Results of the Mercer QuickPulse™: Return to Office Edition

During June 2024, Mercer surveyed Canadian organizations on one of the hottest topics to arise over the past year. 343 companies responded to questions about their return to office philosophy, implementation, and compliance expectations.

Let’s look at what they shared with us.

We first ask about their philosophy on remote work. The majority, 71%, have a local office-focused hybrid approach with flex between remote and office environments. Most employers with this hybrid approach require two or three days onsite, which aligns with what employers in the United States are doing.

Of the organizations that require employees to be in the office, almost half have some days where employees are required to be in the office. Another 13% allow managers to set the in-office schedule for their teams. Twenty-one percent of Canadian employers give their employees full autonomy to select when they will be in the office. In the US, only 13% of employers report that they allow their employees that discretion.

Making the return to office a little nicer

While many employees have stated that they do, in fact, enjoy some time in the office for face-to-face interaction and collaboration, there’s no escaping the fact that it’s just easier and less expensive not to have to commute to an office. Employers understand this and have added a few niceties to try to make returning the office a bit more palatable for employees. Some of the most common offerings are:

• Flexible working hours.
• Relaxed dress codes.
• Free or subsidized parking.

Things that were once proposed as ways to get employees back in the office are simply not going to happen, according to the survey respondents:

• Increases in salary
• Childcare assistance
• Stipends

How serious are employers?

Saying you want employees back in the office and ensuring that it happens are two different things. Is it a “guideline” or a “mandate”? What are the repercussions if an employee chooses not to comply?

Almost half of the Canadian survey participants say they have issued a mandate and expect employees to comply. This is quite a bit stronger than the 28% that expect the same from the US.

With such a high expectation of compliance, it’s interesting that only 35% of companies are monitoring at the organizational level, while another 41% are leaving the task up to their managers.

For the employees of these companies, the consequences of non-compliance are a bit unclear. Only 39% of the organizations say that there are consequences for noncompliance. Of those, 56% say that the consequences of noncompliance, and whether or not termination is involved, will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

Looking for more information?

You must be dealing with some of the challenges of getting a workforce to return to the office and keeping them engaged. Mercer has many industry experts who can help find solutions to challenges unique to your organization, whether it be rewards, policies and programs, job architecture, or figuring out what it takes to motivate your workforce.

Call us at 855-286-5302 or e-mail us at surveys@mercer.com to more information about compensation planning and addressing some of HR’s hottest topic.