FDA Fumbles with RTO Rollout
Plus, how industrial-era work models are killing innovation
👋 Happy Tuesday! In addition to forcing employees back to the office through RTO mandates, up to 80% of large U.S. employers also use other forms of employee surveillance, such as computer monitoring and mouse tracking. Not only do these findings imply a growing disconnect between employees and their leaders, but the strategies themselves won't lead to the productivity boost organizations are hoping for.
In this week’s edition:
🏢 FDA RTO Chaos
💼 The $9T Disengagement Crisis
🎙️ AI & HR
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THIS WEEK’S FLEX FOCUS 🔍
FDA’s RTO Chaos: A ‘Hunger Games’ Scenario
What happens when you force thousands of federal workers back to offices without proper planning? Nearly 10,000 employees arrived at their Silver Spring headquarters to find themselves battling for parking spaces, standing in security lines that stretched across campus before dawn, and competing for limited desk space and basic supplies.
One frustrated worker aptly described it as a "Hunger Games-type situation". The FDA's RTO fiasco joins similar scenes at NASA (where returning workers found cockroach infestations) and the IRS (where privacy concerns emerged due to insufficient meeting spaces).
The implementation raises questions about whether these RTO mandates genuinely improve government efficiency or perhaps serve a more calculated purpose — pushing federal workers toward resignation.
FLEX WORK QUICK HITS 💥
Stay ahead of the curve with our curated roundup of the trending flexible work stories making waves right now. Here's what you need to know 👇
SHRM: Employees at companies with layoffs or RTO mandates reported significantly higher rates of workplace incivility (67% and 63% respectively).
Yahoo Finance: Hundreds of JPMorgan employees have formed "extremely active" private chat groups to share information about the bank's full-time RTO mandate.
Fortune: Swiss banking giant UBS has implemented a new hybrid work policy requiring staff to be in the office at least three days weekly and prohibiting consecutive remote Fridays and Mondays.
BizJournals: San Francisco office visits fell just 1% year-over-year in February, outperforming most major cities as Tech employers' RTO mandates appear to counter the national trend of stumbling RTO efforts.
STAT OF THE WEEK 📈
Most Flexible Industries Ranked
Last year, we took a deep dive look at variations in workplace flexibility across sectors. Technology leads with 95% of companies offering flexibility, followed by Insurance (91%) and Telecommunications (90%).
Conversely, Restaurants & Food Services show the lowest flexibility (40%), with Education (45%) and Hospitality (50%) maintaining stronger in-office requirements.
It will be fascinating to track how these patterns evolve, particularly whether traditionally office-bound sectors begin embracing more flexible arrangements to remain competitive.
FLEXPERT INSIGHTS 🧠
How Your Organization is Unknowingly Stifling Productivity, Engagement, and Innovation
In her latest article, transformation leader Tonille Miller delivers a powerful wake-up call to organizations unknowingly trapped in outdated mindsets and practices.
Miller dissects how the jarring disconnect between our tech-savvy personal lives and antiquated workplace systems creates employee cognitive dissonance. She challenges leaders to reimagine everything from technology integration to the fundamental employer-employee relationship, proposing a refreshing "subscription model" approach.
Perhaps most compelling is Tonille’s dismantling of industrial-era work practices that still dominate corporate thinking. Her evidence-based critique of mandatory return-to-office policies and outdated productivity metrics offers a blueprint for organizations ready to evolve.
FLEX PERSPECTIVES 🎙️
ICYMI: Preparing HR Teams for the AI Revolution | Kevin Delaney and Massella Dukuly
In this episode of Flex Perspectives, Rob Sadow sat down with Kevin Delaney, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Charter, and Massella Dukuly, Head of Workplace Strategy & Innovation, to discuss the AI mandate for HR.
Check out the full episode to learn:
Why HR executives need to take a central role in AI planning and organizational preparation from the start.
How to address AI anxiety from employees worried about their jobs.
How to evaluate what roles or skills are more likely to be augmented vs automated
Actionable recommendations for HR leaders to navigate the AI transition, with tangible metrics for measuring success.
Also available on Apple Podcasts.
COMPANY SPOTLIGHT ✨
Volvo, founded in 1927 in Gothenburg, Sweden, is a globally recognized automotive manufacturer specializing in producing a range of vehicles including cars, trucks, buses, and construction equipment. With over 90 years of innovative engineering, Volvo’s presence now spans across the world, with significant manufacturing and marketing operations in Europe, North America, and Asia.
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