Breaking down the Flex Index data by verticals, technology and insurance continue to be the top two industries for flexibility, with 96 percent of U.S. tech firms offering some type of work location flexibility, along with 92 percent of U.S. insurance firms. Financial services returned to the top five with 83 percent of firms offering work location flexibility, while professional services and media & entertainment round out that list, despite the Washington Post’s move back to full-time in office. At the other end of the spectrum, restaurants & food services companies (46 percent) are least likely to operate under flexible work arrangements, followed by the education (50 percent) and hospitality (53 percent) industries. Transportation (58 percent) and automotive (58), along with the broader real estate industry (61 percent), round out the bottom five. There also continues to be significant distinctions in flexible work approaches by company size. Excluding the tech vertical, which tends to skew the numbers toward fully flexible work arrangements, about a quarter of firms with 500 or less employees require fulltime in-office compared to 41 percent of firms with 500 to 5,000 employees that do the same. Among firms with 25,000 or more employees, the structured hybrid approach is vastly preferred, while just 13 percent require office workers to be in-office full-time. Ultimately, the recent announcements and headlines around RTO mandates have not gone totally unnoticed. More than half of companies surveyed by ResumeTemplate (54 percent) said they have been at least somewhat influenced by the RTO mandates of large companies such as Amazon and Starbucks. Government actions also have played a role but to a lesser extent. President Trump’s executive order requiring federal employees to return to the office has influenced 35 percent of companies. When asked about the reasons for requiring employees to return to the office full-time, desires for improved productivity, collaboration and communication, interestingly enough, weighed higher than easier employee management. The biggest changes we are likely to see in 2025 in regard to RTO efforts and strategies will come in the levels of monitoring and enforcement. According to ResumeTemplate surveys, eight in 10 companies are increasing RTO enforcement measures in 2025, and among companies requiring a five-day office schedule, 47 percent plan to use termination or disciplinary actions against employees who do not comply. Additionally, 29 percent now consider office presence when determining promotions and salary increases, while 32 percent factor attendance into performance evaluations. Beyond direct disciplinary action and performance criteria, an increasing number of businesses are turning to systems for stricter monitoring, the data suggested, potentially creating an opportunity for technology advisors. Already, badge tracking and attendance monitoring have been implemented by a third of companies surveyed by ResumeTemplate. o 23 JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2025 | CHANNELVISION 3 Fully Flexible Structured Hybrid Full Time in Office te % of US Companies by Number of Days Required in Office per Week Source: Flex Index Which of the following to you conder the most important aspect of partner enablement? Source: Canalys al ments e ers % 0 Days 1 Day 2 Days 3 Days 4 Days 5 Days 25% 2% 10% 28% Average = 2.78 days 3% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 5% 32% Days in Office/Week Ease of onboarding process Compelling incentives/rewards Guided next step of journey Targeted live or on-demand training Clearly stated objectives 28% 23% 20% 16% 13%
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