5 ms·

Someone should probably tell him about teams, zoom, telephones, etc if he thinks the answer to email chains is forcing people back to an office.

atomicnumber3 2y ago
There's not a single person involved in this letter - reader nor writer - who is confused about what this is actually about. Companies would rather not have an employee than have an employee who has leverage over them, even if having them and paying them is objectively better for the company's outcomes. It's all about power. And forced RTO is always about shadow-layoffs.
nine_k 2y ago
It's an easy way to have the least motivated leave the company, without layoffs and severance payments. Whether it's the most productive who remain is always a question, of course.
- janice1999 2y ago
  It's an easy way to have top talent leave because they will have the easiest time finding a better employer. "Companies issuing RTO mandates “lose their best talent”: Study " https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/12/companies-issuing-rto-mandates-lose-their-best-talent-study/ https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/12/companies-issuin...
- happytoexplain 2y ago
  >least motivated This is a common misunderstanding. The people who produce value in businesses (anything larger than a true startup) are not "more motivated" regarding the business than the others. They are more talented, more experienced, and/or enjoy what they are doing more. None of that is intrinsic to the business. If you try to root out "unmotivated" people, you are just going to lose your best. Alternatively, depending on how you use the word ("motivation" is a really broad term), a lack of motivation is typically a problem with the business, and not the employee, so getting rid of the employees most affected by the problem won't fix the problem.
- Tiktaalik 2y ago
  It does seem likely that it is the least productive who remain. The approach ensures that the people who most badly need a paycheque or who just are into it for a paycheque are those that are most likely to stay. Not likely the most experienced and best workers. The most passionate people can go anywhere and do anything and are more likely to leave.
SoftTalker 2y ago
Teams and Zoom is the worst of both worlds. Delivers most of the disadvantages of not being face-to-face, and most of the disadvantages of RTO. These platforms made remote work during the pandemic possible for orgs that didn't know how to work remotely already. But they are not ideal, far from it.

atomicnumber3 2y ago

There's not a single person involved in this letter - reader nor writer - who is confused about what this is actually about. Companies would rather not have an employee than have an employee who has leverage over them, even if having them and paying them is objectively better for the company's outcomes. It's all about power. And forced RTO is always about shadow-layoffs.

nine_k 2y ago

It's an easy way to have the least motivated leave the company, without layoffs and severance payments. Whether it's the most productive who remain is always a question, of course.

janice1999 2y ago
It's an easy way to have top talent leave because they will have the easiest time finding a better employer. "Companies issuing RTO mandates “lose their best talent”: Study " https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/12/companies-issuing-rto-mandates-lose-their-best-talent-study/ https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/12/companies-issuin...
happytoexplain 2y ago
>least motivated This is a common misunderstanding. The people who produce value in businesses (anything larger than a true startup) are not "more motivated" regarding the business than the others. They are more talented, more experienced, and/or enjoy what they are doing more. None of that is intrinsic to the business. If you try to root out "unmotivated" people, you are just going to lose your best. Alternatively, depending on how you use the word ("motivation" is a really broad term), a lack of motivation is typically a problem with the business, and not the employee, so getting rid of the employees most affected by the problem won't fix the problem.
Tiktaalik 2y ago
It does seem likely that it is the least productive who remain. The approach ensures that the people who most badly need a paycheque or who just are into it for a paycheque are those that are most likely to stay. Not likely the most experienced and best workers. The most passionate people can go anywhere and do anything and are more likely to leave.

SoftTalker 2y ago

Teams and Zoom is the worst of both worlds. Delivers most of the disadvantages of not being face-to-face, and most of the disadvantages of RTO. These platforms made remote work during the pandemic possible for orgs that didn't know how to work remotely already. But they are not ideal, far from it.