In September 2023, office badge swipes in the 10 biggest U.S. cities are at about 50% what they were prior to the pandemic.
I have yet to see a valid argument about why this is needed
There are.plenty of valid arguments,
- Easier to track worker productivity (this is actually wrong, is significantly easier to track productivity done remotely, but management has lost out on traditional visual cues for productivity)
- These corporations either own the real-estate, so having them empty greatly reduces the value, or are tied into long term leases they can’t get out of.
- Mandating a RTO is also an easier way to offload staff without doing layoffs, as many will just leave.
- It’s easier for people in positions of upper management to “build work culture” and “team development”
None of this are valid to you, but I imagine this type of thinking makes sense to management
#4 is difficult to quantify, so it’s probably the one they feel the strongest about. I also frequently hear from people who prefer working in an office (they exist) that if you need someone, you can just walk over to their desk and ask them for help rather than trying to get a hold of them via IM. In my experience, that person is at lunch or in a conference room somewhere, so you’re leaving an IM for them anyway.
I’m not a manager but a team lead. And I’ve had to train people remotely. It’s way easier to train them in person, especially when there’s a team to answer their questions and not just me.
I try to offload some questions here and there but it’s definitely easier in person.
That said, I still way prefer working remotely. I try to go into the office sometimes. But man it’s just so much more convenient working at home.
No “could be” about it.
