#rto

It's now been two days back in the office for most everyone, except for those who foolishly ignored return to office it and will soon be fired. Ladies, you used your free one-day no performance improvement plan issued pass yesterday. Now that we are back working in the office it's expected your attire is professional looking. It definitely does not look so when you are seen in the office wearing sweatpants, oversize sweatshirts and ratty tennis shoes like you normally did working at home.

“To create connection* – with each other, with what people need to thrive in their everyday lives, and with stories and experiences that matter.”

• Our company’s product enables people to do anything they want from anywhere in the world at anytime of day or night - and to prove it, we require our employees to suffer lengthy commutes into dangerous parts of town in aging buildings 5 days a week to join their Teams call from their desk. We call this “Collaboration”.

Three locations are being designated as primary “home offices”: Austin, Nashville, and either Oklahoma City or Santa Clara.
Employees outside of these locations will be classified as remote for the purposes of promotion consideration and internal role changes.

In parallel, employees below I8 who choose not to relocate to one of these locations will be targeted for layoffs.

They expect to let everyone else ride it out until they leave Dell, but don't expect any growth.

Exceptions are expected, and this should not be interpreted as a blanket action for all sub-I8 roles. Outcomes will likely vary by organization and team, and specifics may differ accordingly.

So now the plan is to demolish the Plano site and build a brand new 45-acre campus from scratch. For one of the most levered companies in the world, still buried under massive debt.

This is the same leadership that burned hundreds of billions on T-Mobile, DirecTV, xandr, and WarnerMedia (among others). The same person making another massive, irreversible capital bet. And we’re supposed to believe this time it’s different?

What makes this even worse is the human cost. Over the last two years, employees uprooted their lives and relocated from all over the country to Dallas because the company told them to. Now leadership is moving locations again like a shell game, sc--wing over the very people who did what they were asked. No apology. No accountability.

And let’s ki-l the lie about the employee survey. It did not say “build us a new office.” It said people don’t want to be in offices at all, ever. Spinning that into a multi-billion-dollar campus no one wants or needs is insulting.

We also just lit $100 million on fire upgrading the Dallas office a few years ago. Add that to the pile.

At this point, the board can’t pretend they don’t see what’s happening. These decisions and their outcomes are public. If they continue to allow this, they’re complicit in the value destruction.

Employees will pay through lost bonuses and broken trust. Shareholders will pay through debt and wasted capital. And leadership will keep doubling down because no one is stopping them.

This isn’t strategy. It’s reckless. And it’s long past time for the board to intervene. End RTO, divest from the useless office space and improve the balance sheet. It’s not that hard to understand.

That's all. The question is whether the number of people pushed out will justify the costs. In this job market, people will try to hold on to their jobs and sacrifice a lot to do it. If it's even remotely viable to commute, relocate, or make other sacrifices, people will do it. Even the craziest requirements will be met, if objectively possible.

Moving HQ from Dallas to Plano means billions poured into the new campus, long term lease, buildouts, utilities, security, and facilities just to force people into offices to sit on video calls. All cost. No return.

There’s a cheaper, smarter option leadership refuses to touch.

End five day RTO. Shrink or break the leases. Go remote first.

Office space costs large companies roughly $12,000 to $18,000 per employee per year. With roughly 130,000 employees, that’s $1.5 to $2.3 billion every single year. Over five years, up to $11 billion. Over ten years, north of $20 billion.

Instead of saving billions, leadership is lighting it on fire to defend a failed work model. Plano isn’t a strategy. Five day RTO isn’t leadership. It’s just another expensive mistake employees and shareholders will pay for.

I’m on the Paramount lot and it feels so empty. Did a lot of people decide to not RTO?

Checking in! How is RTW Monday? Who else is ready to find something less archaic?

Because 4 days wasn't enough.

With all the money that execs have burned on RTO, a new Global HQ, and the stock tanking because that’s all Stankey knows how to do, how are feeling about bonuses?

Are we going to be paying for RTO, new HQ, and our horrific work culture out of our bonuses?

RTO = forced attrition. AI will sh-t can a lot of jobs anyway so we might as well ride until the train stops.

RTO so I can join teams calls all day. This sure makes a lot of sense.

It’s honestly wild watching some of the loudest RTO cheerleaders and management bootlickers act like loyalty is going to save them. These are the same folks who defend every decision no matter how destructive, as if leadership is going to knight them for “service.”

Here’s the reality they don’t want to hear:

The company doesn’t love you back.
Being the loudest “yes” person has never saved anyone from a layoff here. If anything, history shows the opposite: the people who blindly go along with everything are usually the first considered “nonessential” because they bring nothing unique to the table.

And let’s be honest… a lot of the hardcore bootlickers aren’t exactly the strongest performers. They survive by attaching themselves to leadership and hoping that being overly obedient somehow equals value.

Spoiler: It doesn’t.

While they’re out here glazing every leadership move like it’s divine strategy, the rest of us have actual skills and can see the writing on the wall.

Bootlicking isn’t job security.
Competence is.
Flexibility is.
Retaining real talent is.

And none of that is reflected in the current path this company is on.

So maybe instead of worshipping the people who would cut them in a heartbeat, they should start advocating for the changes that would actually help everyone… including themselves.

We are all just pawns in this RTO bs game designed to make people so miserable they quit while also propping up real estate portfolios of black rock, Stankeys overlords. He has no original thoughts or ideas. He just does as he’s told to do, and the board is complicit. This company is just about dead, and Stank is the most commonly hated CEO in the world. Nobody believes in him. He’s proven time and time again that he is nothing but a loser with his buy high sell low tactics. He’s burned billions and needs to be held accountable.

We're all excited for $6 chickens and looking forward to a protein-packed new year.
Spy cameras have been installed in working areas.
PIPs on the table, get ready for another inconsistent.
5-day RTO seems to be the biggest circulating rumor?
Anyone think there's a real possibility of leg irons at the desks?

I am noticing that whenever people complain about the RTO suddenly seeing people who are like a-holes about it and being supportive of it which wasn't the case earlier.

Is there like a sudden spike in trolls or ragebaiters?

Also nobody being happy about RTO makes sense and linger on especially when the company has been lying about promising remote or hybrid work but instead they are just effectively trying to ki-l it. Plus the facilities are not in good shape and monitoring in place shows that they just want to control which is another reason to be mad about.

Anyone else feeling super anxious to see how this RTO will play out? I almost feel nauseous with it all

I’m definitely betting on more PIPs, setting up for it by completely unrealistic expectations, and most likely RTO as the now well-tested way to push people out.

How do y'all deal with 5 day RTO, it must be brutal , no? I know qualcomm isn't the place for "work life balance" which is what I always hear from my peers at QCOM , but do y'all get extra holidays or something? Did they increase the leaves after the 5 day rto change ?

Genius timing. Ought to work out really well.

Dell mandated the 5 day RTO for multiple reasons but one of them I think is because they have a plan and that plan is to use it to let go a LOT of people who either never abided by that policy, OR didn't go in enough/quarter. Which technically speaking, is a valid reason to lay someone off as they are not following the company policy.

They have a solid years worth of badge tracking now and those who were supposed to go in but didn't, are likely gonna be on the chopping block. They made it so that anybody who is within a 60 minute drive has to go into office, which is very unreasonable and they know it was. 30-35 minute drive should have been the cutoff IMPO but it was an hour because they know that a lot of those who do live "within that hour" but have a 55 min commute, are likely either going to quit or straight up not go in 5 days/week.

idk, I've lost the incentive to do an amazing job. Why should I when there is no "pot of gold" at the end for me?

I dont know where Dell is trying to go or what their "plan" is but, I feel like at this point people are just doing the best/minimum they can simply to keep their job - considering the consistent, constant, and year round layoffs they've had for the last 5 years.

There literally is no incentive to do more than the minimum anymore and to literally do what is expected of you, and no more than that. Insperity points are fine but like, I think people would far prefer actual MONEY than points you still get taxed on... and yes, you DO get taxed on those points. Go look at your paycheck stub things on Fidelity or whatever the site is and you'll see. Last year (2025) we couldn't even give out points for half the year because of the minimal budget lol.

Promotions seem to be a thing of the past at Dell so, why do extra work or try being a "star" when there is nothing in it for you at this point? If not for my insanely good raises the last 6 years, and constant promises of promotion, I'd have been long gone by now. My first year at Dell (2020) I got a 9.7% raise which was insane. Then last year I got a 12% raise which was mind boggling lol. The other raises were between 4-6% so pretty normal I suppose. That's all great but I want my promotion that I'm owed now.

Then, since they flattened the mid level management and basically put everybody under a director, which ours wants nothing to do with my little team and has NO idea what we do, chances for promotion are slim to none along with solid raises.

Then with the RTO bs, I'm now also driving 64 miles round trip every day + spending $30/week on tolls alone, and another $40/week on a tank of gas, only to go into an office in which nobody on my team works at/goes to. An unnecessary $70-80 a week and wear and tare on my car. I wouldn't mind if at least SOME of my team was there but I just go sit in a comfy booth for an hour, then go home. IF I even go into the building, anyways lol...

You know what makes employees work harder and better? INCENTIVES! aka promotions, better raises, more money. Let's be honest, nobody works for Dell because they love the company. People work there for a paycheck and that is IT. I personally do love my job but I'm at the point where I am looking to get out since I'm not seeing growth opportunities anytime soon.

Has anyone heard anything more about the in office changes?

