The American workforce is undergoing a transformation, with a notable drop in remote work opportunities as companies enforce return-to-office mandates. Our survey of 1,000 U.S. employees sheds light on the challenges, attitudes, and resistance to these policies.

The American workforce is experiencing a significant shift. After major companies like Amazon and JP Morgan implemented return-to-office mandates, there has been a notable decline in remote work opportunities as other companies follow suit.

Yet, our recent survey found a strong reluctance among employees to return to spending full time in the office. In January, we surveyed 1,000 U.S. workers to uncover their feelings about returning to the office. 

Key findings 

  • 60% of remote workers have had employers demand more office time in the last two years

  • 1 in 6 employees would quit their jobs if their company enforced a return-to-office policy

  • Over a third of millennials intend to disregard enforced return-to-office regulations

  • The vast majority of workers (96%) say they seek carefully selected incentives to return to the office them back in the office 

  • 2 in 5 employees feel that a return to the office would lead to decreased job satisfaction

Young Workers Plan to Snub Return-to-Office Policies

Our survey found that 60% of remote workers have faced a change in their remote working policy in the last 24 months, with 38% of them required to return to the office five days a week. 

The findings also show that while 77% of employees would comply with an RTO policy to avoid consequences, a rebellious 6.7% plan to ignore return-to-office mandates, either by continuing remote work or attending the office less frequently than required.  

Introducing return-to-office policies could lead to a talent exodus, as 16% of respondents indicated they would leave their jobs for new opportunities if forced to return to the office.

Pie chart about office attendance

Generation X stood out as the generation most willing to comply with a return-to-office (RTO) policy, with 40% stating they would follow the rules to avoid consequences. However, millennials emerged as the most resistant to the change, with 37% planning to defy RTO policies. Additionally, millennials were also the most inclined to seek new jobs, with 35% stating they would leave their current positions if required to return to the office.  

Three pie charts explaining how different generations react to RTO policies

54% of Workers Believe Returning to the Office Would Impact Their Work-Life Balance

Over the last few years, workers have flourished with the advantages of not having to go to the office; employees get to work flexibly and avoid the 43 hours of commuting that American office workers had to endure in the last year. 

When asked about the negatives working in the office would pose, one common response among over half of respondents (54%) was the fear that more time in an office would negatively impact their work-life balance.

Pie chart about employees concerns about increased office time

The monster under the bed that is going unaddressed by CEOs is that one-third of respondents fear working from the office would significantly impact their mental health. American workers are already struggling with record levels of burnout—something which could only worsen with office distractions. 

Graph showing benefits of return to office policies

Half of Workers Feel They Would Be More Productive in the Office

However, there's no ignoring the positives that workers believe returning to the office poses.

While workers are largely reluctant to return to the office, nearly 50% of respondents admitted their productivity would likely improve. 

Even with the cost of commuting and purchasing lunches, over one-third of respondents feel they would spend less in the office than when working from home. While remote workers may invest more in predictable costs such as spending more on energy bills and office equipment when working from home, Master Economics Institute also shared that they drove an additional $375 billion in online spending in 2023.

Which Incentives Will Get Employees Back in the Office?

Even with the risk of losing high-performing talent, there's limited evidence that big corporations are offering incentives for employees to return to the office. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has told employees that if they don't comply with the return-to-office policy, “it's not going to work out for you.” But could offering incentives offset the reluctance among remote employees to return to the office?

Our survey found that a staggering 65% of employees would see a pay rise as the most desirable incentive to make a return to the office worthwhile. Not only that, but 54% would still want some flexibility including flexible start and end times in order to avoid peak commuting hours. 

However, none of the incentives mattered enough to 10% of workers, as they said no incentive would make returning to the office worth it. 

Conclusion

As companies enforce return-to-office mandates, resistance among remote workers is evident. While many employees recognize potential productivity gains, the loss of flexibility, concerns over mental health, and the threat to work-life balance aren't enough to entice workers into the office. 

What We Did

This survey was commissioned by TopResume and conducted using Pollfish, between January 13 and January 14, 2025. Overall, 1,000 workers aged 18+ in full-time work completed the survey. 

Further analysis was performed on survey results to avoid biased weighting in responses across various generations.

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