The 53% of American employees who currently work from home most of the time may be in for a surprise in the coming months. And, according to a new KPMG survey, 79% of CEOs of American companies say that the corporate roles that were performed in the office before the pandemic will once again be full time office within the next three years. To put the data in context, just a few months ago only 34% thought that this would be the case.
The 1,300 executive directors questioned in a survey carried out between July and August of this year, would thus be joining a recent wave of mandates from back to the office by the main technological players. Among them Amazon, which announced a few days ago the requirement that the majority of its employees will have to return to work in the office five days a week starting in 2025.
86% say they will reward employees with attractive assignments, raises and promotions
Thus, the majority of CEOs of the companies surveyed by KPMG plan the end of teleworking and 86% say they will reward employees with attractive assignments, raises and promotions, suggesting a potential intention to deny those same rewards to employees who prefer to work from home.
On the other hand, the report also reveals a Generational divide in executives’ sentiment about returning to the office: 87% of CEOs aged 60 to 69 anticipate a full return, 83% of those aged 50 to 59 expect a return to the office to occur, while only 75% of CEOs 40 to 49 years old do it. Meanwhile, more male CEOs (84%) are betting on the scenario of a full return to the office compared to 78% of high-level female executives.
In this context, KPMG warns in its report that there is a “growing gap” between how executives and workers think about their workplaces. “The successful leaders of tomorrow will be those who understand that their talent dilemma can only be solved by investing in, nurturing and supporting it through a social contract that understands that employees today not only want, but expect a more agile work environment.” and flexible and a better balance between work and personal life”says Nhlamu Dlomu, Global Head of People at KPMG International, in a statement included in the report.
Analyzing the global data in the report, the sentiment of US CEOs is slightly less optimistic regarding the expectation of a total return to the offices. While around 79% of CEOs surveyed in the United States expect the work environment to change in the next three years toward a full return to the offices, 17% are betting on a hybrid approach and 4% anticipate a work culture completely remote.
In this sense, the KPMG report concludes that Companies that offer hybrid work are the ones that are growing the fastest: 87% are currently hiring, compared to 82% of companies that work exclusively in the office. Flexible companies also report higher productivity and better company performance, with 38% citing increased production as a direct benefit of remote work. The ability to access a broader talent pool and reduce turnover are some additional advantages noted by companies that are adopting remote models.
More info: KPMG – CEO Outlook