#worklifebalance

Story by agoh@businessinsider.com

(1) Skims cofounder Emma Grede says the downsides of working from home don't get enough attention.

(2) She said it's "so crazy" not to draw a link between remote work and growing social issues such as loneliness.

(3) "The key to a long and happy life is your close relationships," she said.

Emma Grede, a founding partner of Skims, says the real cost of working from home isn't being talked about enough.

Speaking on the "Leaders with Francine Lacqua" podcast episode released on Monday, Grede, 43, said that remote work could have broader social consequences that people are overlooking.

"Working from home is career su----e. And we only talk about the upside of working from home," Grede told podcast host Francine Lacqua.

The downsides aren't what people want to hear, but Grede says she believes the effects are already visible in everyday life.

"Think about what's happening in the world. Declining birth rates, declining marriage rates, and the loneliness epidemic. And we think that none of that is linked to the number of people that like, don't see people because they're doing Zoom calls from the living room?" Grede said.

Grede, who is also the CEO of Good American and the first Black female investor to appear on "Shark Tank," said that it's "so crazy" not to make that correlation.

"The key to a long and happy life is your close relationships," she added.

For Grede, being in the room matters from the very start of a career.

"Listen, I did a lot of unpaid internships and I did it while being somebody that didn't have a lot of money. And that was a real struggle for me," Grede said.

Despite that, she said she saw the value of those opportunities.

"It was a huge unlock for me, the ability to go into an organization and get under the hood without having any qualifications or right to really be there. I think that there have to be certain protections on it, but I'd like to lift the lid because there's so much to be learned," she said.

It's not the first time Grede has taken a hard line on workplace expectations. In May 2025, she said she considers it a red flag when job candidates ask about work-life balance during the interview process.

"Work-life balance is your problem. It isn't your employer's responsibility," Grede said.

In an April interview with The Wall Street Journal, Grede also sparked an online debate after describing herself as a "max three-hour mum" on weekends focused on creating "high-impact, core memories" with her kids.

Grede is part of a growing number of CEOs pushing back on remote work.

In May 2023, Elon Musk said he views remote work as "morally wrong," saying it's unfair for some workers to stay home while others must be physically present to do their jobs.

"It's like, really, you're going to work from home and you're going to make everyone else who made your car come work in the factory?" Musk said.

In March, JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon said that working from home simply "doesn't work" for many younger employees, who will benefit from in-person guidance from their colleagues.

"They learn by going on a sales call with you," Dimon said. "They learn by seeing you make a mistake. They learn by how you deal with the mistake."

Since mid-2025, several major companies, including JPMorgan, Amazon, and Google, have implemented return-to-office policies.

I have a dream that one day we will be judged not by a badge swipe, not by a line in a presence report, but by the work we actually do.

I have a dream that we stop pretending five days in an office equals productivity, when we’ve already proven that great work happens from anywhere. That we stop forcing people into seats just to be seen, and start trusting them to deliver.

I have a dream that effort, integrity, and contribution matter more than location. That someone doing exceptional work from home is valued more than someone simply occupying a desk.

I have a dream that we end the illusion that RTO creates culture. Because culture isn’t built by commuting, by sitting in traffic, or by joining video calls from a cubicle. Culture is built by trust, respect, and giving people the flexibility to do their best work.

I have a dream that we recognize what’s actually happening. That people are burned out, that morale is down, and that forcing five days in-office isn’t fixing it, it’s causing it.

I have a dream that we stop measuring presence and start measuring performance. That we reward results, not routines.

I have a dream that the best people aren’t pushed out because they want flexibility, and that we stop pretending five-day RTO is normal when most of the world has already moved on.

Because right now, we’re clinging to a model that’s outdated, expensive, and ineffective.

So I have a dream that we move forward. That we embrace hybrid, embrace remote work, and build a company around outcomes, not optics.

Because work isn’t a place.

And the sooner we accept that, the better off everyone will be.

Buckle up!

https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2026/04/29/fidelity-to-bring-employees-back-to-the-office-5-days-a-week/

Ok folks who complain about THREE day requirement- TIAA continues to be the outlier here. For those who threaten to leave over this requirement - not only is the job market difficult, your options to work from home also seem to be dwindling. So maybe switch career paths as the industry is almost exclusively in office or appreciate what TIAA offers its employees?

If you care at all lift the hybrid requirement right now. No one can afford gas. And the further the war goes on the more expensive it’s getting. Your people are struggling.

Since my ISU got a big cut, I’ve officially entered my "Linux Villain Era." I finally installed Ubuntu 26.04 and banned my work laptop from the house in the evening and weekends—mostly because I prefer my OS without a side of corporate heavy eavesdropping. If the budget is gone, my "extra mile" just hit a dead end.

