"Now, when I say "exactly what they want," you might be expecting me to paint a picture of workers happily returning to their daily commutes, overcrowded highways, cavernous or claustrophobic offices, constant interruptions, extra expenses, and all of it resulting in massive productivity gains. That's not happening, the productivity gains part. And the longer we play this out, the sillier the performances of " productivity theater " have become. The truth is, the science on productivity is still out."
"So you have to go with your gut. Or your experience. And what 30 years of gut and experience tells me is that the real question isn't whether people are more productive at home - it's whether companies can afford to lose their best talent over this. Right now, tech workers are desperate. Companies know it. That's why Amazon can demand five days in the office and get compliance instead of resignations."
In 2025, major tech firms including Amazon, Dell, Apple, Google, IBM, Meta, and Salesforce have intensified return-to-office mandates of three to five days per week. Employees are complying but expected productivity improvements have not materialized and empirical evidence remains inconclusive. Labor markets historically oscillate, and the 2022 hiring environment favored workers with remote options and bonuses. Strict RTO policies increase the risk that high-performing employees will resign once market conditions improve. Compelling workers back to offices without clear productivity benefits may therefore jeopardize talent retention and create future recruitment challenges.
Read at Inc
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