Labor Day Marks a Shift: One Million Americans Face New Office Mandates

Labor Day also appears to be the day some large companies are pushing their workers back into the office.

CEOs of major companies, such as Goldman Sachs, Meta, and Amazon, are ordering employees back to the office most days of the week, citing a decline in productivity and difficulty with collaboration and communication while working from home.   I’ve referenced some of the studies they cite on the show before.  Starting this month, one million American employees will be subject to a new return-to-office mandate, according to new research from real estate firm Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL).

We’ll see how this plays out – I’m in the “hybrid work” camp, where the goal is to measure work based on output and effectiveness rather than time.     That’s not easy, and frankly, why so many managers struggle.  While the big players like Goldman Sachs and Amazon are corralling their workforce back into office buildings, smaller firms have the agility to offer more flexible options.

Now, link this to our previous story.  One of the reasons hybrid or remote work is appealing is due to factors outside the office.     These CEOs are measuring their productivity alone, which isn’t particularly holistic and certainly misses out on ideas like “Can we recruit and retain female employees with young children.”       I’m not convinced this is the optimal path… but hey, you do you, bigshot CEO.