Tech execs pushed for a return to the office – now they’re backtracking amid a workforce revolt, with only 3% of firms asking staff to return full-time

Return to office (RTO) mandates have become a recurring flashpoint between businesses and staff, but only a small number of firms are still asking employees to return to the office full-time, according to analysis from Flex Index.

Where 8% of organizations were enforcing strict return to office (RTO) mandates that demanded full in-person attendance last year, just 3% are enforcing the same sort of policies this year. 

On the other end of the spectrum, Flex Index’s report found that 79% of the 2,670 surveyed firms offered completely flexible working arrangements in 2024, signaling a slight increase from 75% companies in 2023. 

Most firms also appear to be giving their staff more choice on working policies, the report noted, marking a relinquishing of control by many in the long-running RTO conversation. 

The report found that more than half (56%) of surveyed businesses had an “employee’s choice” model in 2024, a form of office attendance policy that allows staff members to shape their working arrangements to their individual needs.

This figure is up from 38% of businesses using the same model in 2023, making it now the most popular policy among tech firms.

By contrast, only 18% of firms are employing a “structured hybrid model” in which they mandate which days their workers must attend the office. Fully remote models are also dwindling though. 

Flex Index found that only 23% of firms don’t offer staff a physical location to attend in person. This figure is down from 37% in 2023. 

The return to office battle has been intense

Flex Index’s report comes at a time when some of the biggest names in the tech industry are engaged in drawn-out disputes with their staff members over RTO mandates and strict office attendance policies. 

The most notable example of these is Dell Technologies, which has come under serious fire for the way it handled RTO policies. The tech giant initially told fully remote staff they would have to forfeit the right to promotions or role changes unless they agreed to come back to the office, sparking a major workforce backlash.

Half of Dell’s workforce chose to ignore the threat - or risk incurring the damages - in a blatant expression of support for hybrid working policies. An internal survey at the firm then revealed the extent of the internal resentment caused by the strict RTO measures. 

Google has also had notable difficulties in coaxing staff back to the office, with attempts to enforce stricter attendance policies met with backlash from staff that forced the firm’s hand and made top-level decision-makers reconsider. 

The return to office debate was once again thrust firmly into the spotlight last week when former Google CEO Eric Schmidt attributed the tech giant’s sluggish performance in the generative AI race to its working policies. 

Schmidt told attendees at a Stanford University talk that the tech giant had prioritized its work from home policies over striking a lead in the AI race, suggesting that competitors had gained an edge due to their rigid policies in this regard. 

Naturally, Schmidt’s comments prompted a fierce backlash online.

Despite reports suggesting that a full return to office is inevitable, frequent backlash from staff and statistics such as those gathered by Flex Index show that hybrid working practices appear to be here to stay.