The Perfect Amount of In-Office Days for Productivity: Study

Do you even have a return-to-office mandate, bro?

Most companies (about 87%) do, according to a recent study. In the last year or so, there has been a lot of news about companies and the federal government mandating returns to the office. Sometimes it’s full-time (like JPMorgan), sometimes it’s hybrid. The reasoning behind the RTO mandates is typically that in-office workers will engage with one another more, feel more connected to the big picture, and, well, not be sunbathing in the backyard when they are supposed to be working.

Related: Verizon Tries to Steal ‘Top Talent’ From Rival AT&T With Email Promoting Its Hybrid and Remote Roles

So, questions arise: Does being in the office really boost productivity? And what is the perfect amount of in-office/WFH time that gives workers that balance we’ve all grown accustomed to?

PwC, one of the “Big Four” accounting and consulting firms, claims to have found the answer, reports Business Insider. Phillippa O’Connor, PwC’s chief people officer, told a U.K. government committee on home-based working that the company has been monitoring employees’ work habits since it began requiring that its 23,000 U.K. employees go into the office three days a week at a minimum.

O’Connor told the committee, “The initial data there shows us that where we have people in the office three days a week, they are more engaged,” adding, “Where they’re in the office five days a week, they’re less engaged.”

Related: Return-to-Office Push Meets Employee Pushback — What’s Next?

She said that three days is best for PwC’s business and clients and is “absolutely critical” when it comes to properly training their pipelines of 1,000 graduates who join every year.

Are you on team RTO or WFH?

Earlier this year, Entrepreneur reported a study published in Nature that found there were “no differences in productivity, performance review grade, or promotion” between remote workers and in-office workers. And that hybrid workers reported many benefits. “We found that hybrid working improved job satisfaction and reduced quit rates by one-third,” researchers wrote. “The reduction in quit rates was significant for non-managers, female employees, and those with long commutes.”

Related: Remote Walmart Employees Question Return-to-Office Policy, Some Opt to Quit Instead of Relocating