Return to office mandates in Tech Sector

[AllThingsTech]

In an interview just yesterday I told a potential employer that I thought there were pros and cons. I enjoy some aspects of working from home, but I also can appreciate some benefits of being physically present sometimes.

I think there are a lot of bad, dishonest, and foolish reasons that certain parties argue for one or the other.

• Obviously an employee should take remote work as a serious responsibility that relies on honor and trust. They should not take that for granted or argue for remote work just so they can be lazy, etc.
• Conversely, employers should realize that their employees are human beings who will, in most cases, give back the respect and investment they are given. It should be a cooperative relationship, rather than an adversarial or “ownership” thing. Some might require in-office because they are just backwards and ignorant about the ways modern technology has changed (or can change) daily life, which is … at this point sort of a pathetic reason. But worse, forcing employees to come into office just so you can babysit them is a short-sighted and stupid way to ensure productivity. But it’s also hard to deny that being physically present can help increase the richness and bandwidth of synchronous communication, which is sometimes a good thing.

So I think regardless of the specific arrangement, the issue should be discussed in a positive way that works toward balancing everyone’s actual needs and levels of comfort. The ultimate goal is to exchange wages for work, and there are lots of diverse ways to accomplish that. Excluding one side or the other from the conversation might be a sign of bad faith.

I realize this is a safe, idealized answer. To be honest it’s hard for me to have much more of an opinion right now, when I’ve been unemployed the last 10 months and am desperate for work whether it’s remote or not.

I agree with the stuff you said. As for being backwards thinking, as I said in my initial post, I feel like the decision maker is not very technical and so doesn’t have a comprehensive understanding of the role. Also, the decision maker may not be a trusting person given that workers who slack off do exist!

Unemployment is tough, been there! Hope you get the job you want, best of luck!!!