The average number of required office days rose 12% over the past year, while actual attendance increased only 1% to 3%. Many employees continue to work remotely or on hybrid schedules despite stricter return-to-office mandates. Remote work during the pandemic reduced commutes and normalized flexibility, making full-time office requirements less attractive. Employers argue that in-person presence improves collaboration, mentorship, innovation, and company culture, prompting some firms to rescind hybrid options. High-profile enforcement attempts have lowered morale and triggered public criticism, revealing a persistent gap between formal mandates and everyday worker behavior.
Showing up in the office five days a week was the norm until the COVID-19 pandemic shut down offices across America. With millions forced to work from home, commutes and cubicles faded into the rearview as the flexibility of remote work caught on. Even as offices reopened, many workers continued logging in from home offices or worked a hybrid schedule two to three days a week.
Then came the rush of return-to-office mandates. "So many companies got a whiff of people actually feeling a slightly better work-life balance doing WFH (work from home) and decided joy was not part of the benefit package," one worker commented on Reddit. Employers see it differently. They say the pandemic-era isolation undercut collaboration and innovation that only comes from in-person interactions.
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