Leaders argue for a resumption of in-person work because it enhances collaboration and innovation, while employees list a myriad of benefits to remote work schedules (Bailey & Rehman, 2022). Employees are resistant to returning to the office because they enjoyed working from home and don’t understand why, after two years of doing good work there, they have to return to the office (Molla, 2022). One of the challenges for business leaders is their ability to design appropriate and fair policies (Bailey & Rehman, 2022).
Some Point to a Lack of Effective Communication
There appears to be a lack of effective communication by business leaders as to why the change is needed, and an effective leadership style that relates vision for the future (Galbraith, 2018). Yet business leaders continue to use the same leadership style and communications strategy post-COVID as they did prior to the pandemic — expecting the same results.
Resistance to Change is an Important Mountain to Climb
Now that the world is moving past the COVID-19 pandemic and employers are mandating that employees return to office work, a large percentage of employees are balking. A survey of U.S workers indicated that 60% of workers with jobs that can be done from home said they would like to work from home all or most of the time when the pandemic is over (Parker et al., 2022). The move to return-to-office work schedules is creating controversy in corporate boardrooms, with company executives debating the actual value and effect of the remote and hybrid models that have become the norm (Small, 2022). The change and the overall modification procedure it stimulates generates and reproduces resistance and conflicts (Vlados, 2019).
So how are businesses responding to employees’ resistance to change? Most U.S. Fortune 100 companies are requiring a three-day return to office policy. Walmart, employing more than 2.3 million workers, requires two days per week, while Amazon, which employs nearly 1.3 million workers, requires three days per week in-office (O’Loughlin, 2023).
Resistance from employees may be warranted as most companies haven’t established clear, detailed workplace strategies that explain when employees should be in the office and why (Smith, 2022). When employees don’t understand why changes are happening, it can be a barrier to driving ownership and commitment and can even result in resistance or pushback (Galbraith, 2018). Workers do not hate the office. They hate not having a good reason to be there (Molla, 2022). Business leaders have challenges and can improve their practices to meet these changes.
Now more than ever before, post-COVID-19 employees are seeking answers in an abnormal work environment. As it relates to their company’s requirement to return to work five days per week, they are vocal and resistant. Employers too are seeking answers as to why employees do not want to return to the same office schedule before the COVID-19 pandemic. We’ve got to get this right … what do you think?
Mary J. Elliott 