#returntooffice

https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/workplace/return-to-office-workers-fail-3d966807?mod=hp_lead_pos1

The Rush to Return to the Office Is Stalling

Microsoft, Paramount and other companies are stepping up calls to get back to the workplace. Many of their employees are still phoning it in.
Big companies from Microsoft to Paramount and NBCUniversal are ordering workers to show up to the office more often. If only their staffs would heed the call.

Even as corporate bosses cut back on remote work and ratchet up in-office mandates, average office attendance has barely budged across U.S. workplaces. Companies are struggling to enforce mandates, and many managers tasked with herding folks into the office would rather not be there either. Other executives have made their peace with hybrid work, especially amid cooling consumer confidence and an unpredictable trade war.
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What are we doing about the Band 5s in non strategic sites? They’re cashing chex laughing at the rest of us go back to the office….

What a crock that us staff must adjust to RTO but they still work from home and don’t come in the office. We all see it….

Examples - Alpharetta GA, Annapolis Junction MD, Tampa FL

I thought they were tracking office attendance. Why are some people exempt (I'm not talking about folks who were remote before the pandemic)? Do their managers go to bat for them? What else could be the reason?

Have the rules relaxed or it is still 5 days RTO?

Anything?

The only thing I can think of is that now I'm fully ignoring anything work related after business hours, and I used to be available at all hours while WFH. But that certainly can't be considered an improvement for the company. Is there anything you can think of?

Considering WFH is more productive , attracts better talent, retains the last vestiges of existing talent, and considering commercial building costs makes RTO un-competitive .... does any of this make sense?

What happened to that RTO post from this morning? I was coming back to check in on the thieves crying and "poof" it's gone. There didn't seem to be anything blatantly wrong with it.

Been going around that she is very upset that her saying that we should ignore the presence reports got out on the interwebs. I guess her freeeloader remark didn’t land well.

Funny, none of these people were all that upset when the company scr_wed with the lives and livelihoods of thousands of people with the RTO layoffs and relocations. Just business. Now they’re aghast when dirty laundry is aired in public.

If you don’t want leaks just treat people with decency and respect. It’s not all that hard

Got the word. Our group in Michigan is moving back to 5 days in office. Thought we were going to be good at 3 days. Was nice while it lasted.

I have heard rumors of an MD meeting that took place recently, need to be in the office minimum 7 hours. Abusing thing will lead to being on the naughty list.

Anyone else have issues with their pets seeming depressed? Not only is my spouse upset that I'm never home and misses our lunchtime walks and heathy food prepared together, but my cat has acted strange ever since I stopped returning home until the evening. Last year, it was only 3 days in the office and I was typically home in the early afternoon. Now, with full time RTO, he stays in the garage all day, according to my spouse. He always runs to the door when I get home, but then disses me again and goes back to the garage. He used to always hang out in the house with us before this year. It b-ms me out that this has affected him as well.

I am based in Houston and my entire team has been replaced with employees in Buenos Aires and Manila. Does anyone have advice or strategies on maximizing the benefits of in-person collaboration the upcoming RTO changes will offer?

/s

The stricter RTO is just part of it. Eternal reorganization, months of uncertainty about what’s coming for each of us - that’s another layer. Teams are in chaos, handling workloads meant for far more people. Managers seem completely oblivious to anxious, restless, overworked, burnt-out employees. It’s all either by design or sheer disregard for the workforce. Either way, it might come back to bite them, as the best people are always the first to leave.

Any other lines of business that are going in 4 days besides Corp Risk?

The office has become a shell. For those who have returned, it feels like working in a morgue — silence, no collaboration, no energy. At least at home people could put the radio on and feel some life around them. We tried free coffee for a week, but once that was gone, so were the people. Now we have staff commuting in only to sit in isolation on video calls. It is soul-destroying, and I worry about the mental impact on those who are complying. If management isn’t prepared to properly enforce office attendance, then this halfway approach is pointless and damaging.

I was just told by my manager they are enforcing and requiring everyone in the company regardless of title to be in office 3 days a week starting November. I believe the announcement will be this Monday.

