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RTO gets cold shoulder even as federal employees ordered back

RTO gets cold shoulder even as federal employees ordered back

Amrita Ahuja
| February 3, 2025

Main article

While executive orders requiring federal employees to return to the office have made news, employees are still pushing back against rigid return-to-office mandates, according to a survey released Jan. 30 by MyPerfectResume.

More than half of workers, 51%, said they would quit immediately over non-negotiable return-to-office policies, while 40% would immediately start searching for a remote job.

The survey of 1,044 US workers on Jan. 14 noted a growing disconnect between employee preferences and employer demands.

“While [President Donald] Trump’s orders are likely to embolden more companies to mandate RTO, the survey paints a clear picture: Workers value flexibility and remote work options now more than ever,” Jasmine Escalera, career expert at MyPerfectResume, said in a press release. “The traditional 9-to-5 office culture seems increasingly at odds with employee needs for work-life balance, mental health and productivity.”

Workplace preferences did vary. Forty-five percent of workers favor fully remote work, 33% prefer a hybrid model and 22% opt for on-site full-time roles.

The survey also found that employee productivity diverges by work setting, with 39% feeling most productive in a fully remote environment, 34% in a hybrid setup and 25% performing best on-site.

Job satisfaction follows a similar pattern: 71% of professionals reported the highest satisfaction in remote or hybrid roles, with 37% citing hybrid and 34% preferring fully remote.

If faced with a return-to-office mandate, 51% of workers said they would quit immediately, and 40% would search for remote jobs. Only 9% said they would return without issue.

Other findings in the report include:

  • Mental health impact. A majority of employees, 68%, said flexible work options improve their mental health, with 36% favoring fully remote and 32% preferring hybrid work.
  • Return to office’s ripple effects at home. Among those whose partners returned to the office, 40% reported increased household responsibilities, 36% struggled with childcare or eldercare and 29% experienced increased relationship stress.
  • Thoughts on federal employees. Federal employees should be able to work remotely, according to the majority in the survey. It found that 77% of workers support remote or hybrid options for federal employees, while just 23% believe federal workers should be on-site full-time.