While a whopping 90% of companies plan to implement return-to-office policies by the end of 2024, flexibility remains a top priority for employees — and the lack of it might push them to seek other opportunities.

However, that is exactly what some companies want, according to workplace experts that CNBC Make It spoke to.

“Companies would never come out and say it because of legal implications,” said Dan Schawbel, managing partner at Workplace Intelligence and New York Times bestselling author.

“A company might use a return to office mandate as an opportunity to restructure its workforce.”

Schawbel added that one company that could be employing this “covert layoff” tactic is AT&T, which recently mandated that 60,000 managers across 50 states work in person — but only at offices in just nine locations.

An AT&T employee told Bloomberg in a June report that the telecommunications company’s new return-to-office mandate was “a layoff wolf” in sheep’s clothing.

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