Boeing is reversing its hybrid policy and requiring thousands of workers to return to the office full-time
Thousands of Boeing employees could be facing the end of a hybrid workweek.
Stan Deal, executive vice president of the Boeing Co. and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, has instructed his managers at the aerospace giant to have all employees return to the office five days a week, a return to pre-COVID norms.
No deadline has been set for the move, reports the Seattle Times, but managers are already reaching out to workers. Many workers have been told they’ll be expected to be at the office every day following the end of the holiday season.
“As we continue to hire new employees and continue our airplane development work, it’s beneficial to have teams in the office,” a spokesperson told the Times (a representative did not immediately respond to Fortune’s request for comment). “Often there’s no substitute for face-to-face collaboration and communication.”
It’s a policy reversal for Boeing, which encouraged workers to stay at home during the pandemic, then offered a flexible work schedule for workers in the years since COVID. Just last summer, and again a few weeks ago at an all-hands meeting, Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun had positive things to say about hybrid work.
Deal’s order affects most Boeing employees, but not all. Those in the defense and space division as well as the aftermarket services unit will still have the option to work a hybrid schedule.
Boeing isn’t the only company pushing for a larger return to the office, but employees have been remarkably resilient in resisting those edicts. Many workers have said they would be more open to returning to the office if they were offered incentives. Employers, however, have not shown widespread interest in making those changes.
Companies may ultimately win this battle, though. Fewer than 26% of U.S. households still have someone working remotely at least one day a week, a sharp decline from the early-2021 peak of 37%, according to the two latest Census Bureau Household Pulse Surveys.
But companies that do get people back in the office aren’t likely to follow Boeing’s example, says remote work guru Nicholas Bloom.
“North Americans have decided they are in the new normal,” he told Fortune.
