"But despite the "My way or the highway" undertone from some employers demanding more in-person staff presence, data suggests many people continue marching to their preferred hybrid drummers by continuing to work from home. Among the most recent signs that many employees are ignoring strengthened RTO mandates - or at least testing whether they're enforced - is areport released this month from think tank Work Forward."
"While the company has observed generally rising levels of workplace occupancy in 2025, its latest reading showed the number of unoccupied desks rose once again in August, reaching 34.3 percent compared to the same month in pre-Covid 2019. That slippage also represented "a wider gap than that seen in August 2023, and an even more notable retreat from July's encouraging 21.8 percent deficit.""
Employers have tightened post-pandemic return-to-office mandates, prompting worker objections and protests. Work Forward's quarterly Flex Report monitoring over 9,000 companies found required office time rose 12 percent since early 2024 while actual attendance increased only 1–3 percent. Occupancy spikes after stricter rules usually fade after a few weeks. Foot-traffic firm Placer.AI reported a rise in unoccupied desks in August, reaching 34.3 percent below pre-Covid August 2019 levels, a wider gap than in August 2023 and a retreat from July's 21.8 percent deficit. The rush to return to offices is stalling as many employees continue flexible patterns.
Read at Inc
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]