Almost half of white-collar workers would quit if asked to work in the office more, poll says

The tug of war between workers and employers over how many days should be spent in the office has been raging since the lifting of pandemic lockdowns.

But it looks like white-collar professionals are ready to put their collective foot down.

Almost half of them now say they’d rather look for another job than come into the office more, according to a recent poll by global recruitment agency Robert Walters Inc., which notes the issue is becoming a leverage point in the worker retention battle.

“There just isn’t a one-sizefits-all option when it comes to ways of working and keeping productivity levels up across a workforce,” said its Canada managing director Martin Fox.

The report, which surveyed 2,000 “white collar” professionals from over 500 companies across Canada, found that 46 per cent would threaten to switch jobs if asked to increase their in-office workdays, while one in five of their

The report, which surveyed 2,000 “white collar” professionals from over 500 companies across Canada, found that 46 per cent would threaten to switch jobs if asked to increase their in-office workdays.

employers want them in the office more.

The survey highlighted the ability to do hybrid-work as one of the top three benefits professionals now look for, regardless of the field.

Two-fifths of professionals think decisions regarding hybrid and flexible working arrangements are the number one issue influencing workplaces in 2024.

“Our research shows that gone are the days where employers competed for talent on salary alone,” Fox said.

He added that having a clearly defined hybrid working model can be a key leverage point for candidate attraction and retention this year, particularly where hiring budgets remain stringent.

This finding, however, would seem to clash with the results of a survey by KPMG that found 55 per cent of Canadian CEOS expect a complete return to the office by 2026.

“Leaders attempting to implement a full return-tooffice are quickly going to run into trouble,” said Fox, noting that many professionals won’t readily give up the flexible working routines that they’ve spent the last three to four years getting comfortable with.

Meanwhile, over half of professionals only plan to go into the office more to meet employer needs, the Robert Walters survey said.

It found that a long commute (47 per cent) is the main deterrent for professionals. Other factors are disruption to work-life balance, distractions at work and associated costs.

While some employers want to see their employees in the office more, 79 per cent said they would not issue a full return-to-office yet, even if it had no impact on retention, the survey said.

Fox said employers should offer benefits that better reflect employee needs and preferences in order to retain them and encourage more inoffice attendance.

Ways to get them back into the office include offering flexible work hours, enhancing office amenities, assisting employee spend like subsidizing travel or providing a meal, among others, he said.

“Working in the office has clear advantages — you can interact more with your colleagues, contribute to team projects and be more visible. You can also learn new skills, get guidance from senior staff and feel more engaged with the workplace culture,” he said.