RE: Return to Office – Compliance or Resignation

Last week, while grabbing coffee with a friend, we began discussing work, and the topic of returning to the office came up in our conversation. I thought this would be a relevant topic to write about, as companies are striving to resume their pre-pandemic work life.

Fortunately, I was in desperate need of writing content, and my friend was willing to openly share her experience. To maintain her privacy, here I will refer to her as Jane Doe, I’ve summarized some of her statements as quotes below.

On Monday morning, sometime between Jane’s meetings and prioritizing her workload for the day, she received an outgoing company-wide email. It stated that all employees would be mandated to return to the office within the next month.

“Work is already stressful as it is. After reading that email, I was having trouble focusing. It completely threw me off.”

She began to worry about balancing the stress of work and the added weight of commuting, meal planning, and family life—not to mention the additional expenses. She’d have to cover—transportation and buying new work clothes in light of rising inflation rates and the occurrence of random assaults on public transit.

“My thoughts were racing. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to keep up with work demands and all of these extra things to balance.”

Since working from home, Jane has grown accustomed to her new routine. She has even experienced more flow states, which have allowed her to excel at her job.

“The time I would ordinarily spend commuting, I now use to prepare for my morning meetings and to wrap up my day. If anything, I find myself working more while I am at home, although it doesn’t feel that way.”

Now she will be required to maintain the same level of quality and quantity of work, all while dealing with these new roadblocks mandated by the executive team.

“With that extra time, I can maintain work-life balance and overall well-being, which will once again take a back seat to work demands. While working from home, I have the flexibility to extend my work hours and still find time to explore personal interests like yoga or going to the gym. Having that time allows me to decompress and ready myself for the next work day.”

Those personal hours will be shortened and replaced with a commute that would typically take less than an hour when traveled at off-peak times.

In the last few years, employees have repeatedly demonstrated their ability to work from home. In Jane’s case, the data from the yearly reports shows that more deadlines have been met during the pandemic. Employees have even exceeded initial expectations. Despite these achievements, workers are being informed that a return to the office would be beneficial for collaboration and company culture.

For individuals like Jane, commuting is not only an inefficient use of time but also poses a risk to her physical health.

“Before the pandemic, I would frequently get sick while riding public transit, specifically during busy times. There are so many people crammed into a small space and I don’t have the strongest immune system.”

Although Jane acknowledges that she is not enthusiastic about the return-to-office mandate, she has also expressed conflicted emotions on the topic.

“My job allows me to maintain this lifestyle where I can sit here in this coffee shop and vent to you. Perhaps I should feel grateful that I am even employed, given the current state of the job market.”

Still, I believe we’ve all had moments where we question the purpose of it all—having a job that sustains a lifestyle we can only enjoy twice a week. It does seem that companies continue to demand more time from their employees through activities like public outreach or team-building events during their time off.

“It’s gotten way out of hand… I just want to work, do my job well, and go home. I appreciate many aspects of my job, but what I don’t appreciate is being obligated to sacrifice extra time and money. It feels as if I’m prioritizing the company’s needs over my own.”

From what I can tell, much of the resistance to return to office stems from a lack of understanding of company motives. Why are companies compelling employees to expend their resources by working on-site, particularly for roles that don’t require it?

“Just last year, we were informed that by coming into the office, we’d increase our chances of receiving a pay raise as our hard work would be more visible. They were implying that any effort that goes unseen does not truly count toward pay raises.”

I’ve heard something similar from other friends of mine. Many of them are skeptical that companies could provide a wage increase substantial enough to match the current inflation rates.

A sense of general distrust exists between employees and employers. Before the pandemic, Jane was informed that her company was transitioning to remote work—a timeline that was accelerated by Covid. Now her colleagues are being informed that they must be in the office twice a week, soon to become three times a week and possibly more.

“There’s always a statement followed by a contradiction. We care about your work-life balance and well-being… We expect you to dedicate extra time in your day to this job. We are laying off people because the job market is challenging… Those individuals will quickly secure new employment. There are numerous opportunities if they just search.”

What’s intriguing is that I’ve observed a pattern where major corporate entities initiate rounds of layoffs or return to the office. Other companies will follow suit almost to emulate this trend. Even a company like Zoom began requesting employees to return to the office, which seems rather ironic.

“This entire experience has been eye-opening for me. I find myself at the mercy of the company’s decisions, without much say unless I’m willing to jeopardize my livelihood. Adding insult to injury, many of these emails are crafted to sound as if decisions are taken for the employees’ benefit, which comes across as dishonest.”

As the world ventures into uncharted territories, workers find themselves in the midst of reassessing their options and choosing what’s best for their family life and well-being. Despite the inconvenience faced by thousands of employees, companies are reluctant to adapt to changing times.

“It’s truly unfortunate. The people on my team are fantastic, the pay is good, and I genuinely enjoy the work I do… but I must admit, being coerced into giving up more of my personal time when it’s unnecessary, leaves me with a sense of being undervalued, unheard, and quite frankly, disrespected.”

I myself have encountered similar requests to return to the office, and honestly, I am not anticipating it with enthusiasm either.

Personally, I believe a hybrid model would be more suitable. Some individuals might favour working in the office because they find it challenging or distracting to work from home. Additionally, there are jobs that require the employee to be there in person due to the nature of their profession.

For these individuals, office spaces should be utilized as necessary. However, for the remaining employees, I fail to see why they cannot continue working from the convenience of their homes especially if it benefits the business they work for.

Maybe I’m missing something though, any thoughts?