TD Bank is the latest company to mandate in-office work

Daily Mail​

2 days ago

The pandemic-era WFH experiment is ending for TD Bank staff, with a strict return‑to‑office order rolling out this fall. All employees must work on‑site at least four days a week by early November, with executives leading the charge from October 6, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters. Melanie Burns, the bank's head of HR, told employees that working in person will boost collaboration and decision making.
Burns also said coming into the office could improve individuals career prospects. TD Bank joins the likes of JPMorgan Chase and the Bank of Montreal in marshalling its staff back to the office. It emerged this week, for the first time since the pandemic, more than half of Fortune 100 firms now expect employees to show up five days a week.
It is a decisive repositioning with only five percent of the same companies demanding a total return to the office just two years ago in 2023. Now 54 percent of companies that make up the Fortune 100 — the biggest companies in America — are fully in-office and 41 percent are flexible. Larger companies are leading the charge, with smaller operations still favoring flexible work, the latest data has revealed.
Starbucks has been among the recent household names that have demanded its corporate workers return to its Seattle headquarters for at least four days a week.
Google and Amazon have also pushed their employees to come back to in-person work, citing alleged productivity benefits. Other than the biggest companies in the country, most firms are actually maintaining their flexible working policies.
Some 51 percent of employees with remote-capable jobs were working hybrid in 2025, down slightly from 52 percent in 2023, according to recent data from Gallup Poll. The story looks similar for those working completely remotely, with 28 percent working exclusively at home now compared to 29 percent in 2023. Experts argue that the biggest companies in America are pushing for workers to return to the office even if they lose talent because they can afford to do so.
It comes as separate data from JLL revealed that Gen Z, who have been characterized by many as work shy, are actually the most eager to get back into the office . Those born between 1997 and 2012 attend the office 3.1 days a week, compared to older age groups who show up between 2.5 and 2.7 days a week, a survey from the company found.
Many Gen Z employees have only known remote or hybrid work, having entered the workforce during or after the pandemic.
Prominent voices such as JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon have warned that homeworking is holding younger workers back . 'The young generation is being damaged by this,' he said in a leaked recording of a private meeting. 'They're being left behind socially, in sharing ideas, and meeting people.'