BambooHR has just released a report, “The New Surveillance Era: Visibility Beats Productivity for RTO & Remote,” that contains damning results for many organisations.

The report released in June 2024 contains the results from a survey of 1,504 full-time US employees, including 504 human resources professionals, which set out to understand what they think about return-to-office (RTO) mandates, working-from-home, and hybrid/flexible models.

It is a substantial report, around 22 pages long, so I will just highlight the findings that I found most compelling.

“The tension between businesses wanting employees in office and employees wanting more flexibility existed before the pandemic, but this BambooHR survey reveals just how much that tension - and the pressure to prove productivity - has increased as RTO policies become one of the biggest workplace topics this year.”

Green Status Effec 

Employees, whether working remotely or in the office, are pressured to prove their productivity. They are taking action to increase their visibility, which is equated with productivity.

The report lists the strategies being employed to be visible.

The pressure on employees, whether remote or in the office, to demonstrate their productivity and presence has been dubbed the Green Status Effect.

The table above shows that all employees are taking steps to demonstrate productivity, but it is amongst remote workers that the term Green Status Effect has emerged. The term refers to the need to keep work messaging apps perpetually open, displaying a green “active” status, implying you’re online and actively engaged in work.

Nearly two-thirds (64%) of remote workers in the survey admit to maintaining this constant online presence, even when they are not actively working.

In May 2022, I wrote an article called “—The Horror Movie” that detailed the covert devices, apps, and practices employees were utilising to appear “always on.” These include mouse jigglers, desk fans, Lego, toy trains, and analogue watches!

42% of employees who do go into an office say they do so only to be seen by their managers.

Research has proved that employees can be just as productive, if not more when working remotely.

If you are a manager who thinks that your employees will not be productive when working remotely because they will be surfing the internet, then wake up. They were already surfing the internet when they were in the office. You just didn’t see it.

The change

This ongoing battle between employee and employer must come to an end. Every time an employer introduces a new means of tracking employee behaviour, employees will work hard to find ways to evade or thwart it.

It is a waste of time for both the employee and the employer.

It also dissolves trust. Tracking of employee behaviour screams I do not trust you.”

Leaders must learn to measure performance on outcomes, not hours spent in front of a computer.

My first newsletter of this year explored the ways in which we must measure employee performance – measure the value delivered, not the volume delivered.

Preference

Every employee is different, with different preferences for their mode of working. This could be influenced by a partner’s employment, caring responsibilities, commuting time and comfort, other duties and commitments. 52% of employees prefer to work from home, prioritising work-life balance. Remote work is more important for parents and caregivers.

The preference is also influenced by the type of work they are undertaking and the environment best suited to achieving the desired outcomes.

For example, some employees may prefer to work in an office as there are fewer distractions than at home, whilst other employees may prefer to work from home for exactly the same reason.

Nearly two in five (39%) of employees said they get less work done in-office because of socialising with co-workers.

Preference is also influenced by generation. The youngest workers in the survey were least likely (42%) to want to work from home, with Millennials (53%), Gen X (53%), and Boomers (53%) all expressing a stronger preference for working from home.

Employees with disabilities (63%) prefer remote work and would consider leaving (43%) if RTO was mandated at their organisation.

In May 2022, I wrote, “There Are Only 5 Reasons to Return to the Office”, with the first being preference.

“If you prefer to work from the office, then you should do so. If it is worth the commute to work out of the office, then you should do so. It should be your decision.”

The change

Leaders must recognise that work is what we do, not where we go.

When you set the right goals, measurements, and expectations, it does not matter where people choose to work. They decide what is best for them as individuals, for the team, and for the organisation.

Leaders must develop work policies that are designed to support all employees, regardless of where they choose to work.

Anita Grantham, Head of HR BambooHR, said:

“Work policies should be designed to support all employees, regardless of their work location. Whether in the office, remote, or part of a hybrid team, it's crucial to create policies that prioritize flexibility, inclusivity, and employee wellbeing in addition to productivity. By tailoring policies to meet the diverse needs of the workforce, leaders ensure employees feel valued, supported, and empowered to do their best work, whatever that looks like."

The organisation’s intent regarding diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging should be a key driver of these policies.

The real reason for RTO mandates

Many of the reasons being espoused on social media by the executives of organisations demanding a return to the office include culture, productivity, and collaboration.

I showed that none of those arguments hold any water in this January newsletter. I also wrote about The Real Reasons You Are Being Asked to Return to the Office back in August 2021.  The five reasons included ego and protection of the kingdom, managers not knowing how to measure performance effectively, poor leadership exposure, fear of losing control, and remote or hybrid working models going in the too-hard basket.

There is now another reason for the RTO mandate, and that is to make people quit.

The BambooHR report says:

“The connection between RTO mandates and workforce downsizing is not lost on workers, many of whom consider an RTO mandate to be a layoff precursor. Vague reasoning and missing productivity metrics leave employees to assume the worst, which is only fueled by already-low employee happiness and trending anti-work content on social media. One in four (28%) remote workers fear they'll be laid off before their in-office coworkers.

Nearly two in five (37%) managers, directors, and executives believe their organization enacted layoffs in the last year because fewer employees than they expected quit during their RTO. And their beliefs are well-founded: 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.”

Whilst RTO mandates may achieve headcount reduction, they also result in losing top talent and low employee morale.

“Nearly half (45%) of the employees who have experienced RTO report significant talent loss within their organizations—talent that was highly valued and wished to be retained. Moreover, the discontent with RTO policies is strong among employees, with more than one in four (28%) stating they would consider leaving their positions if subjected to such mandates. This level of dissatisfaction could lead to a further drain of talent, affecting not just morale but also the stability and innovation potential of the workforce.”

There is also a cost to these mandates, which seems to be ignored. My newsletter, “HR—Show Executives the $ Cost of Their RTO Mandates,” explored the cost of employee turnover due to the mandates. In all the research I looked at, one number was recurring—33% attrition due to RTO mandates. I then put a cost on that attrition, and the numbers are scary.

The change

Using RTO mandates to reduce headcount is costly and dangerous to organisational survival. Organisations not only lose top talent but are unable to replace it. The remaining employees taking up the slack will tire and look for alternative employment, and you will then lose them, too.

These tactics further erode employee trust, which is hard to reinstate.

Organisations must operate with integrity, transparency, empathy, and honesty if they are to attract and retain the talent needed to outperform their competitors. Ignore this at your peril.

Change or die

The writing is on the wall – change or die. There is no place in organisations for Orwellian command and control, mass surveillance, and suppression of free speech. See the latest move from PwC UK and its launch of a round of “silent lay-offs.”

The organisations that will thrive are those with REMARKABLE leaders.

The title of my book to be released later this year is “Be REMARKABLE! Learn to Unlearn: The New Leadership Mindset.”

This is the leadership mindset in winning organisations.