Leaked memo reveals Meta's harsh work policy change

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The Covid pandemic was a unique time for U.S. workers.

After the initial shock of the pandemic caused unemployment to jump to 13% by the second quarter from 3.5% in February 2020, unemployment dipped to 6.7% by the fourth quarter as businesses figured out work-from-home solutions that allowed them to keep operating while the country was locked down.

Return-to-office (RTO) statistics:

• Seven out of 10 companies have formal RTO policies requiring some in-office time.

• A surprising 93% of business leaders believe being in the office is necessary.

• Fully flexible setups (remote or employee’s choice) dropped from 39% of jobs to 28% between 2023 and 2024.

• Only 7% of companies allow fully remote work in 2025, down from 21% in 2024.

• While 44% of employees say they’d comply with a 5-day office mandate, 41% would start looking for other work, and 14% would quit. Source: Archie

By spring 2021, the number of available jobs exceeded the number of available workers, according to the Federal Reserve.

Workers, especially white-collar workers, hadn't had this much leverage in decades as tech companies competed for talent across the spectrum.

The average tech salary jumped nearly 7% between 2020 and 2021, exceeding $104,000 per year, the highest ever recorded by the Dice Tech Salary Report.

Employees repaid WFH policies with increased productivity

The biggest winners from the Covid-era work-from-home policies were employers themselves.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) calculates "total factor productivity" by dividing outputs by a combination of inputs that include workers, machinery, and other capital.

Related: Tech giant's layoffs hit nearly 2,000 engineers

The BLS compared productivity data across 61 industries from 2007 to 2019, with data from the same industries between 2019 to 2021.

"We still find a positive and statistically significant association between the rise in remote work and TFP growth," BLS said in an October 2024 report on pandemic wages.

"We find the same association between the rise in remote work and excess TFP growth if we look at the excess TFP growth in the 2019-22 period compared with the prior-business-cycle TFP growth. Overall, our results suggest that the rise in remote work and TFP growth are positively correlated."

The data processing and internet publishing sector, as well as the computer systems design and related services industries, saw some of the most significant growth in productivity when comparing these two periods, according to the BLS data.

However, the tech industry has been the most aggressive in encouraging its employees to return to the office since the end of the pandemic.

This week, Meta made an announcement that its hybrid Instagram employees will hate.

Meta will enforce 5-day-a-week RTO policy for Instagram employees in 2026

Most U.S. Instagram workers will have to return to the office five days a week starting in February, according to an internal memo viewed by Business Insider.

"I believe that we are more creative and collaborative when we are together in-person," Instagram Chief Adam Mosseri said in the memo titled, "Building a Winning Culture in 2026."

Related: White-collar workers should worry about this concerning trend

"I felt this pre-Covid, and I feel it any time I go to our New York office, where the in-person culture is strong."

All employees with assigned desks will be expected to return to the office, except at the New York office, where there is still insufficient space for the headcount.

Instagram employees will "still have the flexibility to work from home when you need to... I trust you all to use your best judgment in figuring out how to adapt to this schedule," Mosseri said.

The change only affects hybrid employees, as the memo states that there is no change for employees who are currently working remotely.

The RTO change is one of many the social media platform plans to make to streamline its operations. Instagram will also institute a recurring meeting policy that cancels them every six months, only to be re-added if "absolutely necessary."

RTO mandates and layoffs turn the job market against workers

Employers in the U.S. cut nearly 950,000 jobs through September, making 2025 the worst year for layoffs since 2020, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray, & Christmas.

U.S. layoff stats 2025:

• 1.6 million workers are laid off each month

• On pace for 19.2 million annually

• 206,101 employees laid off from 221 tech companies

• Job cuts up 5.9% year over year

• 21% of companies expected to lay off employees Source: BLS

"Previous periods with this many job cuts occurred either during recessions or, as was the case in 2005 and 2006, during the first wave of automations that cost jobs in manufacturing and technology," said Andy Challenger, senior VP and labor expert at Challenger, Gray, & Christmas.

“Right now, we’re dealing with a stagnating labor market, cost increases, and a transformative new technology,” Challenger added. “With rate cuts on the way, we may see some stabilizing in the job market in the fourth quarter, but other factors could keep employers planning layoffs or holding off hiring.”

Related: Shocking September jobs report defies historical precedent

This story was originally published by TheStreet on Dec 3, 2025, where it first appeared in the Employment section. Add TheStreet as a Preferred Source by clicking here.