A study of more than 1,500 employees found that a quarter of executives and a fifth of HR professionals hoped that return-to-office (RTO) mandates would result in staff leaving. While people did quit when RTO mandates were enforced at many of the largest companies, it wasn't enough - many of the layoffs in the past 12 months were believed to be a result of too few people leaving in protest of RTO mandates. Many employees feel that management wants them back in the office to monitor them more closely. This has resulted in the growth of an office culture that is even more performative, suspicious, and divisive than before the COVID-19 pandemic.