What should I do if my company starts returning to in-person work?
The company's decision is unlikely to be reversed, but it's important to express your dissatisfaction without being insubordinate
Supposed lack of company culture, alleged drop in productivity, increased employee monitoring: there are numerous reasons that lead companies to return to in-person work, even if it's hybrid.
What to do if your company calls you back to the office?
Starting a fight right away is not the best approach. First, ask questions. What is motivating this decision? What are the numbers showing a decline in productivity?
Based on the answers, make your arguments. The company's decision is unlikely to be reversed, but it's important to express your dissatisfaction without being insubordinate.
It's pointless for the company to claim that its culture is being lost if the managers are absent. Demand greater presence from the leaders.
Make allies. Just like you, other colleagues may be unhappy with the return to in-person work. Try to negotiate the best possible conditions for this return.
Remote work allows for a better quality of life. Dealing with traffic or crowded public transportation is far from it. If you are in an area with many remote job opportunities, consider changing jobs.
Some companies offer higher bonuses or salaries for in-person workers. If what we seek is quality of life, it's okay to give that up as long as we can maintain a satisfactory standard of living.
In a reality that is already happening, companies that choose not to be flexible will lose the best talent. Lucky are those who hire these people. And if managers are satisfied with less talent, as long as everyone is aligned with the idea of being in-person, that's okay too. The world will be divided between remote and non-remote companies.
What we can't forget are the lessons from the years 2020 and 2021, when much of the world worked remotely and many areas that now claim a drop in productivity or revenue experienced true booms. In other words, it's not the work model that influences, but economic, social, and political issues.
I can speak with authority about journalism, where I work. In 2020, we had the highest audience ratings in history, as people needed to be informed about the pandemic, which put their health at risk. Additionally, we experienced turbulent political moments in almost every country, such as the US elections and a serious political crisis in Brazil.
Starting in 2022, journalism returned to in-person or hybrid in many parts of the world. One of the reasons is that the audience was declining, a clear reflection of the loss of productivity in remote work. But what about February, March, April, May, and June of 2020, with all newsrooms working remotely and historical audience ratings?
The argument doesn't hold up. Ultimately, it all revolves around control. There's a feeling of losing control in remote work, since you don't see your employees working. But it's perfectly possible to measure efficiency based on project delivery.
I talk a lot about remote work with people who work remotely, especially in the technology field. Based on these conversations, I can't see a return to in-person work as it was before. There's a true revolution underway among these IT professionals, which I hope will have repercussions in all other areas.
I don't have any statistical data, but these conversations also bring me to an interesting realization: the return to in-person work may be generational. Leaders over 40 tend to prefer in-person work, while leaders under 40 are much more flexible. Therefore, the future is promising as more companies are led by those born in the 1990s and 2000s, who are more accustomed to the virtual environment.
I have never shown myself to be 100% against occasional in-person work in this newsletter. It's indeed important to exchange ideas, have lunch, get to know people better. But this can be done in a monthly, semi-annual, or even annual meeting.
I hope this text has prompted you to reflect on this return to in-person work. I understand that there are areas that are not as promising as technology, and finding another remote job may not be so easy. But if your dream is to return to working 100% remotely, go after it.
Read more:
How remote work allows for a 30+ exchange
I got my first remote job and I'm really excited
I have been working remotely for exactly six months. Here are the lessons I have learned
Remote workers and cafe owners should be allies, not enemies
Interesting topic.
Just yesterday the Canadian Federal Government workers based in Ottawa will now be required to come to the office minimum three days per week instead of the current two days a week.
Why the change? Because without the federal workers in the capitol city, the local business were not seeing traffic return to the downtown core. Plus, ridership on the new (2018) LRT has not recovered since the pandemic.
Will there be a backlash? Of course. It's not about productivity at all. It's a move to help support the local business.
Good move? Who knows.