Major grocery chain lays out plan for thousands of employees to return to the office

The push to get employees who currently work from home back into the office is entering its next phase with many employers looking to 2024 as a pivotal year for the change. 

A survey of 1,000 company leaders by Resume Builder earlier this year found that 90% of companies with office space plan to have their employees using that space by the end of 2024 with nearly 30% saying that they will threaten to fire employees who don't comply. 

Related: Amazon delivers crushing blow to remote workers

Grocery chain Kroger  (KR) - Get Free Report plans to implement its own policy starting Feb. 5, 2024, beckoning its over 5,800 regional office employees back to its downtown Cincinnati locations. 

Workers will be expected to be in the office or on assignment in the field at least three or four days a week. Since 2021, the company has required workers to be in the office at least two days a week.

"Our teams are thriving when we work together to achieve our goals," the company wrote in a statement," according to Cincinnati.com. "We look forward to welcoming our associates more often to our beautiful downtown Cincinnati and other locations."

A lot of companies are looking to a hybrid model, where workers spend most of their week in the office with a couple of days working from home. 

If companies want to help with the transition, employees have indicated which incentives they would like to receive. 

A recent poll from NORC at the University of Chicago of nearly 1,100 HR reps and over 1,150 paid employees who work hybrid jobs revealed that about 40% of workers said providing snacks, lunches, beverages and treats would increase their satisfaction by "a lot" in returning to the office while 35% said providing commuter benefits would do so.

About 30% listed providing office amenities like standing desks, quiet working pods, couches and soft chairs would do the trick. Offering childcare options was also high on the list as was ambiance setters like music, social spaces and games in the office.

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