A quarter of bosses in the United States admitted they hoped their return-to-office (RTO) mandates would lead some workers to voluntarily quit following implementation.

In 2023, offices began rolling out RTO mandates as the COVID-19 pandemic abated. A new study from BambooHR, which surveyed more than 1,500 US managers and HR professionals, found that the mandates were a "disguise."

In fact, 25% of VP and C-suite executives and 18% of HR professionals said they actually hoped their RTO policies would encourage some employees to resign.

"One in four (25%) VP and C-suite executives and one in five (18%) HR pros admit they hoped for some voluntary turnover during an RTO, proving, in some cases, why RTO mandates are layoffs in disguise," the study noted.

The expectation was not unfounded. The study, which also surveyed US employees, found that 52% of workers prefer to work remotely while only 39% said they prefer to be in the office. 

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The RTO Mandate Backfired

While the RTO mandates did bring some workers back to the office, the policies backfired on some companies. In Amazon's case, for instance, around 30,000 employees signed an internal petition protesting the company's RTO mandate. Among the signatories, more than 1,800 pledged to walk out from their jobs.

Additionally, 99% of companies that released RTO mandates also saw a drop in their employees' overall job satisfaction, according to research, which examined 137 S&P 500 firms between June 2019 and January 2023. 

Separate data found that 42% of companies that imposed RTO mandates witnessed a higher level of employee attrition than they expected. Furthermore, 29% of companies with RTO policies are struggling to find candidates to fill their open roles. 

BambooHR's research also noted that 45% of employers who imposed RTO mandates suffered from the loss of highly-valued talent. At least 28% of workers said they would consider leaving their positions if their company subjects them to such mandates, which could lead to a further drain in talent. 

In reality, however, many employees did not quit in response to the RTO mandate. This led to massive layoffs within the past year, according to 37% of managers, directors, and executives surveyed. 

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