If you love working from home, and dread returning to the office, here’s the stark question you may face this year—are you willing to lose your job?

This crossroads looms large for millions of workers. After tasting the benefits of remote work—zero commutes and better work-life balance—many employees feel reluctant to trade that freedom for fluorescent lights and office cubicles.

Yet employers like Amazon, Apple, AT&T, Boeing, Broadcom, Exxon Mobil, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, Raytheon, United Parcel Service, and the Washington Post, remain steadfast, mandating full-time return-to-office (RTO) schedules in 2024 and 2025 for some or all of their employees, https://buildremote.co/companies/companies-requiring-5-days-in-office/?.

Further, with the job market tilting in employers’ favor, employers sense they no longer have to put up with work-from-home holdouts, They Refused to Return to Offices. Working From Home Cost Them Their Jobs. – WSJ.

Is this trend only hitting larger employers? No. According to Resume Templates’ October survey of over seven hundred business leaders, seventy percent of employers plan to double down on return to the office mandates, https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelwells/2024/10/14/70-of-employers-to-crack-down-on-remote-work-in-2025/. Both LinkedIn and Indeed report that only eight percent of the jobs posted on either site offer remote work—a sobering statistic for many employees, https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/careers/remote-work-in-office-return-fired-f81b1c3c.

When so many employees value working from home, what drives employers to insist on employees returning on-site? A survey of five hundred business leaders revealed 86 percent of them view in-office time as critical to profitability, productivity, and a collaborative workplace culture.  https://www.wework.com/newsroom/wework-survey-reinforces-the-future-is-flex-as-business-leaders-saythe-office-is-critical-for-profitability-and-culture. Additionally, employers believe in-person interaction strengthens company culture, enhances teamwork and drives innovation, in ways challenging to replicate in remote settings, https://www.businessinsider.com/ravin-jesuthasan-why-companies-enforce-rto-mandates-future-of-work-2024-8.

With many employers and employees unwilling to back down, how do employers intend to enforce their return to office mandates? Employees can expect their in-office attendance being tracked, https://www.lathem.com/blog/track-office-attendance-for-rto-compliance-made-easy-with-payclock? Employers plan to utilize employee badge swipes and monitoring software that tracks employee presence and activity during work hours, https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/at-work/employee-reveals-war-on-work-trend-amid-spike-in-returntooffice-mandates/news-story/1ebcf2b9f2ed4d68658ea2402f0d159c? Many employers anticipate providing raises and promotions to employees that spend more time in the office.

What consequences do employees that fight RTO face? In October, Publicis Media terminated several dozen employees who flouted in-office requirements, https://www.prweek.com/article/1893561/publicis-media-dismisses-dozens-us-employees-egregious-rto-policy-violations. Starbucks warned their corporate staff they risked termination if they didn’t return to the office at least three days weekly, https://www.seattletimes.com/business/starbucks-threatens-to-fire-staff-who-dont-come-back-to-office/. Employees can also anticipate disciplinary actions, poor performance reviews and stunted career progression if they don’t return to on-site work, https://rooney.law/blog/the-pros-and-cons-of-forcing-employees-to-return-to-work-legal-and-business-implications/.

How can employees fight back? Increasing numbers of employees may leave traditional employment, choosing to start their own businesses as freelancers and contractors. Employees that seek a steady paycheck will search for remote-friendly companies or hybrid opportunities. Some workers can afford to be jobless for a time, having amassed savings from the post pandemic boom. Others may gamble on riding out this wave, betting that the demand for quality talent will force employers to relent, empowering employees with unique or high-value skills to negotiate flexible work arrangements, They Refused to Return to Offices. Working From Home Cost Them Their Jobs. – WSJ

Finally, just as remote work became a reality during the pandemic, sustained employee pushback may force employers to rethink rigid RTO policies. Employees may feel cornered now by warning emails from HR that “noncompliance will result in termination,” the tides may turn when top talent quits. As an employee, you face a choice. The question isn’t just “Will you return?” it’s “How will you fight for how you want to work?”

Lynne Curry, PhD, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, authored “Navigating Conflict” (Business Experts Press, 2022); “Managing for Accountability (BEP, 2021); “Beating the Workplace Bully,” AMACOM 2016, and “Solutions 911/411.” Curry founded www.workplacecoachblog.com, which offers more than 700 articles on topics such as leadership, HR, and professional development and “Real-life Writing,” https://bit.ly/45lNbVo.  Curry has qualified in Court as an expert witness in Management Best Practices, HR, and Workplace issues. You can reach her at https://workplacecoachblog.com/ask-a-coach/ or for a glimpse at her novels, short stories and thought-provoking essays, lynnecurryauthor.com.