New Boss Wants People Back In The Office 5 Days A Week, Gets Resignation Letters Instead
Working from home has been a godsend for many companies over the past few years. It has allowed us to save time and money by eliminating commutes, adopt new pets that we were able to spend all day with, and spend more quality time with our families. Perhaps you’re even working from home right now as you browse Bored Panda wearing pajama pants that won’t be seen on your Zoom calls (don’t worry, we won’t tell). The work from home lifestyle has benefitted countless employees, and as one company recently found out, it has even become non-negotiable for some.
Earlier this week, a Twitter user named D shared that his new manager at work decided everyone must begin working in the office five days a week. Apparently, employees weren’t thrilled about that announcement, as a flood of them responded by quitting. Below, you can read D’s tweet, as well as some of the responses, and decide how you feel about this manager’s decision. We’d love to hear how you would react to this situation in the comments, and then if you’re looking for another Bored Panda piece touching on working from home, check out this story next.
One man sparked a discussion on Twitter by sharing that many of his colleagues quit after their new manager eliminated the option to work from home
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Many readers responded calling out the manager and listing the many benefits remote work can yield
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It may sound drastic for employees to choose resignation over working in an office, but it’s actually become quite common for people to value remote work. In fact, a recent survey from Zippia found that only 11% of employees don’t consider having the option to work from home important. The other 89% view having to work in an office every day as a serious downside or a deal breaker. When it comes to those searching for a new job, flexibility is extremely important. It was actually the most desirable benefit for respondents, even slightly surpassing health insurance. Over 50% of workers also said that their ideal work environment would be remote. It’s clear that for many employees, the benefits of working from home have made an impact on them.
A flexible work environment is not only appealing for employees, though. Companies have plenty of reasons to allow remote work, from increased productivity to increased retention rates. Employees also often note the mental health benefits of being able to work from the comfort of their own homes, including a reduction in stress, which in turn increases company morale. Even if an employer only cares about profits, allowing workers to stay home can save companies big bucks too. According to Global Workplace Analytics, the average employer in the US can save around $11,000 per remote worker annually. These savings can be attributed to companies requiring less office space and equipment, employees calling out less often, an increase in productivity, and a reduction in turnover rates.
The discussion about this particular manager may have Twitter divided, but it seems that there’s no harm in allowing the option for remote work. I would venture to say that this company was probably more productive allowing remote work than it will be as it scrambles to hire a herd of new employees. The office can still be there for those who prefer getting out of the house, but some employees know they are much more productive and happier when working from home. How do you feel about remote work vs. commuting to an office? We’d love to hear about your current work situation in the comments!
However, some readers were on the manager’s side, defending their decision to work in the office
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i get so much more done at home and don't feel as burned out as i did when going into the office. i hardly ever take any days off anymore because people aren't trying to micro-manage me and that stressed me out.
Exactly!! I haven't taken a mental health day at all since I've been WFH. I used to have to do it often before this.
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No, they won’t be able to replace everyone by Monday, unless they are paying significantly above market. The hiring market is very tight right now and the prospective employee currently has leverage. Their leverage means they can ask for thing like wfh and more money. The jobs won’t get filled or will be filled by less qualified people. As for the people bleating that wfh is for lazy people, studies show that for office jobs, wfh is more productive. Effective managers can manage wfh if their kpis aren’t just butt in seat, I suspect that many managers and executives fins that if there aren’t people following them around, nodding and saying how great they are, they don’t have a purpose.
Many employers don't care about qualifications. They say they do but they just want low ballers
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To all managers that complain about productivity and laziness when employees do WFH: Don't you have KPIs/deadlines/process controls/whatever? When your only KPI is "sitting at a desk in the office 9-5" then WFH isn't clearly working for you.
Of course WFH isn't working for them (managers). Those managers wouldn't be pushing people back to the office it it were.
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If I had to go back into the office every day, I literally wouldn't be able to afford to work for my current employer with the current gas prices and tolls. As far as I'm concerned working from home saved my sanity, my wallet, and me having to look for a new job.
I don't care where my staff works as long as sh!t gets done, project timelines get met, we get to invoice the clients and tada, we make payroll. Everyone gets paid, some cash in the company coffers and come year-end people get a modest but nice bonus. Then again, my shabby company can't hold a candle to these public listed Fortune 500s with billionaire shareholders.
Good for you sir. You're a hero in today's societal wasteland. Keep it up.
Load More Replies... I do not see the issue with WFH. I was a manager and as long as the assigned tasks were done on time and properly I really don't care if they were done poolside. The one issue that might come up is that part of my job is to assess resources. A bit tougher to do with WFH but not impossible.
Has this manager seen the price of gasoline lately or was he/she raised in a news-free glass bubble? Really bad timing to create additional economic burdens on your employees.
I can appreciate people wanting to WFH. I have been offered two days a week remote. I told them, nah. I would rather come in every day and just leave early. Then if any questions come in, I can answer them from home. It really isn't a cure-all. But the trend was there before COVID. I was amazed about a year before the pandemic, how many applicants asked if there were any WFH options. It's here to stay (as it was already coming). A lot of white collar employers understand that and will need to accommodate workers in a tight market.
