A study from CBRE found that roughly two in five companies are enforcing office attendance in 2025, up from less than one in five in 2024. For Gen X workers who had structured their lives around remote or hybrid flexibility, this shift carries real personal weight. Many in this generation have caregiving responsibilities – children, aging parents, or both – that made flexible work not just a preference but a necessity.
In an FTI Consulting survey, roughly 42 percent of Gen Z workers said they would be excited about a possible return-to-office mandate, compared to just 33 percent of Gen X respondents. That gap is telling. Gen X is generally more likely than their younger counterparts to be parents or caregivers, who value the flexibility of remote work.