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What HR pros can learn from different employee responses to RTO?

Finding the ideal RTO plan for your company won’t be resolved in less than three hours, but there’s a lot to learn from what’s happening out there. In this article, we explore recent RTO policies to uncover the lessons HR professionals can take away from both the good and the bad experiences.

First, let’s talk about the good experiences, JM Smucker made waves by requiring its corporate employees to be physically present for 22 “core” weeks a year starting in January 2022. However, there’s a twist—employees can live anywhere in the US, as long as they spend about six days a month at the Orrville, Ohio-based campus, and they foot the bill for their travel and accommodations. Further reports on this matter have revealed that the company’s culture hasn’t suffered, nor have employees delayed tasks during the core weeks.

However, they remain open to reassessing their approach should business results dip, employee development stall, or surveys reveal a disconnection with the company’s culture.

The recent debacle at Grindr witnessed a mass exodus of nearly half its corporate staff in August. Their refusal to relocate closer to the California-based office and adhere to a twice-weekly in-person work mandate led to this predicament. The situation escalated when the staff tried to unionize through the Communications Workers of America (CWA). CWA alleged that Grindr’s severance packages for non-compliant employees were designed to stifle their voices.

This debacle at Grindr underscores the growing tension between employers and their workers as they return to the office after years of flexible work policies.

The takeaway here is that companies that listen to their employees and tailor their strategies accordingly might find the greatest success. In the evolving landscape of RTO policies, only time will tell which strategies prevail. However, it’s becoming evident that a plan is more likely to succeed when it aligns with the desires of the employees.

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