I saw that a new “business address” was added to my outlook contact card. I will not share what it says but I will say it is an office about 100 miles away from me. My location code still ends in “950” which designated telecommuter but I don’t like this new addition. Wonder what it means. If you type in your location code into sparq or the business address location. it will bring up that office address…

https://www.reddit.com/r/Ford/comments/1nikmlo/ford_rto_mandate/

RTO kickstarted the gossip-mill. “So and so did/said/posted this!!” Did. Ot miss that at all.

I don't know about you but I would be willing to pay for WFH days.

Anyone else?

Not ideal, especially since they already took a week of vacation away from 20+ year managers; but it would be worth it some days.

Perhaps it's a new revenue stream?

It's complete bullsh-t that so many people are still working remote without any monitoring at all. I don't understand why they have been protected.

How is the company tracking compliance with the RTO? Are they just looking at badge swipes or the total time spent as well

Following a layoff of 9,000 employees globally, Novo Nordisk has announced a new return-to-office (RTO) mandate. The pharmaceutical company, known for its diabetes and weight-loss dr-gs like Ozempic and Wegovy, is requiring all office-based staff to work five days a week in the office. The new policy is set to take effect on January 1st.

The layoffs, which amount to about 11% of the company's workforce, are part of a restructuring plan by the new CEO, Mike Doustdar, to streamline operations, reduce complexity, and save an estimated $1.25 billion annually by the end of 2026. The company plans to reinvest these savings into its core areas of diabetes and obesity treatments. The job cuts, which include 5,000 positions in Denmark, are a response to slowing sales growth and increasing competition, particularly from rival dr-gmaker Eli Lilly.

The RTO mandate is being implemented to "foster a stronger sense of belonging, strengthen relationships, enhance collaboration, and accelerate decision-making processes." According to reports, the company did not have a universal work-from-home policy before, and rules varied by country and department. While the new mandate is a full-time return, the company stated that individual agreements between managers and employees are still possible to balance both personal and business needs.

The decision has been met with criticism from some employee representatives, who were "surprised" by the change, arguing that remote work and a vibrant office culture are not mutually exclusive. This move by Novo Nordisk aligns with a broader trend of companies reversing remote work policies, with some experts suggesting that RTO mandates are being used as a way to encourage employees to quit, thereby reducing headcount without having to pay severance. However, the company's new CEO has emphasized the need for a shift in mindset to become faster and more agile in a competitive market.

There’s literally nothing else to it.

Saddened by this announcement - with culture being at the center of so many conversations this year, I’m disappointed that leadership thinks this is a step in the right direction for our culture (And from whose perspective? Culture isn’t what leadership says it is - it’s what employees actually feel when they work there.).

There are a lot of hardworking employees who thrive professionally (and personally) while working from home AND actually get more done there than in the office.

And those that KNOW they get more/better work done at the office make a point to go there since it’s open 5 days a week to them.

If Chevron is worried about competitive performance, focus on hiring and retaining GOOD workers who know how and where they do their best work and let them do it.

You won’t get better work from people by forcing them to come into the office - this simply reflects that leaders are more productive in the office than at home.

I share the sentiment and agree wholeheartedly with the poster. Putting it up for visibility.
OP: @b1+1k4z0p2ve

AT&T tracked employee attendance to find 'freeloaders.' Now, it admits the system is driving workers to the 'brink of frustration

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/t-tracked-employee-attendance-freeloaders-095701036.html

AT&T is dialing down its use of a controversial attendance tracking system for enforcing its RTO policy.

The so-called presence report uses a combination of inputs to log employees' time in the office.

The company's CMO says its goal of finding "freeloaders" has been met, though trust issues remain.

AT&T is reducing its reliance on an employee-attendance tracking system, admitting to workers that it hasn't been fully accurate and is "driving people to the brink of frustration."

The system, known internally as presence reporting, automatically tracks the hours workers spend at their assigned office. Most are required to log at least eight hours a day, five days a week, on-site.

Come on. He's smarter than that.

The Agile crew is still chilling with their sweet 2-day setup.

How is this RTO thing even "news"? This was already announced and widely covered months ago.

