#rto

We all know this is the hot button issue right now. Management has created a downright demoralizing environment by their refusal to get with the times and allow more remote work. We’re now being told that (against HR policy) we need to be in 11 days a month no matter what. You were sick? Make up the day. On two weeks of vacation time? Make up the two weeks and add a day to the month. That means that even if you’ve gathered weeks of PTO and you want to go on a vacation and use 10 days of PTO you simply can’t because there are 20 working days in a month. I worked at another dinosaur bank just before coming here not long ago and even their RTO policy was less aggressive. I’m not sure why the obsession on being in office - are they just forcing attrition? Why continue to hire new talent if that’s the case as it is in my organization? Guess I need to dust off my resume again. This is getting ridiculous.

I was laid off in December without being given the option to move. My former boss, who also lives outside of a hub location, is still working! Are managers exempt from the location strategy?

So I work in Everett and we are being told 4 days a week will occur for some time now it's fine I get it. I am on a specific client so I am in a certain secluded area, what I do not get is there is now being asked to return on specific days per person. I wasn't in office when asked due to vacation so my slotted days are just being demanded upon me. There is not enough desks where I am now for what we have in terms of my team at 3 days a week and Managers at 4, How are we going to cram Boston people here too. My manager claims they are getting a new section for us or an additional section with seats but like anything here it was false promises. This place is so terribly ran Site wise I am amazed the little ground hog that runs around here has a job still.

As an agency worker I'm fortunate to not have to return to the office. I feel for the full time employees but hey its a perk of being agency.

Isn’t the stated point of return to office that we collaborate with our team in person?

It looks like our team will be divided up across the building. We don’t even sit by each other.

What a great day. I received the call this AM. I heard in my managers voice uncertainty about their own future. What a mess, they have a whole heck of a lot of stuff they need to unwind to get themselves off the firing line. For those who did not want to speak up for me that is OK, I forgive you. I do not feel bad for standing up for myself when I did. Nobody slots me into incorrect alignments and gets away with it. At this point, I appreciate the paid 60 days PTO and severance. I am going to use this as an opportunity to reset my mental health and find a better position for the remainder of my career. Feel free to position these changes as (right-sizing all you want). I have watched for years as you've hired your friends and diversity hires. Thank God those days are over for me. I should have never put up with it in the first place, but with COVID and forced RTO the market contracted making a move a little more elusive than I had hoped. Again! Thank you all very much. This is a weight off my shoulders.

I was just asked, well, told to come in to the office 3 days per week. This is ridiculous as I've been working remotely for years and years. Is anyone else dealing with this too?

Looking forward to see how everyone starts driving to office 4 days a week in traffic and complain about missing little Tommys dance classes. LBT will probably start badge tracking for hours spent as well. I am fully remote so I will continue to WFH

There is not much clarity about agency workers if they are supposed to be RTO or no

For the mandatory 3 days in, people have been working 4 hours in the office and then going home to finish their day. Is this accurate. I don’t see anything that states it’s acceptable per WF.

Anyone else being told they need to make up vacation or sick days to meet the 3 days in office mandate? This is opposite of what the guidelines stated when rolling out the HUB.

I have heard from multiple people that some groups are not having to go into the office four days a week in a month. TSG and some folks in TS are exempt. While this is great for them, what the actual F. This place just wants us gone. I won't say anything at work as I honestly think "good for them" but I'm pi---d for myself.

https://www.rcrwireless.com/20250814/business/att-ceo-memo

Kagan: Thoughts on AT&T CEO memo on loyalty between workers and company

Anyone read this B.S. Article from RCR wireless Jeff... He forgot to mention that AT&T pays it's workers peanuts compared to the Mag-7. Mag-7 may be asking their workers to RTO 3 to 5 days a week because they actually pay a reasonable salary and bonus to their employees compared to what AT&T pays. At AT&T, employees are literally sitting on the floor or on stairway steps in the office due to decrease in office space.
The author of this article needs a reality check and not comparing Apples to Apples but Apples to Garbage.

RTO- it’s a thing…… I hadn’t heard it until today’s Insurance call.

We are in for another round of layoffs for August.
The company has been slowing spreading them out so they don’t have to legally inform shareholder and follow the WARN act.
They are also making a mandatory Return to Office FULL TIME for 5 days a week. Anyone who doesn’t comply will be fired without severance package.
The next wave I’m also hearing, is those that don’t live near an office will eventually be told they have to relocate to a state/ location where an office is or they will be fired/ let go. It’s a way for them to save more money not having to pay out for severance packages.
With the recent departure of Chris W, it’s only a matter of time the new Customer Experience Officer / Sales Officer Chance replaces every single sales manager with the Street and Fusion leadership.
There are rumors going around that all sales positions will lose benefits and go to 1099 commission only.

You have been warned.

Curious how coffee badging is kept track of when there is no exit badging. Is there additional monitoring going on? Does anyone know how this is kept track of?

This nonsense of listening to leadership tell us why it’s “good for collaboration” - yet THEY live a time zone away…..? I’m all for it - if they move to Columbus and come to the office with us.

And - can someone please them how to say Gahanna?

10% of IT FTE laid off
Massive release of Director and Sr Manager level. Some Manager level
Bubble employees released ( on the verge of a PIP or not meeting position standards)
RTO Violaters
Some remote employees who were asked to move to a campus. Other remotes have been put on notice to move to a campus or leave

Jeff will announce at his Thursday all hands - no more remote and 5 days in the office. Also his ideal IT consist of 60% software developers and 40% support ( POs, leaders, etc)

Next up - business side Care and Retail under Frier will lay off in the next couple weeks.

If the RTO 3 Hunger games were not enough to pi-s off people lets introduce RTO 3.1 Hunger Games and remove about 1500 seats and close off Rotunda Center and see what happens on Monday Morning. GREAT MOVE FORD.

Haven’t heard much about layoffs.

Everything revolving around the 4 days RTO.

Usually, there are confirmed rumors but right now there is a lot of silence. Not sure if company expecting people to quit and then see where to make cuts.

Like everything else, I’m expecting the leadership team to fail even when it comes to layoffs.

Unpopular opinion, I know but it is the truth. ElCrazio, Gumbo and the loser "executive" squad are looking for targets. Do not become one. News is that other goals do not matter and doing extraordinary work will not save one from termination if they do not meet the RTO goal.

Mark my word. The 5 day mandatory bs isn't working and Tell Dell clearly stated that. The building I report to has it's share of people in there but by 11-11:30am, the place empties out and is a ghost town lol.

A lot of teams in the building I report to, are global and/or country wide so, 99% of people even in the office are alone anyways so, what's the incentive or point in staying if NOBODY on your actual team is even there lol? How can you collaborate with those who live in other states, or countries, in person? Oh right, by TEAMS meetings. Meetings that can be done... at home!

I'd be willing to bet that between 75-90% of people "coffee badge" - meaning they go to the office, grab some coffee and/or food, maybe take a dump and then go straight back home.

Are any of you not coming in because it will disrupt your second job? I have Webex calls with my other job during the week that I can’t do in the office. Is there any advice for how to get around this? If I have to come in I am considering booking space away from others and hotspotting to my phone while I take the calls.

Heard last week that office was so packed people were sitting on filing cabinets to RTO

LL5 and higher are staying in office and engaged in office all day. However, LL6s are closest leadership level that influences GSR staff. LL6s prefer to stay home and do not like RTO, so they come to office for badge swipes, attend a selected meeting for visibility and then go home. To rationalize their desire to stay home, they coach staff to ensure 3 badge swipes per week for RTO; and communicate that it is OK to go home after badge swipes. LL6 people leaders do not even see need for in-person conversations with staff. Senior Leaders want RTO to improve "How to work" and collaborate for "Horizontal Interaction" ; but intent is getting distorted at LL6 level. LL6 level seem to be disconnected in overall big picture, and end up reacting to Manager assignments, when the issues go to Manager level. Instead of providing "Bridge" role hoizontally, they live in "silos" managing vertically within assigned chimney. Culture seem to reward heroes who put out "Fires" in the Chimney, which these heroes could have avoided. As an outcome, LL6 rank is filled with "Firefighters".

