By Jorge Antonio Vázquez Buendía
02 Feb 2024, 11:09 AM EST
To understand the impact the return to the office (RTO) has had on productivity and other factors, in January ResumeBuilder.com surveyed 833 business leaders from companies that were fully remote during the height of the pandemic, but have now implemented an RTO policy.
The debate surrounding return to office policies has become a central point of discussion. Proponents advocate restoring a traditional in-person work culture to improve productivity, and critics defend the benefits of remote work.
Key survey results:
· 63% of business leaders say RTO has improved productivity in their company.
· 59% say they believe employees spend more time working in the office than remotely.
· 40% believe that workers want to be in the office 4 or more days a week.
· 46% believe workers should be required to work from the office at least 4 days a week.
· 38% say their company plans to increase the number of mandatory office days by 2025.
According to this survey, business leaders have seen many improvements since their company instituted an RTO policy.
Business leaders report that the following have improved in their overall business with RTO:
· Communication (65%)
· Productivity (63%)
· Commitment (61%)
· Mental health (53%)
· Morale (52%)
· Exhaustion (26%)
Julia Toothacre, resume and career strategist at ResumeBuilder.com, doesn’t necessarily believe the return to the office has led to such improvements.
“In my experience, business leaders will report in a way that supports their initiatives, and I think that’s what we’re seeing here with this survey,” Toothacre says. “Given the number of organizations making layoffs or projecting layoffs, I’m not surprised that business leaders have seen an increase in productivity in the office. Personally, I think people are trying to prove themselves whether or not they want to be in the office so they don’t lose their jobs.”
The majority of business leaders (59%) believe that employees spend more time working when they are in the office than when they are remote. In contrast, 28% say the opposite and 13% say they do not believe there is any difference.
“If the organization has strong accountability, then work gets done no matter where. There are many work environments that become more social time than work time. I would say that most employees with a good work ethic probably work more at home because they aren’t as distracted. They will also make up time at other times of the day if something personal takes them away from work,” says Toothacre.
For more details about the survey, go here.
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