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In some cases RTO is just not possible anymore. With my company we all went remote during the pandemic and started hiring fully remote roles and not just those

In some cases RTO is just not possible anymore. With my company we all went remote during the pandemic and started hiring fully remote roles and not just those in our city. Our leadership team floated the idea of RTO but we convinced them that it's just not possible because unlike 2019 when 70-80% of our Engineering team is local, now the number is down to like 20%. We told them that the effect would not be what they want (getting people to collaborate together in person) and pushing harder on the issue will result in the Grindr Situation[1] [1]: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2023-09-07/grindr-loses-about-45-of-staff-after-strict-rto-policy-video https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2023-09-07/grindr-lose...

dangus 3y ago
It’s not that hard to implement and force a full return to office. All you have to do is require new hires to work in the office. If they refuse they don’t get the job offer. You can leave existing employees alone to avoid a mutiny but they’ll eventually leave on their own via routine turnover. Since most companies will be operating in the same way, full remote jobs will be scarce, reserved for the lucky few top performers and high demand roles.
- hinkley 3y ago
  New employees can mutiny too, and if they do that when they are only 40% of employees, you’re still in trouble.
  - dangus 3y ago
    Presumably, someone who accepted an in-office job either prefers that situation [1] or can’t find another employer offering a better situation (which also seems likely when you look at OP’s article, only 10% of employees plan to avoid an in-office requirement). The mere fact that they accepted the job in the first place protects the employer from WFH rebellion. [1] Based on this survey, I would say that a company offering an office environment but with the added flexibility of some work from home days aligns with the preferences the majority of US employees: https://www.randstadusa.com/business/business-insights/news/survey-62-employees-prefer-office/ https://www.randstadusa.com/business/business-insights/news/...
    - hinkley 3y ago
      Not if they didn't realize that existing employees were allowed to work from home. It's a class distinction that breeds resentment and screws up team dynamics. You can't 'just' fix this problem with a grandfather clause. It creates new problems.
up2isomorphism 3y ago
It is way simple than it looks. Particularly when it can gradually remove remote employees exactly because with “works”, but less efficiently than rto.

dangus 3y ago

It’s not that hard to implement and force a full return to office. All you have to do is require new hires to work in the office. If they refuse they don’t get the job offer. You can leave existing employees alone to avoid a mutiny but they’ll eventually leave on their own via routine turnover. Since most companies will be operating in the same way, full remote jobs will be scarce, reserved for the lucky few top performers and high demand roles.

hinkley 3y ago
New employees can mutiny too, and if they do that when they are only 40% of employees, you’re still in trouble.
- dangus 3y ago
  Presumably, someone who accepted an in-office job either prefers that situation [1] or can’t find another employer offering a better situation (which also seems likely when you look at OP’s article, only 10% of employees plan to avoid an in-office requirement). The mere fact that they accepted the job in the first place protects the employer from WFH rebellion. [1] Based on this survey, I would say that a company offering an office environment but with the added flexibility of some work from home days aligns with the preferences the majority of US employees: https://www.randstadusa.com/business/business-insights/news/survey-62-employees-prefer-office/ https://www.randstadusa.com/business/business-insights/news/...
  - hinkley 3y ago
    Not if they didn't realize that existing employees were allowed to work from home. It's a class distinction that breeds resentment and screws up team dynamics. You can't 'just' fix this problem with a grandfather clause. It creates new problems.

up2isomorphism 3y ago

It is way simple than it looks. Particularly when it can gradually remove remote employees exactly because with “works”, but less efficiently than rto.