Employees are pushing back as Kroger, Amazon and more announce return-to-office mandates
UC economics professor says remote work benefits some businesses, but not all
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.
Related Stories
The playbook for lasting corporate-startup partnerships
December 17, 2025
Only 15% of corporate-startup collaborations last, often due to communication challenges and layers of bureaucracy. Here’s how your partnership can beat the odds.
Ohio looks to fast-track wastewater discharge permits
December 16, 2025
Bradford Mank, James B. Helmer Jr. Professor of Law at the University of Cincinnati, spoke with WVXU for a story about a proposal by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency to streamline the way wastewater discharge permits are issued to data centers.
Tariff troubles for online shoppers
December 16, 2025
This year’s new regulations on tariffs and customs are leaving holiday shoppers with unexpected fees on some of their purchases, according to recent reporting by WLWT. Associate Dean of Impact and Partnerships for the University of Cincinnati’s Lindner College of Business Charles Sox spoke to WLWT about why shoppers are only just now feeling the impact, despite these policies being in effect for months.