How do you get to leave early for being in the office? 40 hours is 40 hours whether you're sitting in the office or working from home.
Load More Replies... Those people who commented that employees working from home are unmotivated slobs laying around goofing off, are clearly managers who don't actually have real jobs other than micromanaging others and patting themselves on the back for promoting "corporate culture". My company has been working from home for 2 years now and we have proved that it doesn't make a difference in our level of productivity. Sitting in a windowless office for 8 hours after sitting in traffic is going to make me LESS likely to be more efficient and creative. And yet they are going to start making us come back in a few days a week so we can better "collaborate" with our colleagues. WTF? Do they think I've been ignoring people for all this time? I see my team on Zoom multiple times a week and we collaborate just fine. I would absolutely find a new job if they insisted I had to be in a shitty office full if germs for 40 hours a week. And trust me, the jobs are out there. I check all the time.
The thing people always fail to recognise is that for some people, WFH arrangements are actually *needed* so they can work. Not to make their lives easier or more comfortable, nor to fit in around other choices they’ve made, but as an essential part of being able to work full stop. This is totally different. I’m talking about disabled and/or chronically ill people who have no choice - they cannot ‘go to work’. People need to recognise that WFH for the general person is a “nice to have”, but it’s not an essential, and that prior to COVID most people were fine at a place of work. For other people they are in lockdown ALL THE TIME and being at home is the ONLY way they can work and is a reasonable adjustment that employers should be made to consider. I get annoyed that this distinction is not made and that the requirements for this marginalised group are hijacked by able bodied people. If WFH becomes the norm that’s great, but please prioritise and recognise people who need it.
The only reason many WFH was BECAUSE of the pandemic. This has become such a world of entitlement and me, me, me. I'm so sick of it. If you WFH BEFORE the pandemic, then there is no reason as to why they need you back in the office. IF you are still productive while working from home, again, no reason to go back in. But I think this is going to back fire on these people because most every job is asking everyone to get back into the office. I've worked from home for 15 years and they want me to go back into the office. So I decided to retire.
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I loved working from home, i find it sooooo much less distracting than being in the office and anybody who thinks employees are productive a full 8 hours a day just because they're in the office is profoundly misguided.
I live next door to two people who work fro home. Neither of them put in an eight hour day of work. Working from home is another way or stealing from the company. Also, promotions cannot be gauged because employers cannot see your work ethics. If you think it is baby-sitting, then you have something to hide.
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I work from home most of the time since the pandemic and even more since the office moved further away so the time and travel costs are too much, I sometimes drive in for a morning and pay the £5 for 4 hours parking. Then I have to leave to pick my son up from school. Anyway I get everything done that I need to do.
I work from home and have for the past 2 yrs. I love it! I don't spend money on gas or vehicle maintenance, I don't waste money on garbage lunches and I'm not wasting time sitting in traffic to get home. I literally wake up 30 min before my shift. And my patient satisfaction rating is 4.97 out of 5. I think I'm doing pretty damn good
If anything I find that I spend more time at my desk when I work from home, because I'm so afraid people will think I'm slacking off if I don't respond to e-mails and DMs instantly. At the same time, I no longer have a 90 minute commute each way, and I can work out or do my laundry on my lunch hour, so it's a good trade-off.
I work from home at a customer service position, there’s absolutely no reason for me to have to go in to the center. Don’t need the gossip, don’t need the childish attitude, the politics, the BS, the Snowflakes. The supervisors are no more reachable or less reachable now than they were in the office thanks to Zoom. Best thing, when the thermostat is too hot or too cold, I can change it.
This is a sign that the manager needs to feel unearned respect, in charge, and feared. He/she wants to see the respect/fear in the employee's eyes. It's a failing of the manager's personality. If there's no cringing group of followers, is the manager really a king?
The bottom tier list is just a bunch of bootlickers and ppl who don't do well on WFH. If stats say its better for the wellbeing, mental health and family life of said employees, then Im for it. Its almost like some of you cannot see sociopolitical agendas being shaped right in front of you because you are too dumb...
My company kicked around the idea of coming back to the office, and our manager asked out team what they thought, everyone was wishywashy on it, saying they if they have to they will. I said "If you tell me to start that commute again and come to the office, I quit." Now, WFH is a permanent thing, and the company is cutting leases and shedding dead spaces, saving money. As for the people who whine about WFH not being productive or that people just want to get a paycheck for sitting around in their PJ's. Ahhhhh, wanna cookie, little snowflake? Studies show it's as productive as being in an office and sometimes more. So either they don't read the news, or they do, but lie about it anyways. The other set is just whiners who are upset that they can't work from home.
One comment said that support staff need to be in the office 100% ... is that what they did during COVID? If not, why do they need to be in now? I'm support staff and still WFH 2-3 days/week. It's one in/all in for me and if my boss isn't in, then I'm not in. But I don't live in America.
My company decided work from home should be up to the individuals manager to decide. Upper management realized some individuals actually do work from home, while others have done very little the last 2 years. The figured the managers would know best who works and who does not. Pretty much everyone who was remote and had to go back in the office, were people who we couldn't ever get ahold of on MS Teams.
Wow - upper management making sensible decisions, along with line managers not penalizing good WFHers because some were abusing the privilege.
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As soon as workers started taking care of themselves and being responsible, Middle managers can't justify the need for their positions if there is no one in the office.
My bestie has worked for the same company for six years. Before WFH, they were in the negative on points, has used up all of their PTO, and despite being great at what they do, in danger of losing their job. Since WFH, they have become THE go-to person in the company for problems no one else can solve, they have so much PTO built up that the company cut them a check, and they have been promoted twice with another promotion on the horizon. They hated the commute and every damn virus that came down the pike ran through the place like wildfire, even when taking Airborn. We all had COVID in early January 2020, before anyone knew it was a thing, and since they got sick first we are convinced it came from their office. Since COVID, the worst illness they have had was a bout of stomach flu likely gained from a handhold at a gas station or store. My friend has told their management that there is no negotiation, if they have to come back into the office they will resign.
Most common excuses given by managers is that they don't believe as much work gets done and they feel being in the office is more productive. This is an idiot trying to keep their job because upper management will realize that they don't need them Notice that they always use the words believe and feel. There are no verifiable facts to support them and odds on that the evidence points the other way. But hey the work from the gut and we all know what guts are full of. Such people, good bye and good riddance.
So basically your new & already starting where your employees will hate you? Start small a few days a week. Does the new manager still work there, did the company hire so could be the bad guy by telling everyone come back to work? I NEED ANSWERS, FOLLOW UP
Lmao, love reading the Twitter and BoredPanda comments from managers upset they can't get their power trips anymore. Really puts the 'baby' in 'baby boomer'.
I goof off at the office. I get a ton of work done at home because there's nobody to socialize with. I'm ok with that. It's cool to go in once a week or so to talk in person but don't pretend more work is getting done there.
this is clearly a case of "cleaning house". Sadly, the people who are resigning and thinking they've won are completely clueless about it.
Just current update: with gas prices approaching/surpassing $7/gallon (west coast), more and more employees, if possible, would quit, if they're forced to commute.
Further up north, in Vancouver, it's it's about the same, $9 Cad/$7 USD.
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I haven't had a cold since before covid hit. I've worked from home a lot and am about to move into a new job that is remote. I can't wait! I don't need to go into the office. I get enough interactive time via email, teams and phone calls. I'm the one in the office with the earbuds in, ignoring everyone. :)
I did ask to work from home, but my boss just laughed! ( I work in operating theatres btw....[ : )
Any managers who say they need thier employees in the office r exactly who shouldn't be in positions of leadership. I've been fighting this fight for over 2p years abd until recently I was fighting that f8ght alone cuz u were all to scared to stand up. Now after the pandemic ur finally ready to tell management what they have needed to hear for 20 years. Welcome to the fight.....finally. I Hate office politics. I especially hate office politickers who spend more time working the system then actually working. I can't stand cliques at work. I really hate a*s kissers n the office is full of them. Spineless liars who like to swoop in and take tje glory without doing the work cuz rhey r a bosses favorite. Getting to come in late leave early while the rest of us r held to higher standard. Guess who hasn't bit his tongue while the rest of u have been cowards until now.
This article did not provide enough information about the nature of the work, the skillsets required of the employees, their professional levels, and other parameters that affect how the work is accomplished. For example, some work requires specialized equipment or instrumentation that cannot be distributed remotely. Some requires access to security classified documents and data, the control of which must be centralized to a particular facility. Some work can be performed remotely for limited periods during a crisis, but at reduced quality because of limitations on team interactivity. A manager faced with coordinating a team may assess that productivity and quality are reduced by any more than a modicum of remote operations. There ought to be operational metrics by which to quantify such an assessment, one way or the other.
So many long replies to such a short and vague post. Don't get me wrong, this happened to me at work, for exactly the same reason. New boss who said we shouldn't have been teleworking at all since the pandemic. Work sucks now that we're back in the office. But honesty... That's just life. Do what you gotta do. A bigger complaint in my opinion is that EVERY job I've ever had has absolutely sucked the life of of me.
My husband just got a new job and is still working out his 2 weeks notice at the old one. He quit the old job because he knew eventually they'd be adopting a hybrid model and they're based in Texas. That's a big he11 no. The company was very transparent and communicative over the past year about this being inevitable which is why he made the effort to get out early, but there was no timeline at all until last week they announced they'll be going back to office in September. My husband's team has 8 people and 3 are living out of Texas, not including him, and not sure about relocation. His old team has 10 people and 8 live out of state, not sure if they'll relocate. It's wild but at least they're not being assholes about it.
I'm actually amazed by the amount of people this affects. I don't know a single person that works from home or could do remote work. All of my friends work in the food industry, hospitals, banks, customer services, garages, etc. When everyone was saying "just stay at home", we couldn't. We were listed as "essential workers" and if we didn't work, we didn't eat. Must be nice to have these problems.
