By Chris Quinn
cleveland.com
(TNS)
A recent surge in companies requiring employees to return to the office more frequently—or even full-time, in the case of Sherwin Williams—has triggered pushback from workers and confusion about what’s motivating the change.
More than 130 people responded to a question I posed on the topic to 3,100 subscribers to text messages I send out each weekday about stories in the works or questions we seek to answer. They had plenty to say about what is behind the shift and what it means for the future of work.
Their views paint a picture of a workplace in transition, where employee preferences and executive priorities increasingly clash.
“I think it’s mostly about control,” one reader wrote. “Some bosses simply don’t trust people to be productive unless they can physically see them.”
That sentiment echoed across many replies, with workers speculating that the push for in-person work stems from outdated management mindsets and a desire for oversight rather than any measurable drop in productivity.
“Remote work has proven effective. But leadership often can’t shake the old-school belief that if you’re not at your desk, you’re not really working,” another person said.
Others pointed to real estate as a driving force. “Corporations signed long-term leases. Empty offices don’t look good on the balance sheet,” one reader noted. “They want to justify the expense of office space.”
Several mentioned tax implications. “Companies that moved their headquarters for tax reasons now need people in the building to make the case that it’s a real headquarters,” one respondent offered.
A handful of replies raised a less-discussed theory: that some executives want workers back in the office so they’ll be more likely to leave on their own.
“It’s a way to force attrition without doing layoffs,” one person wrote. “Quiet firing. Make it uncomfortable and wait for people to quit.”
Some workers said they see benefits to in-person work—particularly for collaboration, onboarding, and mentorship. “There’s something to be said for spontaneous conversations and walking over to someone’s desk to solve a problem,” one wrote. “But that doesn’t mean five days a week is necessary.”
Still, others dismissed those arguments as excuses to justify unnecessary oversight. “We proved during the pandemic that we can work from home and still hit our targets,” a reader said. “Now we’re being told that doesn’t matter. It’s demoralizing.”
Several people said they had already started looking for new jobs because of the policy changes. “I’m not moving backward,” one texted. “Flexibility is non-negotiable now.”
Others said they were staying put for now but keeping an eye on the job market. “It’s not as easy to switch jobs as it was a couple years ago,” one person said. “But if a good remote or hybrid role opens up, I’m gone.”
Many acknowledged that the return-to-office debate is far from over—and likely to evolve. “We’re in a huge experiment,” one reader wrote. “And companies that force rigid schedules might find out they’re on the wrong side of history.”
Here are seven of the most interesting responses:
1. “It’s a power trip. Executives hate that the balance of power shifted even slightly during the pandemic, and now they’re using every excuse to reassert control. If it was really about collaboration or culture, they’d listen to what workers actually say they need.”
2. “I think they want people to quit. Plain and simple. If you force someone to commute an hour again, pay for gas and parking and lunch, and leave their dog home alone, they’ll eventually say, ‘This isn’t worth it.’ Cheaper than layoffs.”
3. “Some of it is ego. Leaders who made their careers in offices don’t know how to manage differently. Remote work threatens their identity, and instead of adapting, they double down on the old way.”
4. “There are legitimate reasons to want people in the office—better training, team bonding, problem-solving. But not every job needs that every day. Hybrid should be the norm, not the exception.”
5. “Tax policy is part of it. If your HQ is in a city that gave you incentives to move there, you better have people in the building. Otherwise, you risk losing that favorable treatment.”
6. “The workplace dynamic changed during COVID, but executives didn’t change with it. The workforce has evolved. People want to pick up their kids, take walks, and not waste hours commuting. The new demands feel like a refusal to accept that.”
7. “I am an HR consultant. I believe the following reasons are: Lack of engagement/connection to co-workers, the company, managers and employees, etc.; Collaboration is not the same—quickly walking over, asking a question as you are passing by, jumping into a room for a quick meeting, writing on a whiteboard, etc.; Rumors that employees have multiple jobs while working from home; Managers in general (not all) did not know what employees were doing when they were in the office—the processes or ways to hold individuals accountable is harder because there was no good system in the past; Employees (all levels) being unreachable during the “workday”—you IM or send an email and hours later they respond if at all; and I also see the Zoom fatigue kicking in—constantly being on camera can be exhausting for some. You can argue that they would be meeting in person but that is a bit different—one comment I read is that you see your face in a Zoom meeting where you do not see yourself when in-person. That was an interesting perspective.”
Photo credit: gremin/iStock
________
©2025 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit cleveland.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency LLC.
Thanks for reading CPA Practice Advisor!
Subscribe Already registered? Log In
Need more information? Read the FAQs
Tags: employees, Firm Management, Payroll, return to office
