With the coronavirus Delta variant summer surge delaying many return-to-office plans, a new source of conflict could erupt between workers who have returned to the office and those continuing to work remotely. The conflict could disrupt any chance of a smooth transition to a hybrid workplace.

Perceptyx, a leading employee listening company, found evidence through its work with Fortune 500 customers and a panel research survey of more than 1,000 working Americans, that officism – defined as negative attitudes toward employees who continue to work remotely instead of returning to the office – is clearly present in today’s workforce. The news for remote workers gets worse. Managers, who are directors or above, exhibit the highest levels of officism compared to individual contributors. Those managers are the same people who are designing hybrid work plans while the Delta variant of COVID-19 still surges around the world.