One of my favorite playground activities in a small-town grade school was [emphasis *was*] the teeter totter, also called a seesaw. 

It stopped being my favorite the first time a classmate jumped off the teeter totter when I was high in the air. When the classmate jumps off with you in the air -- you to come crashing down to the ground with a thud and a sore bottom end.  Suffice it to say, I decided the teeter totter was no longer my favorite. I moved on to the swing set as my new favorite. 

Today there are reports of CEOs and executives eagerly looking to a recession to reverse work-from-home programs and be able to demand employees to return to the office. 

This is a “teeter totter” moment for employers. 

On one side of the teeter totter is a job market potentially drying up due to a recession. This could slow the movement of people leaving one job for another. Therefore, the ultimate result is people would be compelled to return to the office, at the behest of their employer.

On the other side are talented people who have since the start of the pandemic learned to become adaptable.  They’ve built their own businesses, took on remote work options, or redesigned their own skills to take a role that better fits what they want out of life. Or they may simply work for employers who do not share the same belief of demanding people back to the office any time soon.

Will those employers who feel they will be able to demand people back to the office be abandoned on the teeter totter?

I am anxious to see what you think in the comments below. 

Tresha Moreland

Leadership Strategist | Founder, HR C-Suite, LLC | Chaos Coach™

With over 30 years of experience in HR, leadership, and organizational strategy, Tresha Moreland helps leaders navigate complexity and thrive in uncertain environments. As the founder of HR C-Suite, LLC and creator of Chaos Coach™, she equips executives and HR professionals with practical tools, insights, and strategies to make confident decisions, strengthen teams, and lead with clarity—no matter the chaos.

When she’s not helping leaders transform their organizations, Tresha enjoys creating engaging content, mentoring leaders, and finding innovative ways to connect people initiatives to real results.

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