I've only been to the office 3 times in the last 2 years and each visit was a complete waste of time. It could have all been done over zoom. We've proven that we're more productive from home because we don't have the distractions of others in the office. Also my house is spotless and I no longer have to commute for 2 hours everyday, my family is happier and I haven't had to take a sick day.
I worked home some days during covid. And my 3 kids were also home (e-school and the smallest was home from kindergarten, because of covid outbreak in her group). I had to do most of my work during their sleeping time. So home office isn't always the easiest option for everybody. Depends on how peacefully you can do your stuff at home.
I started my new job a month before COVID hit. So the majority of my career here has been WFH. I have always done it off and on with the jobs I have had over the last 20 years or so, but this has been absolutely fantastic. I have gone into the office exactly once since all of this went down, and it was the least productive day of my entire career. Sitting next to the biggest extrovert in the company didn't help. Add to that the fact that it was a planned day for the entire team - we were gonna do all of our meetings together in person...except that all the rooms were booked. We ended up doing them all on Zoom...at our desks. Welp. Never again.
I think some managers are starting to see that they are not that important in the scheme of things. They need to justify keeping their jobs, so they harass the wfh employees. That said, I work from home and have been since before the pandemic, but if I had to go in to an office, I think the hybrid set up would work. I do sometimes miss being around people. Just a little.
It is not going to end will in the coming recession for these lazy workers.
You know, all those people bragging online about getting their work done in a shorter amount of time, and then spending the rest of the workday gaming or putting their computer mouse on something that moves to keep their computer in "active" mode so they can do other things, this is all kind of on them. Still wonder why employers don't trust their employees productivity and want them back in the office? Yes, if you are getting paid for the time, you should be working. If your work is done, find more to do.
I see all these people claiming they get more done yet statistics show people are clocked in longer and less is getting done... Who do we believe the people claiming they are working with greater outcome for the company... In their pajamas on zoom as this article stated or do we believe the profit margins of the company and the work completion records..... You think you all have a upper hand but I guarantee here in a few months you will realize you are all replaceable. Might take a bit but you are not special unless you hold a unsaturated degree or a multitude of experience that can only be learned over time. It's cute though, keep it up please I know many people who want better jobs but can't get them without the skill.... Which will soon be trained into the clean slates that are willing to come into the office
It's called equality. If a substantial portion of the work force works from home, that creates a two tier work force, with some people having all the benefits, and the rest of us getting up and driving into work every day. Don't get me wrong, it's nice having less people on the road, but to act like your entitled to work in your Pj's with your pup right beside you, well, your acting entitled. Grow up and go to work if that's what the boss wants, or start your own company, but whatever you do, STOP COMPLAINING ABOUT SOMETHING YOU WERE LUCKY TO HAVE HAD EVER!
I had a customer service job right when lockdown happened, we switched to full time work from home, then I'n august of of 2021 management and the company want to transition to half time work from the office and said anyone who didn't have a vaccine would be forced to work from home 100% of the time, so guess who didn't get vaccinated. Lol
Many businesses (most health care and other government jobs in Canada) put a deadline on being vaccinated or being put on unpaid leave until you were.
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Well... the employer is the customer in this transaction. They can chose how and with who they spend their money
Not to mention, office workers are already the laziest people on the planet. Bar none. It's so hard to drive and sit in a different chair! I do maintenance at a major corporation. They work 1-2 hours a day max.
Work from home works for about 2% of the population. I haven't been able to get anything accomplished in less than 2 days because people are too busy running their kids around to respond to an email. Those that think it's babysitting, need to grow up. The only people who think they are being babysat are the ones trying to cheat the system. Not to mention people don't even know how to talk to each other anymore because all they do is type. I don't hear any of these people clamoring for school from home. That seemed to work during covid. Kids don't need a building to learn, do they? Let them study at midnight while you're sending your "work" emails
I hate to be that person but not all managers want people in the office to micromanage them some want people back in the office because some people require micromanagement sadly. A) WFH is not a substitution for appropriate childcare. I shouldn't hear your kids screaming in the background of every call and I also shouldn't have to hear your dog barking incessantly. So many people are grossly unprofessional so yeah they require a cubicle to help them focus. It's a workplace not your mom's house get it together. B) Is your internet connection terrible? If so, you probably need a new provider or an office at the office sorry but having to deal with people showing up late to meetings or not at all because of their internet connections is ridiculous. I can go on and on but yeah a lot of managers are calling people back because they are sick of the lame excuses and questionable performance.
Not true. Many times companies lose subject matter experts due uncompetitive wages. They quit and the next senior person is the subject matter expert to their capacity. It repeats and rolls down hill until no one is monitoring or cares that 90% of your day is answering questions when it should be 10%. And if you're the victim of this, it is likely you have to research every question because you have barely enough knowledge to figure it out. It doesn't mean you need to be in the office, it means the company is poorly managed. Especially if you really don't hold a senior role other than surviving your peers longer rather than having X number of years of experience in a role that would legitimately be considered senior.
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Spoken like a true corporate c**k sucker. Tell me Dave, does your boss like it better when you spit, or swallow?
