🔒While 5-day, in-office mandates are on the rise in CT, hybrid policies remain the norm

While some companies have made headlines recently by announcing plans to move to a five-day, in-office work requirement for most employees, that policy still isn't the norm among U.S. employers. 

About 67% of U.S. businesses offer flexible work arrangements vs. 33% that require full-time office attendance, according to the latest Flex Index report, compiled by hybrid workplace software company Scoop.

One industry key to Greater Hartford’s economy has led the way on flexible work: insurance. Ninety-one percent of U.S. insurers, including many local companies, offer work location flexibility, according to the Flex Index.

“We’re committed to a hybrid work model (remote and in-office), as it offers the flexibility that is important to our colleagues, along with the combination of creativity, problem-solving and operational excellence that comes with time spent together in person,” said Mike DeAngelis, executive director of corporate communications for CVS Health, parent company of Hartford health insurer Aetna.

Improving ‘efficiency’
 
Employers for years have been struggling to get workers back to the office, after the pandemic led to a widespread embrace of remote work — a perk enjoyed by many employees. As the U.S. moves further away from the pandemic, many companies (38%, according to the Flex Index) have embraced hybrid work models that require employees to be in the office at least part of the week. 

For example, DeAngelis said CVS requires office-based employees to be in the office on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. They can work remotely on Mondays and Fridays. 

On average, U.S. companies mandate employees to be in the office 2.63 days a week, according to the Flex Index.  

Meantime, 23% of companies give their workers the option of coming to the office, but it’s not required. Another 6% of U.S. employers are fully remote, according to the Flex Index. 

Workplace policies also vary based on a company’s size. Increasingly, large companies have been instituting five-day, in-office mandates with the hopes of restoring more collaborative and innovative cultures. 

About 25% of companies with more than 25,000 employees require full-time office attendance, according to the Flex Index. 

That will soon include e-commerce giant Amazon, whose CEO Andy Jassy notified employees last month they are expected to be back in the office five days a week, starting Jan. 2.

In Connecticut, East Hartford jet-engine maker Pratt & Whitney recently told its employees that hybrid work arrangements will end this month for most office workers. Starting Oct. 15, Pratt employees are expected to be in the office five days a week.

“As we aim to constantly improve our efficiency in meeting customer needs, Pratt & Whitney is working closely with our teams to increase our on-site presence,” the company said in a statement. “By offering expanded opportunities for in-person collaboration, we can accelerate knowledge-sharing, increase connection and sharpen our focus on execution. We are making investments in our facilities in East Hartford to support this increased on-site presence and value the contributions of our employees in support of our global customer base.” 

Energy company Avangrid has also ordered its employees back to the office five days a week, putting an end to remote-work arrangements established during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Orange-based publicly traded company has roughly 1,800 employees in Connecticut who work for its subsidiaries, including United Illuminating, Southern Connecticut Gas, Connecticut Natural Gas, Avangrid Service Co. and Avangrid Management Co.

No ‘one-size-fits-all solution’

Local insurers continue to embrace hybrid work arrangements.  

Travelers Cos., which has major operations in downtown Hartford, gives most employees the flexibility to work from home up to two days a week and has no immediate plans to make changes to its policy, the company said in a statement. 
 
Bloomfield-based The Cigna Group, which employs 70,000 people, said given the different job functions within the company, some “are best performed in the office or a work-at-home setting, while others are best suited by a hybrid model where they are in the office three days a week, providing both collaboration and focus time.”

Some customer-centric roles — such as clinicians and pharmacy fulfillment teams — can only be performed in an office, while other positions allow for more flexibility, Cigna said.

Cigna’s hybrid employees are required to be in the office on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, in addition to a third day, the company said. 

HBJ Web Editor Andrew Larson contributed to this story.