The Register:

A study claims to have proof of what some have suspected: return to office mandates are just back-channel layoffs and post-COVID work culture is making everyone miserable.

To do the study, HR software firm BambooHR surveyed more than 1500 employees, 1/3 of whom worked in HR.

According to the report, most employees working remotely and in-person both feel the need to demonstrate productivity, which for more than a third of employees means being seen socializing and moving around the office.

…

Away from the office, employees feel the need to demonstrate presence by being hyper-available and never going offline - the so-called “green status effect,” the data suggests.

…

22 percent of HR professionals who responded to the survey admitted that, despite going the RTO route, they had no metrics in place to measure success.

In other words, companies have been hasty with RTO plans, some have no way to gauge whether it’s been positive, and meanwhile employees are miserable (even those who work remotely) because of an increase in workplace surveillance culture.