Welcome to S&T, where a work life balance doesn’t exist. It’s unrealistic to expect teams to take on more work than is manageable, work extended hours, handle last-minute tasks, and meet high-pressure deadlines while also downsizing. It’s getting ridiculous. No way this is normal? S&T is going to lose their best workers.

Not a whine post, just keeping it informational. I just had an org activation touch base where it was communicated that everyone in GT will be expected to work in either PHK or ITC at the current Nike guidance of 4 days per week.

Back in 2023 at an FI all hands in SMT, one of the heads of the BU said “Vanguard makes you come in 3 times a day, we’re MUCH better than them”. Roger Stiles also said in the end of 2022 that the approach for one week in office was fair.

I wonder if those gents remember when they said that lol.

To all the negative people over here.. just ask yourself: Is Hans better than Dan?
Answer is obviously No..
Atleast we are not hiring random people for DEI.. I saw former cooks/ gym instructors getting hired under some program. There was mafia in GTS ( some people are still here) .
I liked Hans for keeping everyone comfortable on a sinking ship without doing anything to help the ship..
I would rather be uncomfortable but save the ship.

People are complaining today as if any of this is new, but it isn’t. These same patterns have played out in every generation. Different names, different systems, same cycles. Jobs change, economies shift, uncertainty comes and goes. It happens throughout the lives of every generation. What changes is not the pattern itself, but how aware people are of it, and how they respond when it shows up again.

Follow the narrow path that leads to life.

Anyone know?

I ask out of place of genuine curiosity. It seems lots of people on my team are chronically out on leave. It's a revolving door of people getting pregnant, mailing it in 9 months before pregnancy, using your PTO, being out for 6 months on maternity leave, mailing it in the year after your baby, and repeating the cycle. Then others are FMLA/medical leave and seemingly work like 60% of year. There's no way 1/3 of my colleagues are getting surgeries or getting cancer diagnoses. Is there something I'm missing? Is the strategy to work yourself to a bloody pulp and go on mental health leave for weeks at a time?

I feel like this place is a state-supported jobs program for Minnesotan women.

Thanks to shares and bonus, my Box 5 comp went up over 50% last year. Yet, I still want to escape. wtf is wrong with me? Am I a spoiled little sh-t or what?

My CL says the job market is bad right now. I've been at Fidelity a long time and feel anxiety about my comfort zone being so narrow. Especially in light of the pending org changes. I don't have a graduate degree. I am young-ish and nearly saved $1mm nw thanks to this place. I am spending exorbitant time outside working hours to secure my financial future but the pressure is about to make me crack.

I feel like i would be totally lost if I quit or got layoff. But some days, I feel tempted to say phuket and make a scene at the office....

Let’s all boycott FLIK - why are we coming here more to line their pockets! Pack a lunch. Let’s all get on board.

Assigned city X to relocate. Asked for city Y. Accepted relo. Now regretting decision due to horror stories of commute and bad work life balance. I don’t think I can sustain city Y. What to do?

Going forward...

• 8 hours a day. max
• uninstalling BYOD
• if asked to travel the answer is No
• save your pizza parties and team building. if i'm not working, i'm going home

not good enough? bring on the PIP. Will gladly take it and the package when laid off. Not everyone will leave on their own without for free

I have survived so, so many layoff rounds now, and the pattern is always the same. As soon as the last person from the previous round clears out their desk, someone in leadership starts floating the idea of another round. Can we actually have some time to do some work without having to simultaneously worry about our jobs, please?

Every year we hire a bunch of people. Every year we fire a bunch of people. Can we just pick a plan and stick with it for once.

There is no reason this couldn’t have been handled with a single, clear email sent in the morning to everyone impacted. Something every competent organization manages to do without creating chaos.
Instead, we’re expected to sit around all day refreshing our inboxes for a pointless 15-minute meeting where no real discussion even happens. This is not just inefficient, it’s unnecessary mental strain and a waste of time for every single employee.

Perfectly said, @a9+1kq8f4etn.

I heard someone say this three years ago, but I didn't listen. I thought things might improve. Instead, they got worse. Now, I've been here five years too long. So let me say it to you now - if you can leave, leave. Take a pay cut if you have to. Move cities if you can. Just get out.

