At Everest Group, we work with a lot of companies currently wrestling with the challenge of moving people back to the office. They went from everyone working at the office or company facility to everyone working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
There has been a lot written about the rising sentiment in management circles for the need to return to the office, with numerous examples of CEOs proclaiming that said move is essential. However, we can also observe from vacancy rates that this movement has stalled and is being actively resisted by a wide swath of employees. Short of a major realignment in the relative power of employees vs their management, it appears that firms will have to come to an accommodation forging a partnership with their employees which accommodates the needs of both sides into a better working situation. What is clear is that firms that attempt a one-size-fits-all receive the greatest pushback, and those that craft solutions that fit departments and functions achieve the best results.
