Out of office: Employers’ push for more office time meets resistance

While a flexible work schedule continues to be the norm, companies across the board have been requiring more days in the office with each passing month.

The number of hours spent in the office, however, hasn’t matched the demand for more office time, according to the latest quarterly Flex Report.

The third-quarter report, which researched more than 9,000 U.S. companies, found that required office time has climbed 12% since the beginning of 2024, up from 2.57 to 2.87 days per five-day workweek. However, Stanford University research analyzed for the report found only a 1% decrease in hours worked from home during the same time frame. Cellphone tracking research did find a 3.1% in-office increase last quarter, and badge swipes increased by a similar level — but nothing approaching double digits.

“This growing gap persists despite a softening job market, suggesting employees retain some leverage in high-performing roles — and that managers are unwilling to terminate solid performers on the basis of policy compliance,” the report’s authors wrote.

Overall, 61% of companies allowed a flexible work schedule for the second consecutive quarter, although an arrangement based on employee choice dropped 4 points (19%, from 23%) while the use of a structured hybrid arrangement increased 4 points (42%, from 38%).

Thirty-four percent of companies required full-time, in-office work — up from 33% the previous quarter — while companies with a fully remote model dipped from 6% to 5%.

Other work model findings of note

• Between fully remote and flexible arrangements, 66% of companies are offering some work location flexibility. At the start of 2023, just 51% did.
• Companies that continue to offer flexibility are growing their bottom line: Boston Consulting Group found that from 2019 to 2024, fully flexible companies (those offering fully remote or employee choice) grew revenue 1.7 times more than those with a structured hybrid or full-time, in-office policy (1.3 times more when adjusted for industry and size).
• Two-thirds of companies under 500 employees have a fully flexible model; just 11% of companies with 25,000-plus employees do.
• While 71% of Fortune 100 companies technically offer flexible schedules, 45% require four days (16%) or more (29%) in the office.

— To comment on this article or to suggest an idea for another article, contact Bryan Strickland at Bryan.Strickland@aicpa-cima.com.