Layoffs and return to office Forum

[Anonymous User]

Do you think firms will use layoffs or the threat of them to force us back into the office? I’ve heard murmurs that partners want us to finally return to pre-Covid life in 2023.

[nealric]

I doubt it would be so direct and explicit. In a tight labor market, employees have bargaining power, and overall associates are more likely to favor remote work (although there is undoubtedly some variance in personal preference). In a soft labor market, they don't. If management wants to require a return to office, they will have an easier time doing so now when the labor market is a bit softer than a year ago when it was super tight.

Whether management wants a complete RTO is going to depend on the specific firm. I suspect the average firm will be loser with facetime requirements than pre-COVID more or less permanently, but some firms will expect in-person attendance as the norm.

[Anonymous User]

From what I have heard at my firm, many older partners are pushing for full RTO but partners involved in recruiting are pushing back. Right now, recruiting is winning because it's still an employees' market out there.

[Anonymous User]

From what I have heard at my firm, many older partners are pushing for full RTO but partners involved in recruiting are pushing back. Right now, recruiting is winning because it's still an employees' market out there.

I doubt that many firms will ever go to full RTO in the five-days-a-week sense, but many will likely adopt more rigid policies and monitor compliance more closely.