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The fight over return-to-office is getting dirty

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Summary

In the past few months, Amazon has been aggressively pushing employees back into the office, with emails to employees about their attendance, internal dashboards to track attendance, and threats to fire those who don’t comply. However, there is limited evidence to back up the assertion that in-person work is more productive than remote work, and many companies’ return-to-office policies are based on platitudes and vague references to “culture.” Furthermore, there is an irony in the fact that upper-level executives are making decisions based on perception rather than data, when their employees must adhere to strict attendance policies. It is becoming obvious that return-to-office mandates are an attempt to reestablish a surveillance society and shift the blame of poor stock performance onto employees, rather than thoughtfully evaluating how to create a better company culture.

Q&As

What metrics does Amazon track and evaluate?
Amazon tracks and evaluates almost every aspect of a customer's life, from a new TV to a toilet-paper refill.

What evidence is there to support companies' return-to-office mandates?
The evidence to support companies' return-to-office mandates is threadbare, relying mostly on a few studies that use sample sets of questionable usefulness to back up their claims that remote work is less productive.

What are some of the reasons cited for mandating in-office work?
Reasons cited for mandating in-office work include platitudes about "togetherness" and vague references to "culture," as well as the power and energy that comes from working together in person and the need to foster a sense of community and connection.

What are the implications of forcing employees to return to the office?
The implications of forcing employees to return to the office include creating an outright hostility toward higher-ups, driving a wedge between management and workers, and eroding the already tenuous loyalty workers have to their employers.

How has the media industry responded to the return-to-office push?
The media industry has responded to the return-to-office push by feeding bosses' narrative that we "do better work together," citing studies that focus on speed and crude measures of productivity, and ignoring the actual composition of metrics used to evaluate productivity.

AI Comments

👍 This article provides a great analysis of the issues surrounding return-to-office policies and offers some valuable insight into why these policies may not be as beneficial as some believe.

👎 This article fails to consider the positive aspects of returning to the office such as the ability to collaborate in-person and the potential for increased productivity.

AI Discussion

Me: It's about the fight over the return-to-office, and how Amazon has been pushing employees back to the office with aggressive measures like emails, internal dashboards, and the potential for firing employees who don't meet the requirements.

Friend: Wow, that's really intense. What are the implications of this article?

Me: Well, it's pretty clear that the evidence for requiring in-office work is actually quite weak. The studies that have been cited to support this kind of policy are based on sample sets of questionable usefulness, and the actual metrics used to measure productivity are often vague or based on managers' interpretations. Additionally, the RTO push seems to be more about controlling workers and shifting blame than actually increasing productivity. It's creating an atmosphere of hostility between workers and managers, and in the long run, this kind of policy could weaken the organization.

Action items

Research the data and studies that have been used to support return-to-office policies.
Reach out to other remote workers to discuss their experiences and perspectives on return-to-office policies.
Advocate for more transparency and data-driven decision-making when it comes to return-to-office policies.

Technical terms

Work from Home: Working from a location other than the office, typically from one's own home.
Remote Work: Working from a location other than the office, typically from a remote location.
Job Market: The market for jobs, including the availability of jobs, the wages offered, and the competition for jobs.
Metrics: A measure or standard of measurement used to quantify or evaluate a process or activity.
Data: Information that is collected, organized, and analyzed to answer questions or make decisions.
Vague: Not clearly expressed or understood; not precise or definite.
Productivity: The rate at which goods or services are produced, usually in relation to the resources used to produce them.
Output: The amount of work produced by a person, machine, or other entity.
Surveillance: The close monitoring of the actions of a particular person or group.
Farcical: Ridiculous or absurd.
Proxy: A person authorized to act on behalf of another.
Macroeconomic: Relating to the study of the overall economy, including economic growth, inflation, and unemployment.
Eyewash: Something that is intended to deceive or distract from the truth.
Hall Monitor: A person who supervises students in a school, typically in the hallways or other common areas.
Soft Layoff: A situation in which an employer reduces the number of employees by making working conditions so unpleasant that employees choose to leave.