More than a quarter of workers surveyed by United Culture who work flexibility — defined as people who work remotely at least some of the time — said they feel they missed out on a promotion or work opportunity due to remote work.
Older Generation Z and millennial workers, “many of whom are now in management positions and looking to develop into senior leadership roles,” according to United Culture, were even more likely to report as much; 42% of those age 35-44 and 37% of those age 25-34 said they had been passed over.
United Culture also noted that employees continue to express favor for work-life balance and workplace flexibility, even as employers call workers back to the office, highlighting “a disconnect between what leaders and their employees want.”
A quarter of the 1,000 workers surveyed said their companies have changed or reduced the ability to work flexibly over the past year — rising to 44% for those age 18-24. However, 57% of workers surveyed said they would leave or consider leaving their company if the company changed the flexibility that it offered.
“Working patterns have transformed post-pandemic,” Mavis Boniface, global operations director at United Culture, said in a statement. “However, it seems many employers are yet to grasp the extent to which the new ‘norms’ have become embedded in the public consciousness, or they are trying to drag their people back to the office regardless.”
Organizations ranging from Amazon to the U.S. Department of Labor have begun demanding workers return to the office amid considerable employee resistance. CEOs largely expect a full return within the next three years, a KPMG report released in September indicated.
But employees may continue to resist, as United Culture’s survey indicates. About 1 in 5 workers surveyed by Resume Builder said they were ignoring their company’s mandate to return to the office, with many saying they’d quit if their company enforced RTO compliance. Many want to be in the office three or fewer days per week, Resume Builder said.