All or nothing: Employers reconsider RTO

The decision to force employees back to work has been met with plenty of resistance, and employers are now rethinking just how effective RTO mandates actually are for their workforce. 

Yet deciding where and how to work doesn't have to be so black and white. Finding a balance should be the goal, and Booking.com's chief people officer Paulo Pisano has kept this in mind while overseeing tens of thousands of employees. 

"We've been running different experiments — we don't do exactly the same thing across the different companies in the group," Pisano says. "We're not a remote-first company: We value time together, working with each other at our offices or elsewhere, but at the same time, we recognize employees want flexibility and a certain degree of autonomy. We're still in pursuit of figuring out what the right balance is." 

Check out the full interview with Pisano and how he engages with a global workforce: How Booking.com's CPO keeps his 24,000 employees engaged across the globe

If employers want to innovate, they'll have to embrace flexibility, especially when it comes to hiring Gen Z workers. Sixty percent of Gen Z say they would not apply to a company mandating a five-day-a-week RTO policy. For the days Gen Z is in the office, employers will need to use perks like mentorship and upskilling to make that time in-person more valuable. 

"Companies are getting creative with perks and social responsibility initiatives to attract and retain top talent — particularly Gen Z," says Susan Levine, founder and CEO of Career Group Companies. "This trend of moving away from one-size-fits-all remote policies is likely to continue as organizations recognize their limitations [and] leaders understand the need for adjustments to revitalize workplaces."

See how Gen Z workers are pushing employers to think about RTO in new ways: Does Gen Z have the power to revert RTO mandates?

While RTO may irk some employees, too much flexibility can also be detrimental. Working at home all the time could cause social isolation, which is bad for wellness and an employee's career. It's also bad for business, as a lack of morale and connection could lead to high turnover. 

"Ongoing feelings of isolation can wreak havoc on both your physical and mental health," says Amanda Augustine, a career expert at TopResume. "The more connected employees feel toward one another, the greater likelihood that they will collaborate more effectively, and be more productive and happier." 

Here's how to prioritize communication and engagement, in-person and online: Being isolated at work can damage your career: 5 ways to be more social

While employees shouldn't be monitored 24/7, they may be taking advantage of flexible work policies. According to The Harris Poll, four in 10 millennial employees have admitted to "quiet vacationing:" Taking time off without telling their manager, giving their team the impression they're still working by staying somewhat active on platforms like Slack and Teams or even sending scheduled messages during the work day. 

"Why are we seeing these kinds of trends?" asks Aaron Rubens, co-founder and CEO of employee recognition platform Kudoboard. "Because companies haven't invested in engaging with employees in this new world. Being thoughtful goes a long way towards employees feeling fully present."

Are your employees engaging in this trend? And is it your fault? Why managers are to blame for 'quiet vacationing'