The list of major companies requiring
workers to return to the office continues to
grow. Half of US workers say they'd
consider looking for a new job if their
employer offered less flexibility with
remote or hybrid work. And as large
employers push for RTO, small and
medium-sized businesses may find
themselves in a better position to increase
(or at least maintain) that flexibility.
"Because of the war for talent, I think
SMBs will offer more flexibility to
compensate for lower salaries," says
Stève Cattin, Tango's VP of International
Marketing and Operations. "Enterprises can
pay more, and will be more inclined to
request their employees to work in-person,
though it will be interesting to see if
different parts of the world will behave
differently."
While employers have made many
arguments for RTO mandates, usually
leaning on the importance of in-person
collaboration and fostering company
culture, there's another less-stated reason
large employers may be more driven to
reduce flexibility: profits.
"For enterprises, mandated RTO is often a
strategy to get the cost-cutting benefits
of layoffs without calling it a layoff," says
Andy Anderson, Tango's EVP of Energy and
Sustainability Solutions and Chief
Sustainability Officer. RTO mandates
pressure remote and hybrid to find new
jobs if they want to retain their flexibility. In
fact, a 2024 survey found that 25% of VP
and C suite executives and 18% of HR
professionals hoped for voluntary turnover
in the wake of their RTO mandates.
"The more enterprises use this strategy, the
better-positioned SMBs are to attract and
retain talent with flexible workplace
models," Anderson says. There are still
plenty of enterprises offering hybrid and
even fully remote work models, but with
every new RTO mandate that comes into
effect in 2025, leaner SMBs can swoop in
to offer one of the most desirable benefits
to modern office workers.
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G R E A T E R E M P L O Y E E F L E X I B I L I T Y
Copyright © 2025 Tango. All rights reserved.
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2025 Workplace Predictions: Prediction #2
1/2
of US workers say they'd consider
looking for a new job if their
employer offered less flexibility
with remote or hybrid work.
