The Rush to Return to the Office Is Stalling

Companies like Microsoft, Paramount & NBCUniversal are mandating more office days, but US office attendance hasn't budged much - Americans still work from home ~25% of time. Many managers don't enforce rules, especially for high performers. Some see mandates as disguised layoffs. Your Work Forward research shows companies requiring 12% more office time than early 2024, but compliance drops below 75% when requiring 3+ days. You're quoted saying mandates sometimes coincide with layoffs as "cheap way to reduce head count."