I quit. I got a comparable offer and I just wanted out. My only regret about leaving Fidelity is that I can only quit once. I'd do it every week if I could. Every day. That's how much I've grown to hate this place. I just hope somebody in my team gets to keep their job as a result. I doubt it, but who knows.

https://www.thetimes.com/business/companies-markets/article/activist-investor-backs-pearson-ceo-pay-rise-c2ds8j55d

This is really obtuse to give this joker a pay raise while employees suffer through no raises, compressed and lowered pay scales, artificially calculated demotions for profit.

The fleecing of workers is so obvious, but here we are.

This entire thing will fall apart before it even begins on the 4th if we don't start getting some sort of direction. For example, I have to get my kids on/off the bus in the morn/afternoon. Is 9-2 or 10-3 acceptable in-office time? Who knows! What I do know, is I won't be in the office 8 hours a day for 5 days a week and my job will still be done well and on time.

And the weird thing is, I'm relatively insulated. I have low expenses, and have built up oversize savings after several years working for a company doing layoffs all the time. I think even if I was somehow fired without severance, I'd probably be fine. But living with the constant uncertainty is ki-ling me. This kind of low-level, continuous underlying stress cannot be healthy. I don't know how people with kids or just less of a financial cushion are doing it.

I'm sure I'll get some trolls in the replies but just curious if anyone can relate.

Pay is below market, raises don't exist, and talent gets zero recognition. With all the layoffs, individual contributors are doing management work on top of their own jobs. Meanwhile everything keeps getting offshored. There's literally nothing positive about this place.

Does anyone know when ICs from lead down will get the layoff email invite ?

Based on Friday it sounded they they were going top/down and focusing on Sr. Dir. is today still targeting upper leadership or free for all ?

Don’t care either way and I will be more relieved if I get laid off at this point.

Seven years of clients screaming at me over things I didn't control. Seven years of managers watching my screen. I walked out three weeks ago and I'm still exhausted.

Can we go back to those times? I'll even take a round here and there, but this constant threat of more cuts is absolutely exhausting.

Working for decades at Ford and living though the slow decline from the most profitable car company in the world to a second-tier floundering truck company gives me perspective on how to use Ford for my benefit. If you work at Ford and are not an LL5 by 35 you’re too old to be promote, stop trying. Stop doing all the additional duties, stop working night, weekends and during lunch. Ford pays for eight hours a day, five days a week, given them their time, do your job, nothing more, nothing less. Take every vacation day and every personal day, max your Ford matching, let Ford pay to upgrade your skills. Take advantage of every Ford benefit, never leave a single dollar of Mr. Ford’s money on the table. Ford is a paycheck, your cash cow to allow you do to other things Use your time to make yourself smarter and richer, learn to invest actively. If you can average a 15% return on your investments, you double your money every five years. After 25 years of investing my ETF returns are significantly more than my Ford yearly income. Also look at getting a side hustle and double up on a monthly check. Do something you like that makes a few bucks; every dollar counts. Remember, Ford is just a tool to pay your bills, use the tool to create your future.

As of this passed Saturday, many branches nationally have officially expanded to closing at 2pm. I heard there are a couple more phases before EOY for the rest of those Saturday branches to do the same. We now have TCR’s making us more effective, however getting harder and harder to find staff. Some of branches nationally have closed drive-thru, some areas have not.

At what point do we put the employees first???? For overall workload and retention.

Any one have any ideas what the next step of the way our branches operate takes place ?

Interviewing @Elevance... What are your thoughts on it? What are the pros and cons, and are there any hidden downsides to watch out for? It sounds almost too good to be true.

Wait and see if you're chosen to stay.

I used to read about people separating from the company and they talked of how better their health was after leaving. I never believed them. I've been gone 1.5 years and just had my blood work done. My numbers were the best they've been in 5 years indicating less stress and a better overall health balance. So...now I see it. It is true. Getting out could be the best thing that ever happens to you. I didn't see it at the time, but I sure do see it now.

Heard rumors that HR is attempting to come up with a system to ensure everyone is spending 8 hours in the office.

Anyone else can confirm this?

Until now it seems they screen for badging in the office. This of course completely leaves out all the evening / weekend calls and booting up vpn on the laptop to resolve issues (sometimes for several hours), not to mention when you need to be in the house for the occasional service but can definitely work from home very efficiently.

I'm actually grateful for that.

Why even ask this question and upvote it, what did you think they’d say, 4 hours? The real question was are they tracking hours in order for it to count as an office day.

No raises for thousands but keep millions for GK and her creepy MC? Cutting more and more benefits all the time? Worst RTO in the industry that shows they don’t care about families and work life balance? Failed corporate real estate strategy that creates enormous costs for people to commute multiple hours each way and thousands of them didn’t get raises? Shipping jobs out of America? Laying off thousands? Etc. This is the worst senior leadership team in the business.