Over the last few years, there's been a tug-
of-war between employers and employees
over RTO mandates. Employees blatantly
ignored initial RTO mandates in the wake of
the pandemic, and employers have often
had to implement several iterations of their
RTO policies—perhaps most notably, JP
Morgan Chase, which is now on its sixth
RTO mandate after aborting or delaying
five others.
In 2024, one in five office workers still
planned to ignore RTO mandates. And
even among those who comply on paper,
"coffee badging" continued to become
more prevalent, with employees showing
up at the office long enough to chat with
colleagues and be seen by management,
then finishing their work day at home.
This year, who has the most leverage in
determining how and where employees
work will primarily depend on how easily
employees can find a comparable job with
greater flexibility—in other words, the
economy.
the path that it's taking, employees will
have to accept conditions that may include
going to the office. That said, the high-
demand employees who already benefit
from high salaries will more easily get
hybrid or remote jobs if they want them."
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T H E J O B M A R K E T W I L L D R I V E
E M P L O Y E R / E M P L O Y E E P O W E R D Y N A M I C S
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2025 Workplace Predictions: Prediction #3
"Power dynamics will very much
depend on how solid the job
market is in 2025," says Stève
Cattin. "If unemployment is low
and companies fight to attract
employees, they will keep offering
hybrid options, and employees will
have more leverage. If the job
market slows down, which is
seemingly
-Stève Cattin
1/5
office workers still
planned to ignore RTO
mandates in 2024
