Amazon announced this week that the company is reinstating a five-day workweek in the office for its employees. This move comes amid growing debate over the effectiveness of remote work, which raises critical questions about the future of hybrid and remote work policies. Some business leaders believe this move will create an uptick in CEOs reassessing if their hybrid and remote policies are decreasing productivity.
But on the heels of the Amazon announcement, Owl Labs released its 2024 State of Hybrid Work report contradicting the belief that everyone’s back in the office. This year’s eighth annual report surveyed 2,000 full-time workers in the United States and discovered that hybrid and remote work trends are actually growing. The findings show that full-time in-office work actually decreased six percent from 2023.
Rising Workplace Stress
According to the Owl Labs data, workplace stress is on the rise for all workers (hybrid, remote and in-office) this year, with 89% saying they haven’t seen any recent improvement. In-office workers (47%) report increased stress levels more than hybrid (39%) and remote workers (27%). When asked why they feel disengaged with their work, 26% admit they are feeling burnt out, and 17% say their mental health has decreased over the past year.
Workplace stress has increased even more for managers, with their stress levels soaring 55% higher than non-managers’—a finding that matches other research, showing that managers have higher stress levels than non-managers. A total of 32% of all U.S. knowledge workers (hybrid, remote and fully in-office), seeking new job opportunities, say the main reason is to lower their stress.
The study reports that one source of stress could be the upcoming U.S. election, as nearly half (45%) of U.S. workers say their employers’ or colleagues’ political opinions have made them not want to go to the office, with one in four even planning to take a post-election mental health day.
While 62% of workers are full-time in-office, there is a six percent decline from 66% in 2023 the statistics show. A total of 27% are fully hybrid, remaining steady from 2023 when 26% were fully hybrid. And 11% are fully remote (a 57% increase from seven percent), indicating a total 180 degree shift, as remote workers stole share from fully in-office workers.
A Decline In ‘Coffee Badging’
The study reports that 44% of hybrid workers are still coffee badging, but they’re doing it less than last year as employers catch on and crack down—a 24% decline from 2023. Three remains the most popular number of days that hybrid workers are in the office—41% of them say that’s how often they go in but only 33% said this matches their preferences.
Another 11% comment that they would like to try it—up 38% from last year. Though 84% of caught coffee badgers said their employers didn’t mind, 70% of coffee badgers have been caught in the act by their employers, and 16% of them are now forced to be in the office for the full day. The bosses who caught them are more likely to be coffee badgers themselves, as 47% of managers are coffee badging, compared to 34% of individual contributors. Some corporations have started to track how many hours people are in the office to prevent coffee badging in the future.
‘Green Flag Bosses’
Employees in the Owl Labs study say having a “green flag boss” is almost as important as their salaries. Employees cite a supportive supervisor (92%) as the most important factor in their work lives, only two percentage points behind the number one factor, compensation (94%). They even ranked a supportive manager above healthcare benefits (91% note that the latter is very important). Employees of large enterprises are eight percentage points more likely to cite the importance of a supportive manager than those at small businesses
Data show that workers who don’t have green flag bosses are complaining about their employers online—the #WorkTok trend continues to grow as Gen Z leads the way in posting their workplace gripes on social media. Over a third (34%) of U.S. workers – including half (48%) of Gen Z employees—have posted about their jobs or employers negatively on social media. Men are nearly twice as likely as women to do this, with 46% admitting they’ve posted negatively about work on social media, compared to 24% of women.
Employee Tracking
The report shows that nearly half of employees (46%) say their employers added or increased the use of employee tracking software to gather data about various activities in the past year. A total of 86% of employees believe companies should be legally required to disclose if they’re using these tools. One reason hybrid workers are continuing to resist going to the office is because they’re still spending a lot of money there. Hybrid workers say they spend an average of $61 a day when they work from the office, a 20% increase from $51 in 2023.
But 86% of hybrid/fully remote workers admit that they could be convinced to come to the office. A full 41% say greater/higher overall compensation, 41%, a shorter commute, 28% say free or subsidized food and beverages and 26% say company pays for commuting or parking costs.
‘Calendar Blocking’
The study found that more than half (58%) of U.S employees block off slots in their calendars that aren’t for meetings to protect their time—a productivity technique known as calendar blocking. Additional findings include:
- Full-time office workers (64% do it) are twice as likely to calendar block than their hybrid (28%) and fully remote (eight percent) colleagues.
- Hybrid workers are more likely to block off their time when working remotely –40% do this when not at the office, versus 33% in the office.
- Employees with caregiving responsibilities are twice as likely to calendar block (67% do it) as non-caretakers (33%).
- One in five workers (22%) are instilling greater boundaries by not taking on work outside of their specific job descriptions.
- About 20% won’t answer company communications outside of work hours.
- 72% of hybrid and fully remote workers say they are less likely to take a sick day and completely unplug from work to rest when they’re ill.
According to Frank Weishaupt, CEO of Owl Labs, “Despite the misconception that most employees are now back in the office full-time, the reality is that hybrid and remote work continue to grow, and they’re taking back share from fully in-office work.”
Weishaupt argues that some employees see the value of the office but want to go there on their own terms and despite job market fluctuations, they continue to remain firm on wanting flexibility in where they work. “Common deterrents in today’s offices that employers should be aware of include political chats, distractions during time needed for solo deep work and expensive commutes,” he concludes.