Who's going back to the office and who's not

Summary

Marketplace Morning Report: "Who's Going Back to the Office and Who's Not" Release Date: July 16, 2025

In this episode of Marketplace Morning Report, host Sabri Benishore delves into the evolving landscape of workplace dynamics post the widespread shift to remote work. The discussion explores who is returning to the office, the underlying reasons behind these trends, and the broader economic implications. Additionally, the episode touches upon wholesale pricing dynamics, Federal Reserve considerations, regulatory decisions affecting consumers, and escalating trade tensions between the U.S. and Brazil.

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Return to the Office: Gender Disparities and Managerial Roles

Key Insights:

• Shifting Work Patterns: Recent Labor Department surveys indicate a decline in men working from home, dropping from 34% two years ago to 29%, while the proportion of women working remotely remains steady at 36%.

• Managerial Influence: Wen Fan, a scholar at Boston College specializing in the future of work, points out that men are more likely to hold managerial positions, which are generally associated with a return to the office. “Managers are far more likely to go back to office compared with non-managers,” (02:02) adds Jerry Jacobs, president of the Work and Family Researchers Network.

• Gender and Family Dynamics: The persistent rate of women working remotely is partly attributed to traditional gender roles, where women disproportionately handle home and childcare responsibilities. “Women are expected to shoulder more of the responsibility of home and child care,” (02:08) explains Wen Fan. This dynamic complicates the narrative around remote work, making it a double-edged sword.

• Career Implications: The preference for in-office work can adversely affect remote workers, particularly women, by limiting their access to promotions and new opportunities. Sabri Benishore highlights the concern that remote employees may be perceived as less committed, potentially relegating them to the "mommy track" (01:45-01:57).

• Potential Benefits of Remote Work: Despite these challenges, remote work has empowered more women to participate in the workforce and access a broader job market. Kathleen Gerson, a sociology professor at NYU, emphasizes that remote work can help bridge gender disparities if employers adapt their equity frameworks accordingly (03:37-03:57).

Notable Quotes:

• “It's hard to characterize this dynamic of fewer women working in person as good or bad. It's really a double-edged sword,” — Wen Fan (02:33)
• “If you take advantage of that [preference for in-office], you're going to be seen as being on the mommy track,” — Sabri Benishore (05:47)

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Wholesale vs. Consumer Prices: Implications for Inflation and Federal Reserve Policy

Key Insights:

• Stable Wholesale Prices: Despite rising consumer inflation, wholesale prices have remained flat in June. Susan Schmidt, portfolio manager at Exchange Capital Resources, attributes this to delayed impacts from newly implemented tariffs and anticipation of future price increases. “We haven't seen the impact of the tariffs yet,” (04:33) she explains.

• Divergent Inflation Indicators: The Consumer Price Index (CPI) shows positive inflation, while the Producer Price Index (PPI) indicates no change. This discrepancy complicates the Federal Reserve’s decision-making process regarding interest rates. “Their next meeting is at the end of July. This will prompt a lot of discussion, but right now investors don't think it's going to change the Fed's actions,” (05:17) notes Susan Schmidt.

• Federal Reserve's Dilemma: The contrasting data from CPI and PPI leave the Federal Reserve uncertain about whether to maintain high interest rates to combat consumer inflation or to lower them to support the broader economy.

Notable Quotes:

• “Producer price indexes haven't gone up yet, but producers are anticipating that they will go up,” — Susan Schmidt (04:33)
• “The Consumer Price Index CPI which was released yesterday again was positive, whereas the PPI Producer Price Index today was zero percent change,” — Susan Schmidt (05:17)

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Regulatory Setbacks: CFPB's Medical Debt Initiative Halted

Key Insights:

• Court Ruling Against CFPB: A U.S. district court in Texas has blocked the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) from removing medical debt from consumers' credit reports. This decision undermines efforts to improve credit scores for millions of families by an average of 20 points.

• Impact on Consumers: The removal of medical debt was anticipated to significantly alleviate financial burdens for households struggling with healthcare-related expenses. The court's ruling restricts this potential relief, maintaining the status quo of how medical debt affects creditworthiness.

Notable Quotes:

• “Taking out medical debt from credit reports was expected to raise credit scores by an average of 20 points for millions of families,” — Sabri Benishore (05:49)

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Escalating Trade Tensions: U.S. Investigates Brazil's Trade Practices

Key Insights:

• Investigation Under Section 301: The White House has initiated an investigation into Brazil's trade practices, accusing the country of engaging in unfair practices that disadvantage American businesses. This move signals a significant escalation in trade tensions between the two nations.

• Scope of the Probe: The investigation will examine various areas, including digital trade, intellectual property rights, access for U.S. ethanol in the Brazilian market, and illegal deforestation activities.

• Political Context: The probe is part of broader trade conflicts exacerbated by former President Trump's administration, which previously threatened a 50% tax on Brazilian goods — a stance that Brazil's president has threatened to retaliate against.

Notable Quotes:

• “The US says Brazil has for decades engaged in unfair trade practices harming American companies,” — Katie Silver, BBC World Service (07:44)
• “The probe will look into aspects including digital trade, intellectual property, access for US Ethanol to the Brazilian market, and illegal deforestation,” — Katie Silver (07:44)

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Conclusion

This episode of Marketplace Morning Report provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of remote work and its gendered implications, the complexities surrounding inflation indicators and Federal Reserve policies, regulatory challenges impacting consumer financial health, and rising trade tensions between the U.S. and Brazil. Through expert insights and detailed analysis, the report underscores the multifaceted nature of these economic and social issues, highlighting their interconnectedness and the broader impact on both the workforce and global trade dynamics.

