With the COVID pandemic well behind us, businesses have decided: Come back to the office or you may be fired. Many large companies including The Washington Post have made it mandatory to come back to the office. If not, they stated they “…will accept resignation.”

This has caused an issue for many working Americans who value a healthy work/life balance. With the back-to-office mandates in full effect this year and well into 2025, people are unhappy. This includes women as they are seriously affected by this new mandate.

Here is what is happening with back-to-work mandates and how they impact women:

What is Currently Happening?

After the Great Resignation when the COVID pandemic hit, people left their jobs in droves. When companies noticed they were losing their staff, they were quick to adapt. Many businesses allowed their employees to work from home through the quarantine. Even more businesses opted to allow employees to remotely work as they showed more productivity and motivation.

Fast forward to today, many companies are changing their rules. They no longer want to allow their workers to work from home. Many businesses are mandating their staff to return to the office (RTO) immediately, or by the new year in 2025. The problem? The employees are pushing back.

Why the Resistance to Go Back In Office?

Studies report that a majority of employees have found a sustainable work/life balance. The extra freedom and flexibility in their schedules allowed for a more balanced, enjoyable lifestyle. Working from home offers the following perks:

• Flexibility
• Household management
• Team management
• Child rearing

Being forced to go back to the office has not only backfired on employers, but has caused more employees to quit. Now that millions of workers have had a taste of the working-from-home lifestyle, they are uninterested in RTO. Many employees are pushing back and providing data that their ability to work from home or remote locations is more productive and, therefore, beneficial to their companies.

Experts have also stated that flexible work arrangements are directly linked to reduced mental health issues.

But many companies have taken the position that with the COVID pandemic officially over, they are eager to get their people back in the workplace. Whatever their reason for the RTO push, employees are not convinced that working from home ultimately benefits their business objectives. Twork-from-Home advocates respond by saying the world has changed, and people are enjoying a work/life balance they had never experienced before. And, to add insult to injury, it affects women more than men.

How the RTO Mandates are Impacting Women

Although no one seems to be happy about the RTO mandates, women are being affected more than men. These mandates are amplifying the systemic workplace blockades that have traditionally held back women.

Regretfully, more women are quitting their corporate positions. The RTO mandates appear to negatively impact women as they are choosing to provide childcare and household management over returning to a stifling workplace. This is also forcing women who once aimed to advance their careers, now are being faced with the crude reality: RTO full-time or quit because there is no longer an option for work/life balance.

In the latest global Women at Work report, more than half of the female participants felt held back by these responsibilities at work—and their stress has increased exponentially because of it. To find reliable childcare—and to be able to afford it—is proving difficult if not impossible. Women are being forced to choose between work and childcare. And women are angry about it.

Remote work allows women to manage their household, including rearing their children. They also find balance in managing errands, appointments, and after-school activities, all the while holding down a fulfilling and impactful career. Nine out of 10 women who participated in a 2023 International Working Group survey believe hybrid work serves as an equalizer in the workplace. With these new mandates in place, that dream is slipping away and replaced with a no-win scenario.

Derailing Crucial Progress

With all the advancements made over the past 60 years for women in the workplace, are we now taking a giant step backward? According to the White House data, in 2023 alone, the rate of women between the ages of 25 to 54 in the United States labor force reached record highs. But just one year later, those record numbers are slipping. An Upwork survey showed that 63% of C-suite leaders have acknowledged that back-to-office mandates are causing a disproportionate number of women to quit their jobs.

Employers also admit they are having difficulty replacing the women who quit. They also admitted the loss of female workers has negatively impacted their company and its productivity.

This is a stark contrast to reports that revealed female representation has increased at every level of corporate management. The RTO mandates are derailing and stalling long-term career advancement for women in their 30s and 40s as they are forced with the difficult choice of “work vs. family.”  This will inevitably lead to a significant drain on future female leaders as the logistics of home life and juggling team management are simply unsustainable.

Are the RTO Mandates Worth it?

Not only are women quitting across the country, but this is also a serious blow to company innovation and diversity. The backlash is not unwarranted as both employees and employers are feeling the blowback.

Although many companies do not plan to pivot away from remote work for their employees, others are following companies like Amazon who implement a rigid RTO route come 2025. Employers must weigh these options and the ripple effect they undoubtedly are having.

The female workforce is being negatively affected. Employers also risk losing many of their company’s brightest and most brilliant minds as women are forced—and some choosing—to hang up their heels. As we begin a new chapter in the annals of the modern workplace, women are facing the reality of an uneven playing field in the workforce and not having a fair shot at career advancement—or a career at all.