Bosses Admit Using 'Return To Office' Mandate To Get Workers To Quit: Survey

Author: Michael Juliano | July 24, 2024 06:21pm

As the COVID-19 pandemic faded away and people were less required to practice social distancing, bosses began demanding that their employees return to the office (RTO) instead of performing their jobs at home.

This led to droves of workers who wanted to keep working from home to quit their jobs in what became known as the “Great Resignation,” but that’s what some bosses wanted them to do, according to a survey by Bamboo HR.

The analysis revealed that 25% of vice presidents and executives and 18% of human resources professionals admit they hoped for “some voluntary turnover” during an RTO mandate, proving why they are actually “layoffs in disguise,” Bamboo HR said.

“Nearly two in five (37%) managers, directors and executives believe their organization enacted layoffs in the last year because fewer employees than they expected quit during their RTO,” the survey said.

Read Now: Why Meta’s Return To Office Is A ‘Mess:’ From Sitting On Floors To ‘Hot Desks’ Dilemma, And Pending Remote Work Requests

Whatever the intention ultimately is, some companies are instituting policies to bring employees back to the office.

Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM), a San Francisco-based software company, is now pushing to bring the majority of its employees back into the office, the San Francisco Standard reported.

Certain workers in sales, workplace services, data center engineering and onsite support technicians under the chief information officer will need to show up to the office four to five days a week, starting in October.

Salesforce’s other departments will be required to show up to the office three days a week through an “office-flex” arrangement, while certain engineering roles will need to come in only at least 10 days each quarter.

Salesforce notified employees of the RTO policy through a memo that also said the company will start tracking when employees scan their badges next month.

Salesforce said employees will have "full visibility" of this data, which will measure attendance against quarterly goals set by each team.

Read Now:

• Amazon’s Rigid Return-To-Office Policy Triggers Employee Exodus: Report

Photo: Shutterstock

Posted In: CRM