Return-To-Office Mandates Pushing Out Highly Skilled Workers, Study Shows

"The findings also indicate that working parents and caregivers (often women), as well as employees with disabilities who require workplace accommodations, are being pushed out. "The probability of more skilled employees departing after RTO mandates is 77% higher than that of less skilled workers, and the probability of senior employees departing after RTO mandates is 36% higher than that of junior workers," said Mark Ma, an associate professor of business administration at the University of Pittsburgh."

"The policies are widening a generational rift, as many millennial and Gen Z workers push back against the move. Despite executives promoting full-time, in-office work as better for efficiency, creativity, and culture, it remains the least favored option-especially among employees in their 20s and 30s. Experts caution that the tension could lead to burnout, disengagement, and a loss of top talent."

Return-to-office mandates are prompting departures among top performers, senior staff, working parents, caregivers, and employees requiring workplace accommodations. More skilled employees face a 77% higher probability of leaving after RTO mandates than less skilled workers, while senior employees have a 36% higher probability of departing than junior employees. Major firms are calling employees back to office five days a week, and roughly 34% of U.S. firms now require full-time office attendance. The mandates deepen generational divides, reduce favorability among younger workers, and raise risks of burnout, disengagement, and loss of top talent. Employee willingness to leave fell from 91% in January 2025 to 40% in December 2025.

Read at Black Enterprise