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Additional Resources:

• For more insights on remote work trends, visit Boston College's Future of Work.
• To understand more about Federal Reserve policies, check out Exchange Capital Resources.
• Stay updated on trade news with the BBC World Service.

Transcript

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[Sabri Benishore]

Who is going back to the office and who is not? From Marketplace, I'm Sabri Benishore, in for David Brancaccio. Starbucks is the latest employer to call workers back to the office. We're talking corporate workers here. The coffee chain is requiring them to be physically at work four days a week starting in October. Meanwhile, more than five years after many people were forced to start working from home, we're learning more about who is coming back in person and who isn't. The latest labor department survey shows 29% of men work from home. That is down from 34% two years ago. But the number of women working from home has stayed flat at 36%. Marketplace's Kristen Schwab has more.

[Wen Fan]

The thing about these stats from the Labor Department is they don't come with a lot of context. For instance, more men back at work could have something to do with the kind of work or roles they're in. Wen Fan, who studies the future of work at Boston College, says men are more likely to be managers.

[Jerry Jacobs]

And we know that managers are far more likely to go back to office compared with non managers.

[Wen Fan]

The disparity could also have something to do with family and gender dynamics. Fan says women are expected to shoulder more of the responsibility of home and child care.

[Jerry Jacobs]

Meanwhile, men are still expected to climb up the career ladder to, you know, show that they are highly committed to their job. And one way to demonstrate that is by showing their loyalty to the organization to go back to the office.

[Wen Fan]

It's hard to characterize this dynamic of fewer women working in person as good or bad.

[Jerry Jacobs]

It's really a double edged sword.

[Wen Fan]

For one, surveys show managers prefer their employees in office, says Jerry Jacobs, president of the Work and Family Researchers Network Network instead of working from home.

[Sabri Benishore]

There's a concern that if you take advantage of that, you're going to be seen as being on the mommy track.

[Wen Fan]

And even when bosses don't have this bias, remote workers can still be left.

[Sabri Benishore]

Behind, you know, out of sight, out.

[Wen Fan]

Of mind, passed over for new opportunities, recognition and promotions, which in the long run could mean a less diverse workforce, especially in the upper ranks. At the same time, remote work allows more women to work and in some cases earn more money. Kathleen Gerson, a sociology professor at nyu, says women in the before times, if.

[Susan Schmidt]

They found a better opportunity somewhere else, they couldn't necessarily take it if they had a partner who couldn't move because.

[Wen Fan]

If the husband earned more, their job would be the priority. With remote work, the job pool widens. Ultimately, Gerson believes gender disparities in remote and in person work can work. As long as we all work at.

[Susan Schmidt]

It, how do we rethink what equity means for workers?

[Wen Fan]

She says it's on employers to figure it out. I'm Kristen Schwab.

[Sabri Benishore]

For marketplace prices from the perspective of wholesalers and suppliers appear to be unchanged in June. That is different from what we learned yesterday happened at the consumer level. Inflation for consumers accelerated, so why might prices be flat at the wholesale level? Let's get into this with Susan Schmidt, portfolio manager at Exchange Capital Resources. Hey Susan, Good morning. So prices at the wholesale level, why would they not be rising when prices that we consumers see have been so.

[Susan Schmidt]

Producer price indexes haven't gone up yet, but producers are anticipating that they will go up. So those supplies coming in, many of them still have yet to be impacted by tariffs. Remember that the tariffs have just been set for some countries. Not all those goods coming in that will be assembled to make that final product sold to consumers are just coming in now. We haven't seen the impact of the tariffs yet.

[Sabri Benishore]

The Federal Reserve is also watching all of these numbers. It has to figure out what to do about interest rates. Keep them high to fight inflation. Lower them to help out the economy. Does this provide any clarity whatsoever about what the Fed should be doing?

[Susan Schmidt]

The Consumer Price Index CPI which was released yesterday again was positive, whereas the PPI Producer Price Index today was zero percent change. That doesn't help the Fed seeking clarity because it's showing two very different results. Their next meeting is at the end of July. This will prompt a lot of discussion, but right now investors don't think it's going to change the Fed's actions.

[Sabri Benishore]

Susan Schmidt, portfolio manager at Exchange Capital Resources. Thank you so much.

[Susan Schmidt]

Thank you.

[Sabri Benishore]

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau under the Biden administration was working to remove medical debt from people's credit reports. But a U.S. district Court judge in Texas has now ruled the CFPB cannot do that, saying it doesn't have the authority. Taking out medical debt from credit reports was expected to raise credit scores by an average of 20 points for millions of families.

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[Sabri Benishore]

Go to Wix.com the White House is launching an investigation into unfair trade practices by Brazil, marking an escalation by President Trump after he criticized the country's quote unquote witch hunt against former President Jair Bolsonaro. Last week, Trump threatened a 50% tax on goods from Brazil, something Brazil's president said he would reciprocate. The BBC's Katie Silver has more.

[Katie Silver]

The US says Brazil has for decades engaged in unfair trade practices harming American companies. It says it's going to investigate the country under section 301, separating it from the so called Liberation Day tariffs that are being considered by the courts in the U.S. the probe will look into aspects including digital trade, intellectual property, access for US Ethanol to the Brazilian market, and illegal deforestation.

[Sabri Benishore]

That was Katie Silver there with the BBC in New York. I'm Sabri Benishore with the Marketplace Morning Report Foreign Public Media.

[Rima Reis]

Hey everyone. I'm Rima Reis and I'm excited to join Kimberly Adams on Make Me Smart. Together we'll unpack the day's news, whether it's a tariff switch up, the latest on Trump's immigration policy, or the future of clean energy. Join us each weekday so we can make sense of it all together because none of us is as smart as all of us. Listen to Make Me Smart. Wherever you get your podcasts.