Who’s leading the return-to-office resistance? It’s not ‘entitled’ millennials, but their bosses.
Driving the news: Employees earning over US$150,000 represent the largest share of the workforce that prefers to work from home, per McKinsey. After all, it’s tough to give up taking calls from the lakehouse, sneaking a midday workout, or running errands between meetings.
- The same group said they were more likely to quit their jobs than come back to the office every day and would give up 20% of their salary to keep working remotely.
Why it matters: To attract and retain top performers, employers are continuing to offer up flexibility—rather than lose talent to the competition. But when the boss isn’t in the office, the next generation of talent can’t access mentoring and career development opportunities.
- A new study called the “Power of Proximity” says experienced workers can be more productive remotely while new workers may miss out on learning opportunities.
Bottom: Executives have an outsized influence on a company’s culture and in-person attendance. As some of Canada’s biggest employers, including banks and law firms, look to lure back workers, widespread adoption or RTO will rely on the bosses buying in.—SB