| Initially, companies tried to lure workers back to the office by offering them perks. This is not exactly new territory for tech companies in particular, which are known for their lavish benefits. In 2022 Google tried to tempt its employees back to their desks with a big party that included a performance by pop star Lizzo. And then there were the happy hours, weekly events and group fitness classes. The message was clear: being in the office is fun. Another tech company, Salesforce, tried a different approach, appealing to its more humanitarian employees by offering to donate to local charities for each day workers came into the office. Silicon Valley companies are at the extreme end of the spectrum of back-to-work benefits, but a lot of companies were offering incentives including free coffee, lunch or commuter benefits. But in the end, none of the shiny objects or free goodies could compare to the comfort of rolling out of bed 10 minutes before the first meeting of the day. And, especially now that the economy has changed, companies have decided it is time to change tack. “We’re at the next phase, where there is more scrutiny and monitoring and companies are willing to enforce stricter rules about remote working,” Jane says. Some law firms, for instance, have been checking employee attendance by tracking how many times a week their staff are swiping into the office, to ensure they are complying with the company’s flexible working split. Big banks have started sending “letters of education” to employees who do not show up, threatening disciplinary action if they continue to work from home. The new owner of Manchester United, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, was more blunt: if you do not want to come in, get another job. “There’s quite a bit more stick than carrot now,” says Jane. The tables have turned During the pandemic there were significant labour shortages, which was difficult for businesses but favourable for workers. “Employees had quite a lot of power but because of the economic downturn employers have got the upper hand,” says Jane. “They can make demands – which includes asking staff to spend time in the office.” There is also a sense that community and creativity can be lost when people work from home. To some extent this could be down to nostalgia rather than evidence, with senior execs becoming misty-eyed at the halcyon days of watercooler chats, but there are tangible downsides of having a majority of staff working from home most of the time. For younger employees, they could be missing out on “more supervision” or the kinds of visibility that can “help with career progression and promotion,” Jane says. Workers fight back Even as redundancies and layoffs become more common, workers have been continuing to resist returning to the office, even going as far as “changing the terms and conditions in their contracts to keep themselves better protected,” Jane says. When employees at the Official of National Statistics were ordered to come in for a minimum of two days a week, they refused to comply, instead voting in favour of strikes. Sometimes the fight is more clandestine than an outright strike or refusal. Employees in some companies have been “coffee-badging”, Jane says, which is where an employee will come to the office, swipe themselves in, have a coffee (hence the name) or go to a meeting, and then quietly scurry off. For a lot of people, making sure that flexibility becomes a right as opposed to a privilege is not just about comfort – for those with caring responsibilities, for instance, it can make life much more manageable. This will probably not stop companies from continuing to push their workers back to their desks – and those workers, in turn, from putting up a fight. “People are clinging on to remote working in any way they can,” says Jane. | 