CEOs Seem To Agree That Work-From-Home Will Soon Be A Thing Of The Past

There are signs that the remote work revolution is fizzling out — and corporate executives are standing by to ensure that when it finally falls, it stays down. That seemed to be the takeaway from a new survey.

A major shift

According to a poll conducted by professional services firm KPMG, nearly 4 in 5 corporate CEOs across the United States believe all of the workers who were in an office prior to the pandemic will be back there full-time within three years.

In response to a similar poll conducted earlier this year, only about one-third said work-from-home would be dead in three years. Some say that rapid shift in sentiment is evidence that executives are working behind the scenes to force remote workers to get back in the office or face termination.

A little more than half of all American workers are currently allowed to perform some or all of their duties from home. If the current sentiment is correct, millions of workers could soon lose access to an arrangement they say has provided numerous benefits over the past several years.

Thumb on the scale

Instead of simply letting the labor market decide whether remote work is a viable long-term strategy, many of the CEOs involved in the recent survey acknowledged that they were doing their best to coax workers back to the office.

For example, a whopping 86% said they would offer significant perks — promotions, raises, etc. — to in-office workers, apparently not extending the benefit to remote employees.

The “stick” to that “carrot,” it seems, involves implementing return-to-work mandates as a clandestine alternative to layoffs. Most of the executives in this study, however, seem to just genuinely believe that an in-office work environment is superior to the remote or hybrid alternatives that have flourished in the post-COVID world.

Chris Agee October 2nd, 2024

Share this story: