- Report: 4 in 5 U.S. Workers Say CEOs Are Overpaid
- Google Orders Remote Workers Back to the Office 3 Days a Week
- European Workers Worried About Impact of U.S. Workplace Culture
- Intel Plans to Cut More Than 20% of Workforce
Report: 4 in 5 U.S. Workers Say CEOs Are Overpaid
Conducted in February, FlexJobs’ Employee & Executive Divide Survey of more than 2,200 U.S. workers found that 80% of respondents said CEOs are being overpaid for their jobs. Only 20% said CEOs are paid fairly.
Additionally, 69% said they do not believe the CEO of their company could do their job for a week. Less than one-third (31%) disagreed, signaling skepticism of executive leadership.
“The gap is widening between leadership direction and employee needs, like equitable pay, job flexibility and representation,” said Toni Frana, a career expert at FlexJobs. “Instead, workers are met with actions like mass layoffs and restrictive return-to-office mandates.”
The FlexJobs survey also found:
- 75% of workers have either experienced or know someone who has experienced bias or discrimination in the workplace.
- 42% said they have personally faced workplace discrimination.
- 33% know someone who has experienced workplace discrimination.
The report also found workers are split on how well employers are actually delivering on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) goals:
- 59% said their employer has done a good job creating a diverse workforce.
- 41% disagreed, saying their workplace lacked meaningful DEI efforts.
Google Orders Remote Workers Back to the Office 3 Days a Week
As reported by CNBC, Google has told remote staffers that their roles may be at risk if they don’t start showing up at the closest office for a hybrid work schedule. Some of those employees were previously approved for remote work.
Google began offering some U.S. full-time employees voluntary buyouts at the beginning of 2025. According to internal documents viewed by CNBC, some remote staffers were told that would be their only option if they didn’t return to the nearest office at least three days a week.
The documents stated:
- Employees in Google Technical Services are required to switch to a hybrid office schedule or take a voluntary exit package. Remote employees in the unit are being offered a one-time paid relocation expense to move within 50 miles of an office.
- Remote employees in human resources who live within 50 miles of an office must choose to work in person on a hybrid basis by this month or their role will be eliminated. Staffers must return by June. Workers in that unit who are approved for remote work and live more than 50 miles away from an office can keep their current arrangements but will have to go hybrid if they want new roles at the company.
As of the end of last year, Google had about 183,000 employees, said CNBC.
European Workers Worried About Impact of U.S. Workplace Culture
U.S. corporate influence is a growing concern in Europe, according to Zety’s Pan European Survey of 1,000 employees across France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom.
Key findings from the March report include:
- Anxiety from growing U.S. influence. 86% of Europeans believe U.S. corporate culture is influencing European companies more than in previous years.
- Threats to well-being. 78% worry that U.S. corporate practices could threaten strong labor laws, impacting work-life balance and holiday time — 76% believe adopting America’s “always-on” work culture would worsen their mental health.
- Call to strengthen European labor laws. 68% support stronger labor protections in response to the increasing adoption of U.S.-style workplace policies.
- Concerns over American workplace trends. 34% are worried about increased workplace surveillance and productivity tracking, while 20% are concerned about the push to return to office and reduce remote work.
- Recession fears high. 71% are worried about the impact of a possible U.S. recession on their own workplaces, reflecting the broader financial unease that U.S. economic trends are creating among European workers.
Intel Plans to Cut More Than 20% of Workforce
Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday, April 22 that it would layoff more than 20% of its workforce as part of a broader strategy to refocus on an engineering-driven culture.
According to Reuters, the planned layoffs follow a significant reduction in workforce last August. Intel had said then it would cut 15% of its workforce as it pursues the turnaround strategy of previous CEO Pat Gelsinger, who aimed to restore Intel's lead in manufacturing chips. Last month, Reuters reported that new CEO Lip-Bu Tan was planning an overhaul of the company’s manufacturing and AI operations.
The Santa Clara, California-based company had 108,900 employees at the end of 2024, according to a filing.
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