A tech professional recently shared a striking Reddit post titled “My Job Went RTO.. I am now flying to the office every week”, describing the extremes of the new return-to-office (RTO) policies at his company. Despite working remotely for months, he revealed that he now flies 1,000 km (600 miles) weekly just to comply with office mandates.
The employee described the situation bluntly, saying, “Yep.. you read that right. It’s a 1000km (600 mile) flight that takes about an hour. I’m killing the planet because upper management needs to justify their office space investment.”
Spot Checks and Office Pressure Add to Employee Stress
The Redditor added that during a recent “all hands” office event, there were not enough desks for staff, yet employees were still required to attend in person. “Everyone still dials in for the Teams meetings and there is huge resistance to the RTO mandate. But ‘as a leader’ I need to ‘lead by example’ and they are doing random spot checks to see if you are in fact at the office. Needless to say, I’m quitting this otherwise great job. Fu** RTO and I’ll let them know that is the only reason I’m leaving,” he wrote.
Several other users shared their perspectives. One advised, “Don’t quit until you have another job lined up. The job market is not in a good place at all. That’s why management feels safe throwing this burden on everyone. People rage, but quitting is probably a bonus for them if not an unspoken reason why they’re RTOing. Chill out and use company time to interview and prepare. Once you’ve got a job, then do your two weeks and add your old firm to the black book of ‘never agains.'”
Concerns About Productivity and Job Security
Others highlighted broader issues related to office mandates. Another user observed, “I don’t know about that. Today, the top talent (and also top earners) in my department were basically all fired. Well, at least most of them were. Very disheartening to see. Some of the most skilled in my industry, gone just like that.” A third added, “My wife works for a large national company. Her entire team is spread around the country, but she has to go into the office every day to sit on Zoom. She’s basically losing two productive work hours every day and getting less done because of all the small talk.”
The thread has since sparked a larger discussion on the practicality and environmental impact of mandatory office attendance, as well as concerns over employee morale, productivity, and job security in companies enforcing strict RTO policies.
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