04/21/2022

With Inflation, Workers Are Facing Return-to-office Sticker Shock

Today's daily routine cost is far pricier than it was in 2020

As the security software company KnowBe4 weighed whether to require a return to the office, executives knew to anticipate a certain set of concerns from employees. Less flexibility. More time in transit.

Then, in recent months, came a new set of worries about R.T.O.: the rising cost of gas and food, especially near the firm's headquarters in Clearwater, Fla., one of the areas of the United States hit hardest by inflation.

Workers advised one another on their internal messaging system where to find cheap gas ($3.25!). The company tried to ease the transition by offering free snacks (pickles, Nutella!). But some employees, partly put off by R.T.O. expenses, including dog sitters and child care, told their managers that they preferred to keep working from home. In January, KnowBe4 informed its roughly 1,500 employees that most could stay remote indefinitely.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The New York Times.