As of October 14, 2024, Kohl’s requires corporate employees living within 30 miles of its Menomonee Falls headquarters to work in the office four days per week (Monday–Thursday). This change affects most of its 5,000 Milwaukee-area employees and aims to increase collaboration and connection among staff. Kohl’s now also offers employees two “work from anywhere” weeks per year.
While many larger employers have scaled back remote work, including some who have used return-to-work mandates “to force workers to quit to prevent layoffs,” others have stayed the course. Spotify, for example, contends, “You can’t spend a lot of time hiring grownups and then treat them like children.”
Business Takeaway: As businesses reassess remote work policies, it is crucial to balance real organizational needs with employee preferences. When implementing return-to-office mandates, consider other ways to offer flexibility (e.g., designated in-person or anchor days, “work from anywhere” days). Providing ample notice and communicating the rationale behind such policy changes can ease the transition, while getting it wrong can have devastating effects.