As Employers Require Workers To Return To Office, Spacing Issues Mount

Desk shortages may reveal more about a company's plans for its workforce.

As social distancing becomes a thing of the past, companies want employees to return to commuting for in-person work. While most employees are following employers’ requests, many have noticed that their work environments literally cannot fit this demand.

This issue has already taken shape at big tech companies like Instagram, which, according to Business Insider, has already had to shift gears in light of desk shortages.

With workers competing for desks to fulfill RTO demands, the issue raises the question of why these mandates remain.

Other big-name companies like AT&T and Amazon are faced with a similar conundrum, with the former previously saying it could not guarantee all employees would have available desk space. The shortage has led to in-office antics among employees to ensure their space, such as JP Morgan employees arriving extra early or leaving possessions on desks to claim them.

What seems to be an easily resolvable issue has yet to be resolved, partially due to poor logistical planning. The mandates are often issued by the highest levels of management, not by those overseeing office spaces, leading to a gap in communication about what is needed to get everyone back in.

Another reason has more sinister undertones. Some experts view the inept seating arrangements as an indicator of a “soft layoff.”

“Having insufficient seating is all part of the plan,” shared Nick Bloom, an economics professor at Stanford University. “If you want a 10% head count reduction, you only need seating for 90% of the folks.”

Other companies opted to downsize their spaces in light of the pandemic-induced remote work environment. However, sourcing a larger office to accommodate these new return-to-office requests takes time, leaving workers to maneuver in the meantime.

Desk shortages are among other issues associated with a brisk shift away from remote and even hybrid work, with Wi-Fi capabilities, desk equipment, and additional meeting rooms also in short supply. Given all these logistical concerns, experts want companies to unpack why they absolutely need everyone back in person.

One corporate culture consultant, Melissa Daimler, says employers are “conflating productivity and effectiveness with proximity,” preferring to see employees actually doing the work even if productivity did not lag during the remote era.

But in an age where remote work persists, the spacing issue could cause more strife in an already fraught job market.