This past week, Fortune magazine published an interview with Matthew Saxon, the Chief People Officer of Zoom on the pending one-year anniversary since Zoom mandated employees who live 50 miles or less from headquarters to return to the office a minimum of two days a week.
Saxon characterized the decision to mandate a "structured hybrid" work model in August 2023 a "success" that has led to efficiencies and creative solutions.
The Chief People Officer, who once promised workers could work remotely indefinitely, justified the abrupt about-face, saying the hybrid work model was better for productivity, corporate culture and their customers.
The article has created ripples in an already turbulent and tenuous relationship between workers and employers.
It seems to me that employers who are issuing return-to-office mandates want it both ways. When it is critical or convenient to let employees remotely, as was the case during the pandemic or when there are bricks and mortar changes, it's okay for employees to work from home and they trust them to do their jobs and be productive. But the minute those reasons fade, they want employees back in the office.
It's hypocritical and a bit of a slap in the face if you ask me (and in case you were wondering, Saxon works primarily remotely).
Some say it's the beginning of the end of remote work. One thing is for sure, it's the height of irony.
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