The world is more unpredictable and dangerous than ever, yet corporate America is dragging people back into offices. At a time when safety, flexibility, and family should come first, pulling people farther from home makes no sense. If something were to happen, being close to loved ones and communities matters most. Forcing rigid return-to-office policies isn’t leadership — it’s reckless. Real leadership means empathy, foresight, and moving forward, not clinging to broken traditions. When does the next pulse survey go out?

I heard a rumor today that a 5 DAY return to the office announcement is coming! Has anyone heard anything about this?

Have to start going into office 4x a week min 6 hours a day starting 1/1/26. Talk about id--tic.

Do they even want us to work or not? When I arrive at the office, most of my team members have already logged off, since I’m the only one in the U.S. and the rest are in India. At this point, it feels like they’re just trying to tell us to give up

Oracle’s stock just exploded 40% in one day, the biggest move by any company this size in over 30 years. Why? Because they’re winning massive AI and cloud deals, building the future, and actually innovating. They’re projecting half a trillion in revenue backlog, and Wall Street is rewarding them for results.

Notice what they aren’t doing: forcing employees to waste hours commuting just to swipe a badge and sit in fluorescent-lit cubes. Oracle isn’t obsessed with RTO and control theater, they’re obsessed with delivering value.

Meanwhile, AT&T and other RTO-obsessed dinosaurs are draining morale, bleeding talent, and still struggling to grow. Employees are exhausted, productivity hasn’t improved, and customers don’t care if their rep is in Dallas, Atlanta, or their kitchen. All they care about is service that works.

Let’s be real… badge swipes don’t drive revenue. Results and innovation do. Oracle just proved it to the world. AT&T “leadership” could learn something here stop pretending RTO is about collaboration. It’s about control, and it’s ki-ling this company. Do something innovative instead!

If Oracle can ignite history-making growth without dragging people back into cubes, then what’s AT&T’s excuse?

We all know it’s coming. Anyone got any insight?

Its interesting that no one seem to be complaining about the 5 day RTO at Q. I dont know if its because Q has got everyone by their b*lls or people genuinely want to come back for 5 days a week.

Is everyone ok coming back 5 days ?

3 days is understandable. But 5 days. Really ?

CEO WORD V0MITS ABOUT RTO (AT&T)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qq10jrnO2SM&t=6s

This guy's stuff has been posted before, but the comments are pretty funny. Keep signal-boosting this kind of bad press.

scoop: Microsoft has just announced a return to office policy. Three days in the office will soon be the new norm for Microsoft employees in late February. "This update is not about reducing headcount," says Microsoft's chief people officer.

https://www.theverge.com/report/774414/microsoft-return-to-office-policy-announcement

RTO either has a lot of no shows, or 3M cut that many! Hearing some avoiding RTO because boss and co-workers are in other states or countries, so why RTO? For those that are in office, most are just on calls with global employees anyways. It makes no sense to push a RTO

For those who don't currently work at Ford, you may think the posts about having a chair taken, restrooms in disrepair, parking lots on overflow, and people camped out in cafeterias that were not made for working are all an overstatement. As a current employee I'm here to tell you they are absolutely true and being reported by our coworkers on an increasingly frequent basis. I have personally witnessed each of those things in my building in Dearborn.

Current employees, I encourage you to join the viva engage channels where folks are sharing their experiences from around the world. You can share your experience, you are not alone.

In Mexico, they are commuting 1-2 hours each way due to the traffic congestion around the location where the Ford campus is located. In Dunton, a 20 mile drive can take 1-2 hours with traffic.

These are not employees looking to complain for the sake of complaining. These are employees who have done what was asked and showed up to their assigned location, only to be continually failed by leadership and Ford Land.

Someone posted about occupancy limits and fire code violations. They are cramming so many people into spaces that were not meant for people to be sitting at. Cords are draped across tables and the floor since there are no power outlets on tables that were meant to eat lunch at.

It doesn't have to be this way and it shouldn't be this way. Please speak up. Use the onsite feedback site that I'm sure has been shared in your channels. This is not healthy, it is not productive, and for those of us who truly want to see the company succeed, it is accomplishing nothing but tearing us apart.

The wider we share our experiences, the more chances we have to put some real social pressure on those who made these decisions.

To all of those showing up, hang in there and know you're not alone. And also, I'm sorry, we used to be so much better than this.