• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

My TechDecisions

  • Best of Tech Decisions
  • Topics
    • Video
    • Audio
    • Mobility
    • Unified Communications
    • IT Infrastructure
    • Network Security
    • Physical Security
    • Facility
    • Compliance
  • RFP Resources
  • Resources
  • Podcasts
  • Project of the Week
  • About Us
    SEARCH
Compliance, News

Return-to-the-Office Policies are Resulting in Elevated Stress

Companies mandating a return to the office after two years of distributed work due may be stressing out employees, Future Forum finds.

April 21, 2022 Zachary Comeau Leave a Comment

Office Work Stress

Companies that are mandating employees return to the office after two years of distributed work due to the COVID-19 pandemic may be bringing upon elevated levels of stress and anxiety, according to new search from Future Forum.

The Future Forum Pulse survey, commissioned by workplace communication firm Slack, found that more than a third (34%) of knowledge workers have begun working from the office five days a week, the most since the survey began tracking that metric in June 2020.

Due to that shift, employee experience scores are dropping significantly, with work-related stress and anxiety worsening by 28% compared with last quarter, while work-life balance dropped 17% quarter over quarter, the survey found.

Full-time office workers who responded to the survey reported the steepest declines when compared to hybrid and remote workers. Per the survey, the decline in work-life balance was twice as worse as flexible workers, and the decline in satisfaction with their working environment was 1.6-times worse for in-office workers. In addition, the survey reported a 1.5-times worsening work-related stress and anxiety in full-time office workers.

In the U.S., work-life balance is at an all-time low, while work-related stress and anxiety is at an all-time high since the survey began. This correlates to a rise in the percentage (34%) of employees working full-time in the office, which was just 30% a few months ago in November 2021. The percentage of employees working in hybrid arrangements has also shifted, dropping from over 50% to 45%.

Those shifts come despite the fact that 68% of all knowledge workers who responded to the survey said they prefer hybrid work.

According to the survey, work-life balances are 40% worse than their bosses, suggesting the existence of a double standard with executives demanding employees come back to work and further widening the executive-employee disconnect.

Just 21% of all knowledge workers (both executives and non-executives) say they want to work in the office full-time, but non-executives are nearly two-times more likely than executives to actually be working in the office full-time. Further, 35% of non-executives are making the commute to work each weekday, but just 19% of executives are doing the same.

The survey also discovered that workers not only want location flexibility (79%), but also schedule flexibility, with 94% saying they want more say in when they work, not just where. More than half of workers say their employer doesn’t provide flexible working hours, and 65% don’t have the ability to adjust their hours from a pre-set schedule.

Knowledge workers without the ability to set their own hours report a worse work-life balance, worsening work-related stress and anxiety and worse burnout, the report finds.

In a statement, Brian Elliot, executive leader of Future Forum, said leaders need to move away from dictating days in the office and rigid schedules and focus on aligning their teams around a common purpose and leading by example.

“Trusting your teams with the flexibility to work where and when works best for them will lead to better business results and happier employees,” Elliot said.

If you enjoyed this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our digital newsletters!

Tagged With: COVID-19, Hybrid Work, Management, Remote Work

Related Content:

  • Cloud, SASE, Aryaka How the Cloud is Redefining Media Production and…
  • Singlewire Software mass notification interview Singlewire Software on Mass Notification Solutions
  • URI catchbox 1 Catchbox Plus: The Mic Solution That Finally Gave…
  • Engaging virtual meeting with diverse participants discussing creative ideas in a bright office space during daylight hours Diversified Survey: Workplace AV Tech is Falling Short,…

Free downloadable guide you may like:

  • ChatGPT, generative AI, enterprise, workplaceBlueprint Series: ChatGPT and Generative AI in the Workplace

    This latest release of the TechDecisions Blueprint Series explores the new phenomenon of tools such as ChatGPT and how IT leaders should go about deploying generative AI in their organizations.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest Downloads

Practical Design Guide for Office Spaces
Practical Design Guide for Office Spaces

Recent Gartner research shows that workers prefer to return to the office for in-person meetings for relevant milestones, as well as for face-to-fa...

New Camera Can Transform Your Live Production Workflow
New Camera System Can Transform Your Live Production Workflow

Sony's HXC-FZ90 studio camera system combines flexibility and exceptional image quality with entry-level pricing.

Creating Great User Experience and Ultimate Flexibility with Clickshare

Working and collaborating in any office environment today should be meaningful, as workers today go to office for very specific reasons. When desig...

View All Downloads

Would you like your latest project featured on TechDecisions as Project of the Week?

Apply Today!

More from Our Sister Publications

Get the latest news about AV integrators and Security installers from our sister publications:

Commercial IntegratorSecurity Sales

AV-iQ

Footer

TechDecisions

  • Home
  • Welcome to TechDecisions
  • Contact Us
  • Comment Guidelines
  • RSS Feeds
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Linkedin

Free Technology Guides

FREE Downloadable resources from TechDecisions provide timely insight into the issues that IT, A/V, and Security end-users, managers, and decision makers are facing in commercial, corporate, education, institutional, and other vertical markets

View all Guides
TD Project of the Week

Get your latest project featured on TechDecisions Project of the Week. Submit your work once and it will be eligible for all upcoming weeks.

Enter Today!
Emerald Logo
ABOUTCAREERSAUTHORIZED SERVICE PROVIDERSYour Privacy ChoicesTERMS OF USEPRIVACY POLICY

© 2025 Emerald X, LLC. All rights reserved.