This is coming from your friends across the highway in Deerfield (for now) at Essendant. Sycamore will destroy Walgreens and it will be torture before death. Watch out for yourself, try to get out, don't wait around for things to get better or any claims of severance payouts or bonuses. If not be ready for that day to happen at any moment. Don't get comfortable. This is just the beginning, they are not out for the best interests of the company or employees but rather their assets and any money they can su-k away. For a little context, at Essendant, they bought in their own management to play the game from the top. You have them now. First they need to get rid of employees so they would try to make people quit, RTO, unachievable goals, confusing business model/plans. Then they would change the severance policy, usually days before the layoffs and reduce it every time until there's nothing left. They will start selling off anything they can, in our case the core of the business, the warehouses, and business units they could get money for they sold. They sold off the core of the business, and all that remains is the empty shell of what once was a fortune 500 company. Always with the narrative it was low performing or best for the business. The top people will leave, they will torture anyone willing to stay on because they know they are desperate until the end. It might not have been great before, but it's surely not going to get any better. Also, it appears we will be abandoning Deerfield at the end of 2025 (in days), leaving the lease for the HQ building, with no plans on what will happen next. Bankruptcy maybe? Our parent company Staples is just holding on as well, and Quill also nearby saw their whole company be destroyed. All the other Sycamore holdings are also just barely existing just to keep those assets on a balance sheet so they can convince investors to move onto the next victim. Walgreens is and will be nothing more than a cash grab and a way to pad their holdings. There is no long term strategy, no business plan, and everything will just be scam. Just look at the partnerships with Amazon for their other businesses. It's all a distraction, and minor income, distracting from what is really happening. Wish you well and in closing, please care for yourself, find something else, f*** the PE.

If you could continue WFH for a pay cut, would you do it? I'd be more than happy to accept such a trade, as long as the pay cut is reasonable.

RTO is an antiquated strategy based on how the company was in 2010 not 2025. Our roles have changed as have the people, and their locations, that we all interact with. There will be no measure of success because it’s based on a belief in collaboration and nothing more. There is not a single metric that will support it. However I will lay money that sickness and absence rates will rise.

Well said, @a9+1kc3yqn6p.

No more hiding and evading RTO. The policy is the policy for one and all. Firstnet or Fiber, 5G or Gwiz, time to move has come and gone as all will be on Friday 1/16. The exceptions and favoritism end in Cohen and Leggs orgs so bye bye teachers pets who join the breadlines like the rest of us. The smug untouchables now lose their favored nation status and will get a reduced severance down to four months. A few have already been given a heads up. Other’s will get notified next week before the official notice comes. Sad but central plains and midwest are not hubs and people have had years to move and they did t. Not fair and now pet status ends.

If you missed the 3 days in office average for 2025- you are about to get an “Inconsistently Meets” rating for the year. We had managers in our area that had to downgrade team members from “Exceeds” to I/M. It was escalated up to legal and management was told no exceptions.

Just when the furor over 4 day RTO began to die down now this.

Was told by a reliable source and that will be no exceptions.

Freshen up those resumes.

What is the latest with Phase 2 RTO and remote workers?

https://www.webpronews.com/dell-mandates-5-day-office-return-for-sales-teams-in-2025/

Is this for real? Have they even figured out the logistics yet?

Preferably for free. They’ll keep setting conditions and requirements harder to meet, so we either quit or give them grounds to fire us. Make your decisions accordingly. I wouldn’t relocate for a job these days under any circumstances. I want to keep my job, and I need it, especially now when the job market is horrendous and the future is very volatile. But the cost of relocating, both material and social, can’t be justified for a job that doesn’t pay all that much and that you could lose the day after you move.

I keep seeing people say “we are returning to working in the office because that’s how it always was”

Quick question - who had issues finding assigned seating, food, and stocked bathrooms with good toilet paper before covid?

Answer - nobody. Because RTO is not a return to how it was. It is way greedier and designed to be humiliating on purpose. Quit licking boots and be honest.

Did everyone see the email John Stankey sent us this Thursday morning? There is a video link of him showcasing AT&T's accomplishments this year and imitating Home Alone at the same time.

How on earth does the CEO of a major Fortune 50 company have time to film and act for this stuff while RTO-ing to an office 5 days a week.

Started at Schwab a while ago.

I have noticed that less than 50% of the people show up on a given day where I work. Many clock in at 9:30 or later, and are gone by 3:00, plus take a looong lunch break.

I am puzzled. Will the 4 day RTO really matter? Most people are not even showing up 3 days a week now, and nothing seems to happen

Has anyone heard any updates on RTO? How many days in the office and when would it start?

I have recently joined the MSR team. People talk about using JAR for RTO. Can someone explain what that is?

Can anyone confirm if remote employees will still need to relocate to an area office. The office in my market closed and I must say I am exited with the future opportunity to relocate to an office.