Employers nationwide are planning to announce new return-to-office plans the first week of September, with some analysts even calling the day after Labor Day "Judgment Day," according to an Aug. 27 report from CNBC.
While employers are hoping to return to pre-COVID office normalcy, analyst Frank Luntz told CNBC that he does not see that happening, as power dynamics between employees and employers have shifted.
"The public expects the CEO to deserve [their] employment, to deserve [their] effort," Mr. Luntz told CNBC. "It's a very different world today than it was before COVID and make no mistake – this is the way it is across the board; it doesn't matter whether you're in Washington state or Florida, or working class or upper middle class."
Tech giant Apple recently announced that it was changing the work-in-office policy from two to three days a week, but employees have pushed back by starting a petition demanding a continuation of work-from-home options.
Mr. Luntz said workers want more flexibility, which offers them more control over their lives.
"It's one of the reasons why so many businesses cannot hire the people they want — individuals now have two, three, or four job options, and they're going to go where they feel their quality of life is not messed up," he said.