A quarter of bosses admitted that they hoped return-to-office (RTO) mandates would lead to employees quitting, according to a new survey.
Bamboo HR said that 25% of VP and C-suite executives and 18% of HR employees surveyed expected “voluntary turnover” of their employees after implementing RTO policies.
That expectation isn’t totally unfounded. Twenty-eight percent of remote employees said they’d consider quitting their jobs if RTO policies occurred at their companies.
But it appears fewer quit than the bosses wanted. Some executives even blamed layoffs on employees who didn’t quit after RTO policies were put in place, Bamboo said.
Almost two in five (37%) of managers, directors, and executives said their companies had layoffs in the last 12 months because they anticipated that more employees would quit after enacting RTO policies.
But getting employees to quit isn’t some net good for the organization. Forty-five percent of workers surveyed at companies with RTO policies say their workplaces suffered significant talent loss because of the policies.
And workers tend to be well aware of the goals of RTO. Twenty-eight percent of remote workers told Bamboo HR they worry they’ll be laid off before their in-office colleagues.
Another 42% of employees said they think their company might enact RTO to justify having office space and to help local businesses in the area.