Businesses will stop at nothing to ensure their employees come to the office

Currently, 79% of executives surveyed in this Resume Builder survey* are using different strategies to ensure their employees come to work on their company premises. Most measure the hours of presence of their teams using their badge (58%).

Everything suggests that bosses will continue to monitor the comings and goings of their employees next year. Some 88% of companies which will, in the coming months, ask their employees to come to the office at least one day per month have declared their intention to control their presence on site.

The majority will have them clock in with their badge, while others will manually log their in-person days or look to see if they are connected to the office Wi-Fi network. Some companies will manage the occupancy of workspaces in their premises by installing presence detectors, including under employees’ desks.

From stick to carrot

But Resume Builder’s survey tells us that employers won’t just track down their employees to make sure they come to the office. They are considering taking sanctions against those who resist, which could go as far as dismissal. A third of respondents say they will fire employees who refuse to come and work on site when necessary.

The followers of telework who do not come to the office enough could also see their bonus reduced, benefit from fewer social benefits than their face-to-face colleagues, or even see their salary reduced. Generally speaking, almost all employees whose on-site days will be monitored by their bosses in 2024 risk facing consequences if they do not visit their company premises enough.

If decision-makers do not hesitate to use strong tactics to ensure that their workforce works face-to-face, they also try to lure them with advantages. They organize “happy hours” (52%), offer catering services to cook good meals for their employees (46%), or rethink their offices to make them more attractive (41%). Some opt for return-to-office bonuses or provide their employees with financial assistance aimed at reducing the cost of childcare.

Julia Toothacre, specialist at Resume Builder, believes, however, that these “carrots” will not be enough to convince workers to go to their workplace more regularly. “Companies need to encourage the return to the office, but happy hours are not the answer. Compensation is the way to get people back to the office […]. It also seems that employers do not take into account the reasons why employees like to telework or benefit fromflexible hours […]. When you force people back into the office, you risk losing great employees who thrived in their home environment,” she said in a statement.

*This survey was conducted online by the Pollfish survey platform, on behalf of Resume Builder, with 800 respondents. The latter are at least 25 years old and occupy a decision-making position in a company with at least 11 employees.