Flexible work is now a core benefit as burnout and RTO resistance rise

As return-to-office mandates pick up steam, benefit managers are facing a familiar tension: How to support productivity and culture without reigniting burnout or pushing talent out the door.

New survey data from CoworkingCafe, based on responses from 1,140 full-time U.S. employees working remotely or in hybrid roles, reveals that flexibility isn't just a perk anymore, but a core benefit that underpins mental health, retention and job satisfaction. Nearly 70% of remote and hybrid workers say their work-life balance has improved over the past year, with a similar share reporting lower work-related stress compared with office-based work. Job confidence remains strong as well: 75% of workers feel secure in their roles, and close to 80% report high job satisfaction.

But flexibility alone doesn't eliminate strain and burnout — and benefit strategies need to evolve accordingly. In fact, one in three employees experienced burnout last year, despite widespread access to remote or hybrid work. Gen Z is feeling the pressure most acutely: 38% report burnout, and one in five say they often feel lonely while working remotely. At the same time, more than half of Gen Z workers say they would still consider leaving their jobs if flexibility were taken away.

Read more: For working mothers, the pandemic's flexibility is fading away

That combination — high burnout and high resistance to RTO — underscores a critical point for benefit leaders. Flexibility may reduce stress, but without the right support systems, employees can still feel overworked, isolated or "always on." In fact, 26% of workers say they often or always feel pressured to be available, even when working remotely, and 44% report working longer hours from home.

"Burnout is the number one thing that's driving retention issues," Care.com's CHRO Wes Burke previously shared with EBN. "The key to having any sort of workplace stability really starts by making sure that there's home stability and that there's some understanding of what your employees are going through."

RTO resistance is a retention issue

Rigid return-to-office policies carry real talent risk. More than 61% of workers say they would consider changing jobs if required to return to the office full time, according to CoworkingCafe. Millennials are the most likely to leave under a strict RTO mandate (64%), making flexibility a defining retention lever for mid-career talent.

Women, too, show heightened resistance. Sixty-five percent say they would consider leaving if forced back to the office full time, compared with 57% of men. For benefit managers focused on equity, this raises important questions about how RTO policies may disproportionately disrupt caregiving routines and work-life balance — even when well-intentioned.

"I think that working moms have unfortunately not been taken care of in the right way," says Jasmine Escalera, career expert for LiveCareer. "That burnout and stress is not just affecting them outside of work and in their caregiving responsibilities, but also at work, decreasing productivity and making them not as available, even for their work goals."

Read more: Benefit leaders react to RTO

An overlooked benefit: The work setup itself

While much of the RTO debate focuses on where work happens, employees are also signaling a need to improve how work happens at home. Only 22% say their current setup needs no improvement. Most are asking for practical upgrades: Better chairs, quieter spaces and faster Wi-Fi. For benefit managers, this opens the door to relatively low-cost, high-impact solutions — from home office stipends and ergonomic assessments to tech allowances that reduce daily friction and physical strain.

But to truly combat burnout in an RTO era, benefit strategies need to pair flexibility with intentional support — mental health resources, realistic workload expectations, ergonomic investments and policies that respect boundaries.

Employees aren't rejecting offices outright. They're rejecting rigidity, burnout and one-size-fits-all mandates. For organizations that get this right, flexibility isn't a compromise, but a competitive advantage.