Return to work: Is there a double standard in the C-suite?

Executives might have been one of the leading authorities encouraging back-to-work policies, but a new survey has revealed that they're not following through this as much as non-C-suite employees.

The latest findings of the Spring 2022 Future Forum Pulse revealed a "double standard in who is feeling the pain of return-to-office policies."

According to the Pulse survey, only about one in every five executives and non-executives want to return to the workplace, but the former group is nearly twice more likely than the latter to work full-time in the office.

In fact, the report revealed that 35% of non-executives are now going to the office five times a week, but only 19% of the C-suite are doing the same thing. 

As a result, non-executives are facing "far more strain" during the return-to-office era than leaders in the C-suite, with their work-life balance dropping to 20.7, 40% worse than their bosses' 34.6 scores.

Non-C-suite workers are also feeling more than twice the level of work-related stress and anxiety than executives, according to the report, with non-executives’ stress or anxiety score at 10.7, while executives have 23.5.

The report said this further puts a gap on the executive-employee disconnect when it comes to key job satisfaction measures.

Read more: 'Disconnect' between leaders, workers a roadblock to recovery

Flexibility and the future of work

Meanwhile, employers are also urged to offer flexibility plans and be transparent in the company's future if they want to retain their employees.

"Employees have clearly proven that they can get the job done while having flexibility in their work lives. If executives roll back this flexibility — or put off key decisions on the options that employees will have going forward — they're setting themselves up for a wave of departures," said Deborah Lovich, managing director and senior partner at Boston Consulting Group, in a statement.

The advice came after the survey also revealed that knowledge workers are more than three times more likely to leave a company and seek a new employer if their executives are not being transparent about their plans in the future.

Similar results have been reflected in terms of flexibility, with employees saying they will "definitely" look for a new job in the coming year if their company has not provided a policy on flexibility.

Interestingly, these employees are more resolute in leaving than those who work for a company that do not allow remote work.

"In other words, employees are less likely to leave if policies are clear, even if the rules do not align with what they say they want," said the report.