Employees are pushing back as Kroger, Amazon and more announce return-to-office mandates

Michael Jones, an associate professor of economics in the Lindner College of Business, spoke with Cincinnati’s WCPO about a push within the business community to require workers to return fully to in-person work. The COVID-19 pandemic helped accelerate a trend of working from home.

Jones says now only about 60% of employees work fully in-person, another 30% have a hybrid schedule allowing a mix of in-person labor and working from home, while 10% are fully remote.

Kroger has recently informed workers that work fully in-person will again be the norm prompting a backlash from employees. Other major companies demanding office returns in 2025 include Amazon, JP Morgan Chase, American Electric and AT&T, reports WCPO. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine also ordered state employees to return to the office full-time starting next month.

Jones said remote work has proven to be successful in some fields.

"But for certain types of jobs, creative industries where you need to work in a group and collaborate, they found that working from home wasn't as productive as it would have been," Jones told WCPO. "So you're starting to see companies bring those employees back into the office."

Watch the full interview with UC Associate Professor Michael Jones online.

Learn more about Michael Jones, PhD, online.

Featured top image of a work from home setting is courtesy of Istock.