Many remote and hybrid workers are grappling with three little words they dreaded hearing – return to work. Employees who grew accustomed to flexible work arrangements during the pandemic now must address their work-life balance and how employer mandates will affect everything from child care to wardrobe choices to career trajectory.

The latest eLearning Industry's Return to Office Survey gauged the attitudes of 1,200 U.S. workers in the manufacturing, retail, health care, technology and finance/insurance industries. Among the key findings:

• As more employers are beginning to implement return-to-office (RTO) mandates, employees are expressing concerns about going back to the office, including dips in productivity, flexibility and socialization. More than 1 in 4 employees have considered quitting their jobs over RTO mandates.
• Amid persistent inflation, employees are concerned about the amount of money they will need to spend to return to the office and pay for such items as transportation, office attire and child care. Most employees expect to spend more money on travel and commuting (78%), meals (70%), child care (45%) and pet care (35%).
• Overall, many employees have come to accept their employer's RTO mandates and recognize that their company leaders are taking steps to make the transition more comfortable. More than one-third of employers have increased employees' pay or covered costs associated with returning to the office.
• Employees need to make sacrifices at home, and they are spending less time with their family and pets because of commutes, happy hours and office events.
• RTO mandates have led to concern about proximity bias for employees who might go into the office less frequently than their colleagues. Nearly 3 in 5 employees fear proximity bias will steer leadership to treat workers more favorably if they have face-to-face interactions in the office.
• However, some employees might be ready for a shift in routine and say they are excited about office perks and boosted productivity. Nearly two thirds of employees say they believe being back in the office will improve their productivity.

Related: Remote work tech continues to evolve, but tech companies push RTO mandates