More than a quarter of workers surveyed by United Culture who work flexibly – defined as people who work remotely at least part of the time – said they felt they had missed out on a promotion or job opportunity because of remote work.
According to United Culture, older Generation Z and millennial workers, “many of whom now hold management positions and are looking to fill senior leadership roles,” were even more likely to report as much; 42% of those aged 35 to 44 and 37% of those aged 25 to 34 said they had been ignored.
United Culture also noted that employees continue to express favor for work-life balance and flexibility in the workplace, even as employers bring workers back to the office, highlighting “a disconnect between what they want leaders and their employees”.
A quarter of the 1,000 workers surveyed said their companies had changed or reduced their ability to work flexibly in the past year, rising to 44% for 18-24 year olds. However, 57% of workers surveyed said they would leave or consider leaving their company if the company changed the flexibility it offered.
“Working models have transformed since the pandemic,” Mavis Boniface, director of global operations at United Culture, said in a statement. “However, it seems that many employers have not yet grasped the extent to which the new “norms” have become an integral part of the public consciousness, or are trying to drag their employees into the office regardless.”
Organizations ranging from Amazon al United States Department of Labor they began calling for workers to return to the office despite considerable resistance from employees. CEOs largely expect it a full return within the next three years, a recent KPMG report indicated.
But employees may continue to resist, United Culture’s survey indicates. About 1 in 5 workers interviewed by Resume Builder said they were ignoring their company’s mandate to return to the office, and many say they would leave if their company enforced RTO compliance. Many want to be in the office three or fewer days a week, Resume Builder said.