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Sounds like you are projecting Max. If your company can't tell whether you are doing your job or not that's on them. And Musk didn't "catch" anyone you moron. He's a brainless twit who has no idea what his average worker does - he read an article from some Boomer CEO and decided to be an a*****e because he can. He's going to be surprised when all his best people get scooped up by Google or other similar places who recognize what is actually important.
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That's 100% BS Roland. You must be one of those managers who doesn't have a job unless you are hovering over some poor SOB and making sure they don't breathe too much company air. I don't have kids or a dog thanks very much, and I am 10 times more productive than I ever was in a stuffy cubicle with coworkers bitching at each other and talking about their lame ex-boyfriend or their obnoxious children. I actually work more hours because I don't have to worry about sitting in traffic, buying gas, packing food, and dry cleaning. You have NO idea what you are talking about!
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I am disabled and during the pandemic my health issues became so bad that I was forced to take time off work. I got fired for that even though I had documentation from my doctors where I was told I couldn't go to work (not worth the lawsuit). Got a WFH position that paid the same and only days I've missed since where 2 when I contracted COVID. Sometimes I can barely make the 20 foot walk to my desk chair but I do it and I'm able to work in comfort which lessens my chronic pain. Get all my work done, help others get their work done, and am frequently asked to help with priority projects because I'm a good worker. If you need someone breathing down your neck to be productive then you need to reevaluate how you work.
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i get so much more done at home and don't feel as burned out as i did when going into the office. i hardly ever take any days off anymore because people aren't trying to micro-manage me and that stressed me out.
Exactly!! I haven't taken a mental health day at all since I've been WFH. I used to have to do it often before this.
Load More Replies... No, they won’t be able to replace everyone by Monday, unless they are paying significantly above market. The hiring market is very tight right now and the prospective employee currently has leverage. Their leverage means they can ask for thing like wfh and more money. The jobs won’t get filled or will be filled by less qualified people. As for the people bleating that wfh is for lazy people, studies show that for office jobs, wfh is more productive. Effective managers can manage wfh if their kpis aren’t just butt in seat, I suspect that many managers and executives fins that if there aren’t people following them around, nodding and saying how great they are, they don’t have a purpose.
Many employers don't care about qualifications. They say they do but they just want low ballers
Load More Replies... To all managers that complain about productivity and laziness when employees do WFH: Don't you have KPIs/deadlines/process controls/whatever? When your only KPI is "sitting at a desk in the office 9-5" then WFH isn't clearly working for you.
Of course WFH isn't working for them (managers). Those managers wouldn't be pushing people back to the office it it were.
Load More Replies... If I had to go back into the office every day, I literally wouldn't be able to afford to work for my current employer with the current gas prices and tolls. As far as I'm concerned working from home saved my sanity, my wallet, and me having to look for a new job.
I don't care where my staff works as long as sh!t gets done, project timelines get met, we get to invoice the clients and tada, we make payroll. Everyone gets paid, some cash in the company coffers and come year-end people get a modest but nice bonus. Then again, my shabby company can't hold a candle to these public listed Fortune 500s with billionaire shareholders.
Good for you sir. You're a hero in today's societal wasteland. Keep it up.
Load More Replies... I do not see the issue with WFH. I was a manager and as long as the assigned tasks were done on time and properly I really don't care if they were done poolside. The one issue that might come up is that part of my job is to assess resources. A bit tougher to do with WFH but not impossible.
Has this manager seen the price of gasoline lately or was he/she raised in a news-free glass bubble? Really bad timing to create additional economic burdens on your employees.
I can appreciate people wanting to WFH. I have been offered two days a week remote. I told them, nah. I would rather come in every day and just leave early. Then if any questions come in, I can answer them from home. It really isn't a cure-all. But the trend was there before COVID. I was amazed about a year before the pandemic, how many applicants asked if there were any WFH options. It's here to stay (as it was already coming). A lot of white collar employers understand that and will need to accommodate workers in a tight market.
How do you get to leave early for being in the office? 40 hours is 40 hours whether you're sitting in the office or working from home.
Load More Replies... Those people who commented that employees working from home are unmotivated slobs laying around goofing off, are clearly managers who don't actually have real jobs other than micromanaging others and patting themselves on the back for promoting "corporate culture". My company has been working from home for 2 years now and we have proved that it doesn't make a difference in our level of productivity. Sitting in a windowless office for 8 hours after sitting in traffic is going to make me LESS likely to be more efficient and creative. And yet they are going to start making us come back in a few days a week so we can better "collaborate" with our colleagues. WTF? Do they think I've been ignoring people for all this time? I see my team on Zoom multiple times a week and we collaborate just fine. I would absolutely find a new job if they insisted I had to be in a shitty office full if germs for 40 hours a week. And trust me, the jobs are out there. I check all the time.
The thing people always fail to recognise is that for some people, WFH arrangements are actually *needed* so they can work. Not to make their lives easier or more comfortable, nor to fit in around other choices they’ve made, but as an essential part of being able to work full stop. This is totally different. I’m talking about disabled and/or chronically ill people who have no choice - they cannot ‘go to work’. People need to recognise that WFH for the general person is a “nice to have”, but it’s not an essential, and that prior to COVID most people were fine at a place of work. For other people they are in lockdown ALL THE TIME and being at home is the ONLY way they can work and is a reasonable adjustment that employers should be made to consider. I get annoyed that this distinction is not made and that the requirements for this marginalised group are hijacked by able bodied people. If WFH becomes the norm that’s great, but please prioritise and recognise people who need it.
