More than three-quarters (77 per cent) of U.S. workers believe the primary motivation for return-to-office policies is so that employers can exert more control over the activities of their workers, according to a new survey by MyPerfectResume.com.
The survey, which polled more than 4,000 workers, found 40 per cent said their employer wants to increase office attendance and more than a quarter (28 per cent) reported their employer has threatened to fire workers who don’t comply.
Seven in 10 respondents said they believe their employer thinks working onsite will improve productivity (72 per cent) as well as communication and collaboration (71 per cent). However, many also said they believe their employer wants them back in the office because they don’t trust people to do their work remotely (64 per cent), to force attrition without the need for severance packages (42 per cent) and because leadership wants an excuse not to have to work from home themselves (34 per cent).
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Despite pressure to return to the office, just two per cent of respondents expressed a preference for full-time onsite work. Indeed, more than a third (36 per cent) said there’s no perk their company could offer to justify a full-time return to the office.
When asked which benefits and perks could bring them back to work full time, fewer than a third of respondents cited traditional benefits, like onsite fitness options (28 per cent) and mental-health support (28 per cent). Other benefits and perks, such as student loan assistance programs (25 per cent), socializing opportunities (19 per cent) and childcare reimbursements (17 per cent) didn’t come close to tipping the scales for most respondents.
That said, roughly half said fuel reimbursement (50 per cent), health insurance (47 per cent), unlimited paid time off (47 per cent), a four-day workweek (41 per cent) or a 15 per cent raise (41 per cent) could lure them back.
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