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One worker stops by the office fridge to stock up on snacks before leaving work. Another has stopped clocking out during her lunch break. And a third says that as soon as a manager leaves the office early, she and her coworkers follow suit.
These employees are engaging in revenge RTO—a phenomenon in which workers abide by the broad outlines of return-to-office mandates, but take small liberties when they can. That can mean things like grabbing a few extra gatorade, or leaving for an exercise class midday.
“If the shareholders are taking my wages, at the very least, I’m going to take home three Gatorades and a couple Uncrustables,” said one Chicago-based worker, who prefers to remain anonymous.
But while these tiny rebellions might drive bosses crazy, experts I spoke with say they should hold off on cracking down. Revenge RTO can actually be a sign that there are bigger problems at work that business leaders need to address, like mandates that have been poorly communicated, executed with little thought for worker well being, and presented without any data to back up their reasoning.
“When employees feel that something is unfair, they act to make it fair,” Peter Cappelli, professor of management and director of the Center for Human Resources at UPenn’s Wharton Business School, told me. “That reflects poorly on the leadership, down to the manager.”
You can read more about revenge RTO, and what it means for HR leaders, here.
Sara Braun
sara.braun@fortune.com
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