Dell Hits “Near-Zero” Morale After Return-to-Office Mandate

Dell is reporting a more than 20% drop in company-wide satisfaction scores following its controversial return-to-office (RTO) policies went into effect last month.  

Business Insider reports that the company’s “Tell Dell” 2024 employee engagement survey shows employee net promoter score (eNPS), which are a measure of how likely employees are to recommend Dell as a good place to work, plummeted from 62 to 48 points.  

The survey, which included responses from around 98,000 Dell employees, reveals some departments experienced even higher declines. Notably, small teams and the global marketing team reportedly saw eNPS figures close to zero, which suggests a staggering loss in the total number of employees happy with their work environments. 

Dell introduced the RTO mandated in February, requiring staff to identify as either a remote worker or a hybrid worker. Hybrid workers were told they are required to work in person at least 39 days per quarter — which equates to at least three days a week in the office. Dell also began tracking its hybrid employee office attendance through card swipes.  

The company also took a controversial approach to curb the number of people who remained remote workers. Under Dell’s new policy, those who chose to remain classified as remote workers would not be eligible for a promotion.  

Despite the company’s strong stances to boost office attendance, nearly half of all of Dell’s full-time U.S. workforce chose to stay remote.  

Inc. reports that this policy shift marked a significant departure from the company’s earlier stance in 2020, when COO Jeff Clarke had projected that 60% of Dell’s workforce would continue to work remotely or visit the office only up to two days a week.  

Dell’s spokesperson explained that nearly 70% of team members close to major offices opted for hybrid roles to comply with the new policy. However, non-compliance comes with “trade-offs” such as exclusion from promotions. 

Factors contributing to the fall of Dells eNPS include the RTO mandate, recent layoffs, and increased use of AI in marketing — which some feel threatens job security. Dell’s new monitoring system to track hybrid employees’ attendance is also reportedly adding to the employees’ sense of disillusionment. 

Despite the drop, it’s reported Dell’s eNPS still remains relatively high compared to industry standards, according to analysis from employee experience company Perceptyx. Some survey questions indicated that employees trust their leaders to offer work-life flexibility. However, employees expressed skepticism about leadership’s commitment to considering their feedback.  

Dell issuing an RTO mandate is not a unique situation in the tech field. Other tech giants including Google, Amazon, and Meta have also doubled down on tightening their RTO policies over the past year. Yet, only 18% of large U.S. companies mandate full-time in-office work, according to research from hybrid work platform Scoop. 

Dell maintains that combining in-person collaboration with a more hybrid approach is the path forward for its post-pandemic work environment. However, this development reveals the ongoing RTO debate between corporate directives and employee preferences for greater flexibility.