How embarrassing. Back in 2022-2024, we called out other companies requiring everyone back in the office. Especially cringeworthy - “AT&T follows Amazon in cracking down on remote work with 5 days in office mandate”. And now look at us.

Samsung has been making cuts left and right. RTO is just another way to push people out, either make them quit on their own or create an excuse to let them go. Either way, it’s a win for them. A cheap, quiet way to reduce the workforce.

It’s by design. More control, less communication, insane workloads, unrealistic expectations, and requirements few can actually meet. And it will escalate. Because RTO isn’t here to make Ford a leading company. It’s not here to retain talent, boost efficiency, or foster collaboration toward some grand vision. It’s here to make you quit, so they can get rid of you on the cheap.

Returning to office life just feels like a huge step backward. The noise, the constant interruptions, the long commute just to sit in a chair for eight hours under bad lighting trying not talk to anybody. I get more done at home in less time and without the headache.

https://share.google/dSOtmjb6ZVCG7XHaE

I got the second email about RTO. Although I have been to the office 14 days in July, the email says “you have not improved your on-site presence”. Then it threatens me that I will be subject to discipline up to termination.

It is really upsetting to get an email like that after I tried so hard to go to the office the whole month. The only week I was not there for three days a week was due to sickness. And my average per week in July is 2.8 days!

What kind of je-k company send emails like that to employees working hard getting extra things done and managing two hours’ commute every day?! What do they expect?!

Let's consolidate everything we know in this thread. Let's start with this Tue/Wed/Thur mandatory in the office update.

Can we have this thread just to vent about RTO?

Anyone get an Accommodation Approved yet?

Microsoft is preparing to tighten its return-to-office (RTO) policy, with a new mandate that could go into effect as early as January 2026 for employees at its Redmond, Washington headquarters. The potential shift would require most staff to be in the office at least three days per week, a departure from the more flexible arrangements introduced in 2020 that have, in practice, allowed widespread remote work.

The company has not finalized the policy yet, but an announcement could come as soon as September, according to sources familiar with the discussions. Implementation timelines may vary across different Microsoft offices.

This move would bring Microsoft in closer alignment with other major tech firms that have already adopted stricter RTO guidelines. Amazon, for example, now requires in-person attendance five days a week, and AT&T has issued similar mandates. Meta and Google, on the other hand, generally require three days in the office, a model Microsoft appears to be considering.

The renewed focus on office attendance coincides with increased performance expectations inside Microsoft. Leadership has signaled a clear shift in tone over the past year, emphasizing accountability and operational rigor. Thousands of employees were let go in recent months as part of a broader performance crackdown, and the company has introduced a more aggressive performance improvement plan designed to phase out low performers more quickly.

Top executives have echoed this message internally. CFO Amy Hood recently told staff that the upcoming fiscal year would require more “intensity,” echoing earlier remarks from CEO Satya Nadella calling for greater “dedication, drive, and hard work.” These statements suggest that Microsoft sees in-person collaboration as a lever to maintain or boost performance in a high-pressure environment.

Ironically, Microsoft has been one of the leading providers of tools that support hybrid and remote work. Its messaging in the past highlighted flexibility as a way to reduce costs and improve employee satisfaction. The fact that it is now considering a firmer stance reflects changing norms in the tech industry, where the pendulum is swinging back toward office-centric cultures.

For now, no decisions have been finalized. A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed that the company is reviewing its hybrid work guidelines but did not comment further.

In short, while the flexible work era is not entirely over, the direction is clear: Microsoft is recalibrating its expectations, and a more consistent office presence is likely part of that new normal.

https://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-considering-stricter-rto-policy-2025-8

Old office space on closed, new building open. If RTO is forced for all, will everyone fit in the new space?

If its happening for everyone, when?