WorkLife’s Post

President Trump Orders Federal Workers Back to the Office Full-Time—Will Canada Follow Suit in 2025? The U.S. is making many headlines today, this time with a bold move impacting CRE: President Trump has ordered federal workers to return to the office full-time by 2025. With Canada’s federal election on the horizon, it’s fair to ask—will we follow suit if leadership changes? In-person work undeniably offers benefits—spontaneous collaboration, stronger relationships, and better team dynamics—but a dramatic shift like this needs careful planning. A poorly executed transition risks alienating talent and creating unintended consequences. As Canada watches from the sidelines, the question looms: is this the future of work? Would Canadians embrace a similar mandate, or is hybrid here to stay? Read more about this story here: https://lnkd.in/gBJz_KQP What’s your take?

I post this, not because of a political ideology, but because of business philosophy. I believe that for someone to win, doesn’t always mean that someone else has to lose! And with one stroke of a pen 42,000 federal workers who are currently working a hybrid schedule must now return to office 5 days per week. It’s a move that will certainly cause many to reconsider their current employment situation, but that appears to be the point. At first, it appears that return to office (#RTO) orders are detrimental to organizations wanting to retain employees…which is a logical conclusion. That said, what if RTO is being used to intentionally trim staffing in order to avoid paying people to leave (severance, unemployment compensation…)? As hybrid arrangements are considered a perk, removing them does not create a hostile work environment. However they are being weaponized to punish employees and impact their satisfaction (and wellbeing) to influence employees to leave. It’s clever and deceitful in a diabolical way, playing chicken with mental and physical health of a class of employees en masse! I’m a pretty strategic thinker, but I try to see the best in people so maybe the wickedness of a hurtful and dirty move like this blinded me to it’s true intention… Consider my eyes open, I’ll not make this same mistake again. I see you, and so do/will others. I’ll leave it to y’all to judge for yourself. https://lnkd.in/g_r3JedE

Were return-to-office policies just a guise for corporate rightsizing? Forbes surveyed managers on their thoughts behind these policies. If those intentions were beneath the surface for most, how does that promote employer-to-employee trust? Or should employees remember they're subject to "employment at will" in any environment, and always have a Plan B? While accountability is a two-way street, how leadership communicates and handles employment-related policies has the ability to either positively or negatively impact results. See the Forbes article here: https://lnkd.in/ewRjZWsF #ReturnToOffice #TrustInLeadership #CultureBuilding

An interesting read for your Monday! But if there’s no time to fully dive in (because, well… it is a Monday), here’s my quick breakdown: Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Andrew Ferguson announced a full return-to-office mandate starting in March, citing concerns about the impact of remote work on agency culture and efficiency. Problem? At an agency where around 80% of employees work from home most of the week—more than at other federal agencies—the policy has raised questions about potential staff attrition and its implications for the agency’s ongoing work. Former FTC attorney and current BCLP Partner David B. Schwartz shared with Reuters that return-to-office policies are a complex issue, affecting employees differently regardless of their role or personal demands. “If staff were to leave while cases are ongoing and Ferguson is ramping up his agenda, it will significantly impact the agency’s ability to function,” he added. David’s full insights below.

RTO is so interesting. I think most management teams are exceptionally bad at the side of HR that involves organizing human beings and turning their outputs into free cash flow (I truly dont think most organizations have a grasp on what / whose hours of work are actually involved in FCF generation), and I think this will make it even more difficult to manage those tensions. Edit: I want to add, I dont think this is a pro or anti RTO thing. Its more, in a world where more remote work is viewed as a perk, does it create workplace tension in a place where most people have to work (say) 4 days a week in office, and around 5% or so of people get to only come in 1 day a week or whatever.

Do you know how the return-to-office is going? Dive into the results of our latest Mercer QuickPulse™ where we highlight the FLSA salary threshold requirement and returning to the office data findings. #FutureofWork #compensation #HumanResources

As anticipated, many high performing senior level professionals, have made a quality of life decisions. Not to waste valuable work or personal hours with unnecessary commutes into an office when they are more productive in their home office. They have transitioned to companies that value their work performance and personal time, respecting their ability to determine their own work environment. These employees will continue to maintain up to an additional 10 hours per week to designate as work or personal time, without an unnecessary office commute. Employees will continue to seek out companies that provide the benefits/wellness programs that value their performance and respect their ability to determine the best environment for their most productive work and personal life balance. Companies will need to audit the cost of RTO policies, and loss of institutional knowledge as they continue to see these employee exits, and ultimately justify the additional costs of backfilling these positions caused by RTO. "Instead, companies often deploy RTO mandates to “reassert control” and use employees as “scapegoats for bad firm performance,” tactics that can boomerang against productivity and retention, the Pittsburgh researchers noted."

Letter below was sent to all Federal employees direct from the Office of Personnel Management It is causing much consternation. During the first week of his administration, President Trump issued a number of directives concerning the federal workforce. Among those directives, the President required that employees return to in-person work, restored accountability for employees who have policy-making authority, restored accountability for senior career executives, and reformed the federal hiring process to focus on merit. As a result of the above orders, the reform of the federal workforce will be significant. The reformed federal workforce will be built around four pillars: 1) Return to Office: The substantial majority of federal employees who have been working remotely since Covid will be required to return to their physical offices five days a week. Going forward, we also expect our physical offices to undergo meaningful consolidation and divestitures, potentially resulting in physical office relocations for a number of federal workers. 2)Performance culture: The federal workforce should be comprised of the best America has to offer. We will insist on excellence at every level — our performance standards will be updated to reward and promote those that exceed expectations and address in a fair and open way those who do not meet the high standards which the taxpayers of this country have a right to demand. 3)More streamlined and flexible workforce: While a few agencies and even branches of the military are likely to see increases in the size of their workforce, the majority of federal agencies are likely to be downsized through restructurings, realignments, and reductions in force. These actions are likely to include the use of furloughs and the reclassification to at-will status for a substantial number of federal employees. 4)Enhanced standards of conduct: The federal workforce should be comprised of employees who are reliable, loyal, trustworthy, and who strive for excellence in their daily work. Employees will be subject to enhanced standards of suitability and conduct as we move forward. Employees who engage in unlawful behavior or other misconduct will be prioritized for appropriate investigation and discipline, including termination. Each of the pillars outlined above will be pursued in accordance with applicable law, consistent with your agency's policies, and to the extent permitted under relevant collective-bargaining agreements. If you choose to remain in your current position, we thank you for your renewed focus on serving the American people to the best of your abilities and look forward to working together as part of an improved federal workforce. At this time, we cannot give you full assurance regarding the certainty of your position or agency but should your position be eliminated you will be treated with dignity and will be afforded the protections in place for such positions.

"You have a problem with authority, Mr. Anderson. You believe that you are special, that somehow the rules do not apply to you. Obviously you are mistaken. This company is one of the top software companies in the world because every single employee understands that they are part of a whole. Thus if an employee has a problem, the company has a problem. The time has come to make a choice, Mr. Anderson. Either you choose to be at your desk on time from this day forward or you choose to find yourself another job. Do I make myself clear?" --Mr. Rhineheart, "The Matrix" (1999) #rto #mandates #offices #policy #workers #officespace