As more organizations consider implementing a return-to-office mandate, 63% of executives said they have seen improvement in productivity since their company instituted such a policy, according to a report by ResumeBuilder.
Top areas of improvement reported by business leaders include communication (65%), productivity (63%) and engagement (61%). In addition, executives at companies that require employees to be in-office five days per week were more likely to say productivity improved since the returning to the office, according to the report. Among this group, 74% acknowledged a positive change in productivity. Meanwhile, 45% of executives at companies mandating in-office presence only one or two days a week reported improved productivity.
“Business leaders will report in a way that supports their initiatives, and I think that’s what we are seeing here with this survey,” Julia Toothacre, résumé and career strategist at ResumeBuilder, said in a press statement. “Given the amount of organizations doing layoffs or projecting layoffs, I’m not surprised that business leaders have seen a rise in productivity in the office. I think people are trying to prove themselves, whether they want to be in the office or not, so they don’t lose their job.”
The report also found that 59% of executives think employees spend more time working when in the office versus remote. Conversely, 28% said the opposite, and 13% said they don’t believe there’s any difference. Of those who think employees spend more time working remotely, 73% said this is due to distractions in the office.
Meanwhile, 40% of business leaders said they believe employees, on average, want to be in the office four or five days per week. Additionally, 28% said employees want to be in the office for three days, 16% said two days and 8% said one day. Only 9% believe employees generally want to work remotely.
This survey was conducted online by Pollfish for ResumeBuilder on Jan. 24 among 833 executives.