What Apple and Google executives missed in telling workers to go back to the office

Google, after employees objected, recently backtracked from its plan to force employees to return to the office. Apple’s plan to force its staff back to the office three days a week met with substantial internal opposition.

Why are corporate executives trying to force employees to return to the office? They must know the results of recent surveys that asked thousands of employees about their preferences on returning to the office after the pandemic. The surveys revealed strong preferences for working from home post-pandemic at least half the time. A quarter to a third of respondents desired full-time remote work permanently. From 40% to 55% of respondents said they’d quit without permanent remote options for at least half the work week. And minority employees expressed an especially strong preference for remote work to escape in-office discrimination.

Business leaders frequently proclaim that “people are our most important resource.” Yet the executives resistant to permitting telework are not living by that principle.

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