Nearly a third (32 per cent) of managers in the U.S. say the ability to keep track of employees’ work habits was the main goal for their return-to-office mandate, according to a new survey by BambooHR.
The survey, which polled more than 1,500 full-time U.S. workers, including more than 500 human resources professionals, found managers also said the main goal of their company’s return-to-office mandate was to improve employee development (52 per cent), customer interactions (49 per cent) and company culture (46 per cent).
Half (52 per cent) of workers said they prefer to work remotely, while 39 per cent prefer to work in office. However, a vast majority of in-office (79 per cent) and remote (88 per cent) workers said they feel the need to prove they’re being productive.
Read: 76% of Canadian employers mandating partial, full return to office: survey
Among respondents who are remote workers, 64 per cent noted they keep messaging apps open to show an active status, 39 per cent engage in social conversations over work messaging apps and another 31 per cent pre-schedule emails to send throughout the day. Meanwhile, 37 per cent of in-office workers said they walk around the office so co-workers see them, plan meetings with colleagues also in the office (35 per cent) or show up earlier or leave later than their managers (33 per cent).
Roughly two-fifths (42 per cent) of all employee respondents said they feel they’re working in office solely for the purpose of being seen by their bosses and managers, while 28 per cent of remote or hybrid workers noted they made a conscious effort to demonstrate their online presence more prominently after their company instituted return-to-office policies.
Notably, the survey found all respondents said they typically spend two hours out of every eight-hour shift not working. However, in-office workers spend roughly one hour more socializing than their remote counterparts, who tend to spend that time on work-related tasks and responsibilities.
Additionally, while 26 per cent of respondents who work in-office said they don’t feel supported by their company’s return-to-office policy, 58 per cent acknowledged they have a stronger professional network since returning to work onsite.
Read: 90% of Canadian remote workers say working from home hasn’t hurt productivity: survey
Nearly all (90 per cent) of respondents who expressed a preference for remote working said it’s because of the flexibility and work-life balance it gives them. Indeed, 51 per cent said it helps fulfill their family responsibilities and 74 per cent said they like not having to commute. As well, 39 per cent said they get less work done in-office because of socializing with co-workers. By contrast, 81 per cent of respondents who work in-office said they like that it provides opportunities for socializing, networking and visibility with their bosses. Those who expressed a preference for onsite working said it’s because they feel they do better work in the office (74 per cent), and that their work results have improved since going back to the office (48 per cent).
Generation Z respondents were least likely (41 per cent) to want to work from home, compared to millennials (53 per cent), gen-Xers (53 per cent) and baby boomers (53 per cent). Nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) of workers with disabilities also said they prefer remote working, compared to 51 per cent of non-disabled workers. When asked, 28 per cent of employees said they’d consider quitting if return-to-office policies occurred at their company, including 43 per cent of workers with disabilities.
As well, 59 per cent of respondents said compensation in comparison to inflation is the biggest influence on their happiness at work. Another 43 per cent pointed out that, in the last year, their employer has consistently asked more employees to return to office despite not increasing compensation.
At the same time, 37 per cent of managers, directors and executives polled said they believe their organization enacted layoffs in the last year because fewer employees than they expected quit during their return-to-office mandates. Indeed, 25 per cent of vice-president and C-suite executives and 18 per cent of HR professionals admitted they were hoping for voluntary turnover during their return to office.
Read: 51% of U.S. hybrid, remote workers would quit their jobs if mandated to return to office: survey