Imagine if there was a CEO with a brain and small amount of common sense?
“Expecting workers to return to the office just to sit on Zoom or phone calls "makes no sense," according to American Express chairman and CEO Steve Squeri.”
https://www.businessinsider.com/amex-ceo-steve-squeri-return-office-hybrid-working-zoom-calls-2022-2
I am pro work from home. I believe my focus is better and I am more available for my clients. That said, one thing I read is that WFH expands the employee base --- not just in your city, state or country. So again, while I fully support and want to continue working from home, I am concerned that we will increasingly be competing against lower cost resources around the globe. Yes, I know this has already been happening in certain job roles, I see it expanding.
It is easier to look up what was decided when there is a chat history. Talking in person doesn't produce any artifacts.
That's one of the main reasons for forcing everyone to be present in a very small number of locations. The very logical "I'd just be on Teams for meetings, anyway" reason Steve Squeri mentions starts to go out the window because more of your team would be physically present in the same location. Instead of twelve individuals joining a call, you'd have, say, three groups of four.
What's funny about that is folks will probably still prefer not to meet physically. I worked for a place that went totally "open office". My co-workers' backs or sides were literally less than ten feet away, completely in the open. How did we communicate? IM. We never once spun our chairs around and "huddled".
Collaboration, the measurement of which is highly suspect, will not increase.
Yeah, corporate America lost this sheep. I don't plan on ever setting foot in an office again. WAY too many alternatives in this new reality.
and then your next step is doing something (for you--like a new job) about how you feel working for a CEO who pi---s you off. let's go!
I won't be doing it.