".. EVEN IF AN ORGANIZATION HAS AN RTO MANDATE, THE CONTACT CENTER IS EXCLUDED FROM THE REQUIREMENT..."
-- JEREMY HYDE
REMOTE WORK
Much of the national RTO narrative is overstated, and the data we’ ve seen( see CHART 1) suggests we’ ve settled into a new normal of roughly two remote days per week across the U. S. workforce.
AVERAGE DAYS PER WEEK WORKING FROM HOME: DESIRED VERSUS ACTUAL
HOW IS THE USE OF WFH BY CONTACT CENTERS COMPARED TO THAT IN OTHER DEPARTMENTS? IS THERE A CONVERGENCE OR DIVERGENCE OF TRENDS LIKE RTO?
A: Many of the concerns that drive RTO elsewhere, such as visibility into work or productivity monitoring, are less relevant because contact centers already rely on clear performance metrics, recorded interactions, and structured workflows.
As a result, WFH adoption remains strong in the contact center. Oftentimes, even if an organization has an RTO mandate, the contact center is excluded from the requirement due to effective management, geographical locations of agents, and space constraints.
HAS THERE BEEN ANY PUSHBACK TO RTO IN CONTACT CENTERS?
CHART 1
SAMPLE: WORKERS ABLE TO WORK FROM HOME Source: Barrero, Jose Maria, Nicholas Bloom, and Steven J. Davis, 2021.“ Why working from home will stick,” National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper 28731.
For contact centers, that number is typically higher, and most teams that adopted remote or hybrid models( see BOX 2 on hybrid work) have continued using them because the structure works well for staffing, performance, and flexibility.
HAS YOUR TEAM RECEIVED A RETURN-TO-OFFICE( RTO) MANDATE?
A: Yes, there is pushback to RTO in contact centers, and it typically shows up first in hiring. Many job seekers filter for remote-only roles and never consider on-site positions, which makes it significantly harder to attract talent when teams are required to RTO.
Attrition can increase as well. But the more immediate challenge is the shrinking candidate pool.
".. EVEN IF AN ORGANIZATION HAS AN RTO MANDATE, THE CONTACT CENTER IS EXCLUDED FROM THE REQUIREMENT..."
-- JEREMY HYDE
CHART 2
Source: WFH Alliance, 2025 Remote Work Benchmarking Survey
So, RTO is happening in pockets. But not on the scale that public narratives suggest( see CHART 2). This can create the perception that remote work is shrinking when it’ s actually holding steady.
It’ s also worth noting that demand for remote roles remains extremely high. Research suggests, drawing from other studies, that about twice as many job seekers want fully remote positions versus what employers have or have offered.
LET’ S DISCUSS BCDR. IS THE SEVERE WEATHER THAT HAS ALSO BEEN IN THE HEADLINES PROMPTING ORGANIZATIONS TO LOOK AGAIN AT WFH? IN HOW THEY USE IT, NOTING THAT REMOTE AGENTS ARE ALSO AFFECTED BY THESE EVENTS? OR ARE THEY RESORTING TO AI-DRIVEN SELF-SERVICE INSTEAD OF WFH AS A BCDR STRATEGY?
A: BCDR is a very strong operational reason to offer hybrid or fully remote work. Using an airline example, a snowstorm at a Midwestern hub creates a spike in delays and cancellations.
At the same time, agents who must commute may be unable or unwilling to drive to the office. Staffing drops at the exact moment customer needs spike.
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