Return to Office: Quiet Layoffs?
September 18, 2024
The #RTO votes are in, and we have our winning answer: Most of the respondents believe RTO mandates are just quiet layoffs.
Recently, the CEO of Bolt joined the RTO club by mandating at least 3 days on site, citing workers operating from exotic locales in his memo: "Bali is for vacations, not remote work." He also mentioned their "beautiful offices" they apparently spent a ton of cash on. (As a longtime startup advisor, splurging on fancy offices is kind of a fiscal faux pas, especially in this tight investment climate, but whatever.)
I'm yet to hear a compelling argument as to why it matters if someone is working from a crappy cubicle or a sunny beach if the work is still getting done on time, on target, and with the right quality.
If your management systems lack the proper metrics to measure actual performance, leaving you to rely on "perceptions" and other intangibles like "cultural cohesion," then just say so.
Otherwise, it all just sounds capricious, illogical, and petty. It also doesn't buy the kind of goodwill you claim to want to reinvigorate in your workforce by dragging them back to the office and away from their families, just so you can see the backs of their heads as you patrol your cubicle fiefdom.
If you can't trust your people to work well without being watched all day, then ask why and respond accordingly. If you still believe "there's magic in these cubicle walls" or that the coffeemaker drips pure innovation and team spirit, you're living in the past.
Obviously, none of this applies if you're running a machine shop or a pizza joint. Are you though?