Should employers be forcing new hires to RTO?

RETURN TO OFFICE: While new hires — including young professionals and transfers — are still interested in remote work, the share of job descriptions advertising remote and hybrid work fell 18% between February 2022 and May 2023, according to Indeed . But it's not because those jobs no longer exist, according to Emily Killham , senior director of people analytics, research and insights at Perceptyx . Rather, it's a recruiting strategy of sorts. ?????

"While those companies may have initially filled a certain role with someone who they allowed to work remotely or in a hybrid environment, when that person turns over, the job description is changed and the next person is hired as an in-office replacement," says Killham. "So that is what's tipping the scales — it's much more difficult to force people back to the office who have already proven that they can be successful with flexibility, [rather than] than just listing new positions." But will this strategy backfire on employers, or are employees just out of luck?

Read: Leadership is forcing new hires into offices — what's next for RTO and WFH

RETIREMENT: With the start of the new year comes another wave of changes to the retirement landscape. As 2024 gets underway, provisions within SECURE 2.0 , legislation passed in 2022, will continue to roll out to support retirement preparedness for millions of American workers.?

SECURE 2.0 includes 90 provisions that make 401(k) plans available to more employees, help to ease administrative burdens for plan sponsors, and address other financial challenges , like student loans and unexpected emergency expenses, that impact an individual's ability to save for retirement.?An expert from J.P. 摩根 shares how these changes will impact retirement readiness this year:

Read: 4 ways SECURE 2.0 will impact retirement in 2024

DEI: According to Resume Builder , 90% of employers plan to implement a return-to-office policy by the end of 2024. While this doesn't necessarily mean most companies will force employees to be in the office five days a week, employees will have to spend at least part of their week in an office space they may not even be familiar with. As for talent with disabilities, neurodivergent employees and caregivers, these mandates may threaten their sense of safety and ability to be productive.?

"An inclusive office is created with all lived experiences in mind," says Alex Suggs, MBA , co-founder and partner at consulting firm Different DEI .?"It's a space co-created with the folks who are going to be most impacted — those with disabilities, caregivers, those with neurodivergence. They should be able to come here and thrive and feel like they were top of mind when this workplace was created."?Here's what needs to change before you launch a new RTO mandate:

Read: RTO? Update your office to support disability, neurodivergence and caregiving