The only reason many WFH was BECAUSE of the pandemic. This has become such a world of entitlement and me, me, me. I'm so sick of it. If you WFH BEFORE the pandemic, then there is no reason as to why they need you back in the office. IF you are still productive while working from home, again, no reason to go back in. But I think this is going to back fire on these people because most every job is asking everyone to get back into the office. I've worked from home for 15 years and they want me to go back into the office. So I decided to retire.
Load More Replies... I loved working from home, i find it sooooo much less distracting than being in the office and anybody who thinks employees are productive a full 8 hours a day just because they're in the office is profoundly misguided.
I live next door to two people who work fro home. Neither of them put in an eight hour day of work. Working from home is another way or stealing from the company. Also, promotions cannot be gauged because employers cannot see your work ethics. If you think it is baby-sitting, then you have something to hide.
Load More Replies... I work from home most of the time since the pandemic and even more since the office moved further away so the time and travel costs are too much, I sometimes drive in for a morning and pay the £5 for 4 hours parking. Then I have to leave to pick my son up from school. Anyway I get everything done that I need to do.
I work from home and have for the past 2 yrs. I love it! I don't spend money on gas or vehicle maintenance, I don't waste money on garbage lunches and I'm not wasting time sitting in traffic to get home. I literally wake up 30 min before my shift. And my patient satisfaction rating is 4.97 out of 5. I think I'm doing pretty damn good
If anything I find that I spend more time at my desk when I work from home, because I'm so afraid people will think I'm slacking off if I don't respond to e-mails and DMs instantly. At the same time, I no longer have a 90 minute commute each way, and I can work out or do my laundry on my lunch hour, so it's a good trade-off.
I work from home at a customer service position, there’s absolutely no reason for me to have to go in to the center. Don’t need the gossip, don’t need the childish attitude, the politics, the BS, the Snowflakes. The supervisors are no more reachable or less reachable now than they were in the office thanks to Zoom. Best thing, when the thermostat is too hot or too cold, I can change it.
This is a sign that the manager needs to feel unearned respect, in charge, and feared. He/she wants to see the respect/fear in the employee's eyes. It's a failing of the manager's personality. If there's no cringing group of followers, is the manager really a king?
The bottom tier list is just a bunch of bootlickers and ppl who don't do well on WFH. If stats say its better for the wellbeing, mental health and family life of said employees, then Im for it. Its almost like some of you cannot see sociopolitical agendas being shaped right in front of you because you are too dumb...
My company kicked around the idea of coming back to the office, and our manager asked out team what they thought, everyone was wishywashy on it, saying they if they have to they will. I said "If you tell me to start that commute again and come to the office, I quit." Now, WFH is a permanent thing, and the company is cutting leases and shedding dead spaces, saving money. As for the people who whine about WFH not being productive or that people just want to get a paycheck for sitting around in their PJ's. Ahhhhh, wanna cookie, little snowflake? Studies show it's as productive as being in an office and sometimes more. So either they don't read the news, or they do, but lie about it anyways. The other set is just whiners who are upset that they can't work from home.
One comment said that support staff need to be in the office 100% ... is that what they did during COVID? If not, why do they need to be in now? I'm support staff and still WFH 2-3 days/week. It's one in/all in for me and if my boss isn't in, then I'm not in. But I don't live in America.
My company decided work from home should be up to the individuals manager to decide. Upper management realized some individuals actually do work from home, while others have done very little the last 2 years. The figured the managers would know best who works and who does not. Pretty much everyone who was remote and had to go back in the office, were people who we couldn't ever get ahold of on MS Teams.
Wow - upper management making sensible decisions, along with line managers not penalizing good WFHers because some were abusing the privilege.
Load More Replies... As soon as workers started taking care of themselves and being responsible, Middle managers can't justify the need for their positions if there is no one in the office.
My bestie has worked for the same company for six years. Before WFH, they were in the negative on points, has used up all of their PTO, and despite being great at what they do, in danger of losing their job. Since WFH, they have become THE go-to person in the company for problems no one else can solve, they have so much PTO built up that the company cut them a check, and they have been promoted twice with another promotion on the horizon. They hated the commute and every damn virus that came down the pike ran through the place like wildfire, even when taking Airborn. We all had COVID in early January 2020, before anyone knew it was a thing, and since they got sick first we are convinced it came from their office. Since COVID, the worst illness they have had was a bout of stomach flu likely gained from a handhold at a gas station or store. My friend has told their management that there is no negotiation, if they have to come back into the office they will resign.
Most common excuses given by managers is that they don't believe as much work gets done and they feel being in the office is more productive. This is an idiot trying to keep their job because upper management will realize that they don't need them Notice that they always use the words believe and feel. There are no verifiable facts to support them and odds on that the evidence points the other way. But hey the work from the gut and we all know what guts are full of. Such people, good bye and good riddance.
