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
6 ways starting a GLP-1 medication could affect your emotions
May 20, 2026
When patients first start taking a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) medication, they probably expect to feel full. But they might not anticipate how it can influence their emotions. The medications act on the stomach and the brain, said Malti Vij, MD, a University of Cincinnati adjunct associate professor in the College of Medicine's Department of Internal Medicine and a diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine.
Inaugural AI Symposium in Finance & Accounting explores the investment landscape
May 19, 2026
The Johnson Investment Institute hosted the first-ever AI Symposium in Finance & Accounting on May 8 at Lindner Hall, welcoming industry leaders from national firms, academics from leading universities, and emerging finance and accounting talent.
Pocket-sized population threat
May 18, 2026
The Financial Times took a deep dive into why populations around the world continue to be on the decline. The publication cited new University of Cincinnati research as part of the investigation that looks at the fall of fertility in the digital era.