Office return could spark exodus of workers — FTI Consulting survey
WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES — A new survey by FTI Consulting reveals that 70% of U.S. workers currently in remote or hybrid arrangements would likely seek alternative employment if required to return to the office full-time at their current salary.
Conducted by Southpaw Insights for FTI Consulting’s Real Estate Solutions practice, the survey gathered the insights of 1,000 corporate and home office workers about their views on potential return-to-office (RTO) mandates.
While a third of respondents expressed excitement about returning to the office, citing increased productivity and collaboration opportunities, the majority strongly prefer maintaining flexible work arrangements.
“We have all seen the headlines about the return-to-office mandates by some of the nation’s largest employers, with some companies reporting that they expect all of their workers, with few exceptions, to return to the office full time in 2025,” said Josh Herrenkohl, a Senior Managing Director in the Real Estate Solutions practice at FTI Consulting.
“But our research shows that their ability to implement this mandate is not cut-and-dry, and employers risk losing talent if RTO mandates are enforced. How employees feel about RTO involves many factors, including their industry, the size of their company, whether they have children and the nature of their current work arrangement.”
Work arrangements shape employee attitudes
Among fully remote workers, 74% would likely seek employment elsewhere if forced back full-time, compared to 62% of hybrid workers. However, 88% of remote workers expressed willingness to work in the office for some portion of the week.
For those accepting of RTO mandates, 60% appreciated the camaraderie, while 53% felt more productive in an office environment.
Industry and demographics matter
Industry influences RTO attitudes, with architecture/engineering professionals (94%) most accepting of office returns, while tech/telecom workers (51%) showed the strongest resistance.
Geographically, employees in the Northeast and South (45% each) were most likely to seek new employment if faced with full-time office mandates.
Younger workers showed mixed reactions – 42% of Gen Z respondents would be excited about returning to the office, yet 45% would still consider leaving their jobs over such mandates.
“This data should send a message to employers and owners of office space that, even though salary and benefits remain the top criteria for people in their jobs, they need to adapt their work environment to appeal to younger employees, as well as those who welcome the opportunity to be more productive and enjoy office camaraderie,” said Ingrid Rivera Noone, a Senior Managing Director and Co-Leader of the Real Estate Solutions practice at FTI Consulting.
Recent surveys also reveal workers would quit over RTO mandates
MyPerfectResume has uncovered that 51% of employees would resign immediately if faced with non-negotiable return-to-office mandates. The survey results show overwhelming support for remote and hybrid work options among federal employees, with 77% of Americans favoring such flexibility.
Similarly, according to a new Pew Research Center survey, 46% of employees would likely seek new employment if their remote work privileges were revoked.
A recent online survey conducted by Indeed revealed that 42% of remote and hybrid workers have now been instructed to return to their workplace full-time.
Some companies that started to implement RTO include Dell Technologies, ad giant WPP, banking giant JPMorgan Chase, and telecom giant AT&T.
