Working From Home Megathread

In the company I work for anyway it has nothing to do with performance of that I am certain. Some of the most productive and successful times for the company (worldwide) have been during the period with a lot of hybrid/remote working (we also still retain contractually protected remote workers many of whom are management themselves). If anything the policy has hit productivity as many are "working to rule" so to speak out of annoyance with the policy - leaving on the dot of finish time, taking holidays when it suits rather than working around deadlines etc.

Yes and no, the mandates do come from the top, In our case I feel its similar to the other poster and its the CEO or certainly the very top rung of the company (though it was communicated as a board decision or something like that). Plenty of senior level managers have been forced back to the office also who were working hybrid for years and some have left so its hitting pretty much all levels.

That being said managers do have a say to a degree in that they can choose to turn a blind eye to things. My manager was/is currently doing this in my case but there is such a push on now that they are sort of asking me to be in everyday for now until things die down at least. I was also allowing people who report to me do a day or two from home but they are more junior staff and are less willing to rock the boat so have been coming in even though I wasn't pushing it.

Everyone one has a boss and the optics of one team doing one thing and another doing something else won't last long.

It'll be flagged and the manager pulled on it.

I work for a large MNFC with a small team under me. But I really can't see how the politics of it would differ much regardless of the company size/makeup.

I get the work to rule aspect. If flexibility given isn't reciprocated, then you find you've burnt that bridge when you need it again.

Our managers have veto on quite a few aspects of remote working. There's been different arrangements on different teams even before lockdown.

Its been the same almost everywhere I've worked my entire life. Because the hr policies have always had that wriggle room.

One I remember before lockdown was one team having remote working and another not. Or remote with Flexi time or remote with no Flexi time. All sorts of local arrangements. Same now some teams have different days in the office, and some even have different anchor days.

But for the purpose of this thread which is discussing post covid wfh/rto setups.

Most companies have mandated a set amount of days in office. Local nuances not with standing.

This policy is being set from the very top of the food chain. Middle managers, Directors/MDs are not setting this policy.

Its set by the board and the rest of the ponzi scheme have to adhere to it.

I've never worked anywhere that local managers can veto company policy.

They can fail to follow policy much like you can fail/ignore anything you want to in work/life.

But you're putting yourself in a position to be reprimanded/fired/arrested if caught.

Arrested, because you said Bob needn't commute to Dublin for Tullamore three days a week?

Right…

Unless Policy is they can veto it.

Its gives more flexibility if it's required.

Am I the only one seeing the hypocrisy and irony in Musk whining about the below when he and his ilk have no concern for work/life/family balance?

In a trend that is almost global at this stage, people are settling down later because its getting more and more difficult to afford a home. So they are having less kids and having them later in life. It's not surprising that one of the richest men in the world does not have those concerns, and didn't think about that.

Not defending him, I think he's a pr1ck, just saying little details like that are not on his radar.

Again, one of the richest men in the world he can do anything he likes and has no concern for plebs like you and me.

I really wouldn't put too much stock in what he's saying.

Employers should be allowed to say no, the government has no place dictating where people should work

I disagree. The greater good for society should always be taken into account (environmental, societal, equality, etc). There are plenty of work places legal rules in place that have improved people's lives that would have been fought against by employers over the years and guess what? Corporate profits are higher than ever so it's done them no harm.

If a job can be done just as good remotely then for the greater good employers should be forced to accept this new way if life. They have no issue working between geographically remote teams when it suits them.

Edit: Just to add. In my place if work they want everyone in the office full time despite the fact that the team is spread across 4 different countries, so instead of saving people hours of commute you are expected to come into the office to then hold meetings at your desk over MS Teams that you could do the exact same at home. Return to office mandates serve two purposes.

1. Companies basically want to reduce the work force without redundancy.
2. Weak managers can't handle the fact that they are becoming obsolete so make up bullshit about innovation in person or productivity.