So basically your new & already starting where your employees will hate you? Start small a few days a week. Does the new manager still work there, did the company hire so could be the bad guy by telling everyone come back to work? I NEED ANSWERS, FOLLOW UP
Lmao, love reading the Twitter and BoredPanda comments from managers upset they can't get their power trips anymore. Really puts the 'baby' in 'baby boomer'.
I goof off at the office. I get a ton of work done at home because there's nobody to socialize with. I'm ok with that. It's cool to go in once a week or so to talk in person but don't pretend more work is getting done there.
this is clearly a case of "cleaning house". Sadly, the people who are resigning and thinking they've won are completely clueless about it.
Just current update: with gas prices approaching/surpassing $7/gallon (west coast), more and more employees, if possible, would quit, if they're forced to commute.
Further up north, in Vancouver, it's it's about the same, $9 Cad/$7 USD.
Load More Replies... I haven't had a cold since before covid hit. I've worked from home a lot and am about to move into a new job that is remote. I can't wait! I don't need to go into the office. I get enough interactive time via email, teams and phone calls. I'm the one in the office with the earbuds in, ignoring everyone. :)
I did ask to work from home, but my boss just laughed! ( I work in operating theatres btw....[ : )
Any managers who say they need thier employees in the office r exactly who shouldn't be in positions of leadership. I've been fighting this fight for over 2p years abd until recently I was fighting that f8ght alone cuz u were all to scared to stand up. Now after the pandemic ur finally ready to tell management what they have needed to hear for 20 years. Welcome to the fight.....finally. I Hate office politics. I especially hate office politickers who spend more time working the system then actually working. I can't stand cliques at work. I really hate a*s kissers n the office is full of them. Spineless liars who like to swoop in and take tje glory without doing the work cuz rhey r a bosses favorite. Getting to come in late leave early while the rest of us r held to higher standard. Guess who hasn't bit his tongue while the rest of u have been cowards until now.
This article did not provide enough information about the nature of the work, the skillsets required of the employees, their professional levels, and other parameters that affect how the work is accomplished. For example, some work requires specialized equipment or instrumentation that cannot be distributed remotely. Some requires access to security classified documents and data, the control of which must be centralized to a particular facility. Some work can be performed remotely for limited periods during a crisis, but at reduced quality because of limitations on team interactivity. A manager faced with coordinating a team may assess that productivity and quality are reduced by any more than a modicum of remote operations. There ought to be operational metrics by which to quantify such an assessment, one way or the other.
So many long replies to such a short and vague post. Don't get me wrong, this happened to me at work, for exactly the same reason. New boss who said we shouldn't have been teleworking at all since the pandemic. Work sucks now that we're back in the office. But honesty... That's just life. Do what you gotta do. A bigger complaint in my opinion is that EVERY job I've ever had has absolutely sucked the life of of me.
My husband just got a new job and is still working out his 2 weeks notice at the old one. He quit the old job because he knew eventually they'd be adopting a hybrid model and they're based in Texas. That's a big he11 no. The company was very transparent and communicative over the past year about this being inevitable which is why he made the effort to get out early, but there was no timeline at all until last week they announced they'll be going back to office in September. My husband's team has 8 people and 3 are living out of Texas, not including him, and not sure about relocation. His old team has 10 people and 8 live out of state, not sure if they'll relocate. It's wild but at least they're not being assholes about it.
I'm actually amazed by the amount of people this affects. I don't know a single person that works from home or could do remote work. All of my friends work in the food industry, hospitals, banks, customer services, garages, etc. When everyone was saying "just stay at home", we couldn't. We were listed as "essential workers" and if we didn't work, we didn't eat. Must be nice to have these problems.
I've only been to the office 3 times in the last 2 years and each visit was a complete waste of time. It could have all been done over zoom. We've proven that we're more productive from home because we don't have the distractions of others in the office. Also my house is spotless and I no longer have to commute for 2 hours everyday, my family is happier and I haven't had to take a sick day.
I worked home some days during covid. And my 3 kids were also home (e-school and the smallest was home from kindergarten, because of covid outbreak in her group). I had to do most of my work during their sleeping time. So home office isn't always the easiest option for everybody. Depends on how peacefully you can do your stuff at home.
I started my new job a month before COVID hit. So the majority of my career here has been WFH. I have always done it off and on with the jobs I have had over the last 20 years or so, but this has been absolutely fantastic. I have gone into the office exactly once since all of this went down, and it was the least productive day of my entire career. Sitting next to the biggest extrovert in the company didn't help. Add to that the fact that it was a planned day for the entire team - we were gonna do all of our meetings together in person...except that all the rooms were booked. We ended up doing them all on Zoom...at our desks. Welp. Never again.
I think some managers are starting to see that they are not that important in the scheme of things. They need to justify keeping their jobs, so they harass the wfh employees. That said, I work from home and have been since before the pandemic, but if I had to go in to an office, I think the hybrid set up would work. I do sometimes miss being around people. Just a little.
It is not going to end will in the coming recession for these lazy workers.
