More companies are saying “back to the office,” but are employees really listening?
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, from JPMorgan’s hardline stance to Electronic Arts joining the RTO trend, the pressure to return to the office—either full-time or on a hybrid basis—is growing. Yet, despite mandates, the real question remains: Are these policies actually effective?
RTO Mandates Are on the Rise in 2025
Corporate America is embracing the return-to-office (RTO) movement with increasing enthusiasm.
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JPMorgan recently announced that starting March 2025, all employees must return to the office five days a week — no more remote work.
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Electronic Arts (EA) is also pulling the plug on remote freedom, implementing strict in-office policies.
But here’s the twist: Most companies aren’t following suit.
According to the Flex Index:
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Only 33% of U.S. companies require full-time in-office work.
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Even among Fortune 500 companies, hybrid schedules remain the norm.
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While the number of required office days has increased by 13%, the actual attendance hasn’t changed much.
🔍 Translation: Just because companies say they want workers back doesn’t mean it’s happening.
The Disconnect Between Employers and Employees
Despite more RTO mandates, the workplace tug-of-war continues:
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Only 20% of LinkedIn job postings offer remote work.
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But those roles receive 60% of all applications, per CNBC.
💡 That’s a loud and clear message: Employees still prefer remote flexibility — and they’re actively seeking it.
Meanwhile, the data on whether in-office work improves productivity remains inconclusive. What is clear, however, is that forcing people back tends to tank job satisfaction.
Case Study: Georgia Universities’ RTO Pushback
A perfect example comes from Georgia’s public university system, where a recent mandate is causing major friction.
Faculty and staff are being told to return to campus Monday through Friday — even though many schools have no Friday classes.
Employees argue that:
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Remote work is being scapegoated for problems rooted in understaffing.
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A full RTO mandate will only worsen office overcrowding and parking issues.
And yet, leadership is holding firm — even if it means losing employees. 🧍♂️➡🚪
RTO: A Broken Solution?
As we approach mid-2025, the reality is this: RTO is a controversial, and arguably ineffective, “solution” to a problem that’s not fully understood.
It makes few people happy.
It doesn’t necessarily improve productivity.
And it’s clashing with employee expectations in a big way.
So — should you stay or should you RTO? That’s a personal decision. But one thing’s for sure: the workplace has changed, and pretending it hasn’t isn’t helping anyone.
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they are never going to work.
what is it that these dinosaurs like Jamie Diamond don’t understand?
the world has changed and were NOT working like slaves anymore.
IT’S OVER
Wrong. You’ll see.
Really?
Is that why all the major commercial RE players in NYC are pushing Albany to ease the red-tape and restrictions on converting office space to housing?
Because they think all the worker bees are coming back five days a week?
Best of luck with that.
Commuting wastes time and is the enemy of efficiency. It is a relic and its time has passed. Covid just sped up what tech would have done by 2030.
The only people crying about remote work are in the useless middle management class, dolts who have no real responsibilities outside of playing hall monitor and calling ridiculous internal meetings that accomplish nothing.
And the C-titles who are stuck with horrible leases and need to justify the expenditure.
You are exactly right.
Diamond was building his ego tower on 5th ave and now he needs asses in the seats. Pathetic. Like John the middle management dinosaur above his days are numbered as well..and he knows it.
Only boomers and a handful of tech-phobic Gen ‘xers miss taking a crappy NJ train or bus into filthy midtown so they can pay NYC income taxes and talk about their weekends at the water cooler.
Only pay NYC tax if you live in city
nice try
You have clearly never worked in NYC while living in NJ.
Scope of Application: NYC taxes apply only to city residents and some non-resident city employees, while NYS taxes cover all state residents and income earned within the state.
If you have been paying NYC taxes sugggest you file amended returns!!
wrong
Start firing people
Improve public transportation and reduce the prices first.