities for a quieter and less expensive life.

For some, hybrid working offers the best of both worlds for everyone. It means face time with colleagues and management, and creative thinking time. On the work-from-home days, workers get flexibility in terms of time and leisure.

Now a study, The Evolution of Work from Home, from José María Barrero, Nicholas Bloom, and Steven J. Davis, which was published at the tail end of 2023, gives some crucial insights into how generational divides can occur over RTO mandates.

Generational divides at work

For starters, work-from-home intensity varies by age in the United States, being lowest among people in their early 20s and peaking among those in their 30s, says the study.

“People in their 20s have high returns to professional networking, on-the-job training, and mentoring—activities that benefit greatly from in-person interactions,” the authors say.

“Young workers may also place more value on socializing at the workplace or nearby… People in their 30s and early 40s are more likely to live with children and face long commutes, raising the appeal of working from home.”

The study adds: “Older employees may be less keen to work from home because they no longer have childcare responsibilities, or simply because they like to socialize at the workplace.”

In other words, depending on what life stage you’re at, there are different elements to working from home or the office that might appeal to you.

Impact of return to the office

So when introducing RTO mandates, companies might be forcing some employee cohorts to feel the new schedule isn’t right for them, which could lead to people leaving the company or being unhappy in their role.

Added to this is the fact that research has found that fully remote jobs are more likely to be offered at higher salary scales, which would impact younger Gen Z workers who do want to stay remote.

For some, the solution is to switch roles. For others, it’s to talk about these changes. While some older generations are used to dealing with HR issues privately, Gen Z have been airing their concerns online. TikTok trends like “quiet quitting” and “lazy girl jobs” have been getting traction for highlighting the career anxieties of young people.

So if there’s anywhere where the generational divide will be played out, it will be social media – where employers and employees alike will get to see people’s unfiltered opinions on this latest major change in the world of work.

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