I had a telecommuting agreement for nearly a decade. Now I come in to an office where I usually see maybe (on a busy day), up to 3 people a row away from me, and 1-2 people roaming the halls, or getting water from the break room. There might be a handful of people on a different floor.
I come to the office to comply with a random requirement that makes no logical sense, but means I keep my job for now. I have been looking, and have applied for other jobs, but nothing yet. I force myself to stay for at least 2 hours, but the stupidity of it is evident in the empty cubicles that surround me. I have no co-workers here. There is no interest (in either side) of “collaborating” with the 2-3 people from a role I left behind more than 7 years ago. I made an effort to introduce myself, and chat with them on the first day back in the office. I said hi when someone else was in the office on a different day. I have to go out of my way to talk to these people, and we have no work-related topics to discuss, no reason to “network.” In my last 2 roles, telecommuting was part of my agreement to accept the position. Once upon a time there was a job that I thought would be more interesting, and aligned more with what I wanted to do, but I took the job that wasn’t quite as interesting in favor of having the ability to work from home.
Every time I set foot into the office, I am reminded of all of the nonsensical decisions that are being made. For now, I am biding my time, but my motivation to do well drops lower and lower. I’ll continue to keep searching. Maybe one day things will change, but for now, they continue to change in the wrong direction. Time will tell.