this post was submitted on 14 May 2024
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The study (PDF), published this month by University of Chicago and University of Michigan researchers and reported by The Washington Post on Sunday, says:

In this paper, we provide causal evidence that RTO mandates at three large tech companies—Microsoft, SpaceX, and Apple—had a negative effect on the tenure and seniority of their respective workforce. In particular, we find the strongest negative effects at the top of the respective distributions, implying a more pronounced exodus of relatively senior personnel.

Dell, Amazon, Google, Meta, and JPMorgan Chase have tracked employee badge swipes to ensure employees are coming into the office as often as expected. Dell also started tracking VPN usage this week and has told workers who work remotely full time that they can't get a promotion.

Some company leaders are adamant that remote work can disrupt a company's ability to innovate. However, there's research suggesting that RTO mandates aren't beneficial to companies. A survey of 18,000 Americans released in March pointed to flexible work schedules helping mental health. And an analysis of 457 S&P 500 companies in February found RTO policies hurt employee morale and don't increase company value.

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[–] [email protected] 78 points 5 months ago (4 children)

A survey of 18,000 Americans released in March pointed to flexible work schedules helping mental health.

It's almost like the work force actually values the quality of their lives more than ... umm, honestly I've never been able to figure out a positive side for companies pushing RTO. Report after report show remote work improves productivity, employee retention, is perceived as a significant perk to attract new talent, and reduces corporate overhead (that last one is just an assumption on my part).

Seriously, what is the attraction for RTO?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

It was the whole getting rid of senior employees without having to pay severance or unemployment thing.

It was never about "returning to office." It was always about making the most well paid and senior employees walk so they could save money.

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[–] [email protected] 28 points 5 months ago

Probably the satisfaction to micro manage people and oversee their work over their shoulders.

[–] [email protected] 42 points 5 months ago (8 children)

It’s bosses who are sick of Teams meetings. “You just can’t collaborate like you can in an office setting” is what I heard most during my job hunt.

[–] [email protected] 32 points 5 months ago

Which is true only in the rare case you only have one office that everyone is in. As soom as you don't have everyone in the same room teams is better. So once you have more than 50 people

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 5 months ago (1 children)

They get to use all that cheap real estate they bought during the pandemic. What more reasoning could you ever need!

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 13 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (2 children)

Learn what? This was the intended outcome: layoffs without severance or unemployment.*

*Unemployment benefits aren't totally off the table due to the companies changing of job requirements, but that's going to depend on local laws and individual employee circumstances.

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[–] [email protected] 46 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Daily commute and sleep deprivation that derives from it is mind numbing. The only reason leaders want people to work at the office is so they don't pay for empty offices.

Want people to innovate ? Give them free time to do research on a subject your company could benefit from.

Want people to meet with their teams ? Organize team activities once in a while. Everyone will benefit and be happier for it.

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[–] [email protected] 189 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (16 children)

The C-Suite at this news: "This was a triumph! I'm making a note here: "Huge success!" It's hard to overstate my satisfaction!"


This is exactly what they wanted to happen. Stealth layoff without having to give your most senior employees things like severance or unemployment. Senior employees cost more, and any way to get them all to flee without having to pay out for it is viewed as a big win.

They knew their best would fly the coop. They didn't fucking care, that was the plan. Honestly, this shit should have been class action lawsuits under "Constructive Dismissal."

[–] [email protected] 18 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

We do what we must because we can.

For the good of all of us.

Except the ones who are dead.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

The cake is a lie.

Milton knows.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:


A study analyzing Apple, Microsoft, and SpaceX suggests that return to office (RTO) mandates can lead to a higher rate of employees, especially senior-level ones, leaving the company, often to work at competitors.

In this paper, we provide causal evidence that RTO mandates at three large tech companies—Microsoft, SpaceX, and Apple—had a negative effect on the tenure and seniority of their respective workforce.

In particular, we find the strongest negative effects at the top of the respective distributions, implying a more pronounced exodus of relatively senior personnel.

Apple representative Josh Rosenstock told The Washington Post that the report drew "inaccurate conclusions" and “does not reflect the realities of our business."

Yet some companies have struggled to make employees who have spent months successfully doing their jobs at home eager to return to the office.

Dell also started tracking VPN usage this week and has told workers who work remotely full time that they can't get a promotion.


The original article contains 705 words, the summary contains 157 words. Saved 78%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

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