You know, all those people bragging online about getting their work done in a shorter amount of time, and then spending the rest of the workday gaming or putting their computer mouse on something that moves to keep their computer in "active" mode so they can do other things, this is all kind of on them. Still wonder why employers don't trust their employees productivity and want them back in the office? Yes, if you are getting paid for the time, you should be working. If your work is done, find more to do.
I see all these people claiming they get more done yet statistics show people are clocked in longer and less is getting done... Who do we believe the people claiming they are working with greater outcome for the company... In their pajamas on zoom as this article stated or do we believe the profit margins of the company and the work completion records..... You think you all have a upper hand but I guarantee here in a few months you will realize you are all replaceable. Might take a bit but you are not special unless you hold a unsaturated degree or a multitude of experience that can only be learned over time. It's cute though, keep it up please I know many people who want better jobs but can't get them without the skill.... Which will soon be trained into the clean slates that are willing to come into the office
It's called equality. If a substantial portion of the work force works from home, that creates a two tier work force, with some people having all the benefits, and the rest of us getting up and driving into work every day. Don't get me wrong, it's nice having less people on the road, but to act like your entitled to work in your Pj's with your pup right beside you, well, your acting entitled. Grow up and go to work if that's what the boss wants, or start your own company, but whatever you do, STOP COMPLAINING ABOUT SOMETHING YOU WERE LUCKY TO HAVE HAD EVER!
I had a customer service job right when lockdown happened, we switched to full time work from home, then I'n august of of 2021 management and the company want to transition to half time work from the office and said anyone who didn't have a vaccine would be forced to work from home 100% of the time, so guess who didn't get vaccinated. Lol
Many businesses (most health care and other government jobs in Canada) put a deadline on being vaccinated or being put on unpaid leave until you were.
Load More Replies... Well... the employer is the customer in this transaction. They can chose how and with who they spend their money
Not to mention, office workers are already the laziest people on the planet. Bar none. It's so hard to drive and sit in a different chair! I do maintenance at a major corporation. They work 1-2 hours a day max.
Work from home works for about 2% of the population. I haven't been able to get anything accomplished in less than 2 days because people are too busy running their kids around to respond to an email. Those that think it's babysitting, need to grow up. The only people who think they are being babysat are the ones trying to cheat the system. Not to mention people don't even know how to talk to each other anymore because all they do is type. I don't hear any of these people clamoring for school from home. That seemed to work during covid. Kids don't need a building to learn, do they? Let them study at midnight while you're sending your "work" emails
I hate to be that person but not all managers want people in the office to micromanage them some want people back in the office because some people require micromanagement sadly. A) WFH is not a substitution for appropriate childcare. I shouldn't hear your kids screaming in the background of every call and I also shouldn't have to hear your dog barking incessantly. So many people are grossly unprofessional so yeah they require a cubicle to help them focus. It's a workplace not your mom's house get it together. B) Is your internet connection terrible? If so, you probably need a new provider or an office at the office sorry but having to deal with people showing up late to meetings or not at all because of their internet connections is ridiculous. I can go on and on but yeah a lot of managers are calling people back because they are sick of the lame excuses and questionable performance.
Not true. Many times companies lose subject matter experts due uncompetitive wages. They quit and the next senior person is the subject matter expert to their capacity. It repeats and rolls down hill until no one is monitoring or cares that 90% of your day is answering questions when it should be 10%. And if you're the victim of this, it is likely you have to research every question because you have barely enough knowledge to figure it out. It doesn't mean you need to be in the office, it means the company is poorly managed. Especially if you really don't hold a senior role other than surviving your peers longer rather than having X number of years of experience in a role that would legitimately be considered senior.
Load More Replies... Spoken like a true corporate c**k sucker. Tell me Dave, does your boss like it better when you spit, or swallow?
Load More Replies... Sounds like you are projecting Max. If your company can't tell whether you are doing your job or not that's on them. And Musk didn't "catch" anyone you moron. He's a brainless twit who has no idea what his average worker does - he read an article from some Boomer CEO and decided to be an a*****e because he can. He's going to be surprised when all his best people get scooped up by Google or other similar places who recognize what is actually important.
Load More Replies... That's 100% BS Roland. You must be one of those managers who doesn't have a job unless you are hovering over some poor SOB and making sure they don't breathe too much company air. I don't have kids or a dog thanks very much, and I am 10 times more productive than I ever was in a stuffy cubicle with coworkers bitching at each other and talking about their lame ex-boyfriend or their obnoxious children. I actually work more hours because I don't have to worry about sitting in traffic, buying gas, packing food, and dry cleaning. You have NO idea what you are talking about!
Load More Replies... I am disabled and during the pandemic my health issues became so bad that I was forced to take time off work. I got fired for that even though I had documentation from my doctors where I was told I couldn't go to work (not worth the lawsuit). Got a WFH position that paid the same and only days I've missed since where 2 when I contracted COVID. Sometimes I can barely make the 20 foot walk to my desk chair but I do it and I'm able to work in comfort which lessens my chronic pain. Get all my work done, help others get their work done, and am frequently asked to help with priority projects because I'm a good worker. If you need someone breathing down your neck to be productive then you need to reevaluate how you work.
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