Companies want workers back in office. Workers aren’t so sure

CNN business correspondent Vanessa Yurkevich reports on workers' resistance to return to the office full-time. #CNN #News

55 comments

  1. Most workers don’t need to go back to an office and the last 2 years have been a testimony to that. Some bosses just want a physical object to boss around instead of virtually

    1. I counted. One day, my boss walked past me 12 times! I am always working, but of course he thinks he’s going to catch me slacking off.

    2. Or they can hire someone from a different country and pay them half to do your job if you don’t need to be there. Think of how the other person sees it or you will miss the full picture.

    3. @Momo I keep hearing the same stupid argument, the company can do that even if he does go back into the office, and most likely they would if they thought they could get away with it.

    1. Not leaving the work force…………Starting their own businesses and about to feel the pain of reality………..

    2. @Jim Long Problem with this argument is, just because people say it could be done doesn’t automatical;ly mean it’s a good idea – which a number of companies in the past decade had to learn the hard way.

  2. They want to have MORE CONTROL over the employee. What the real estate corporations want is their FULL PROFITS, not partial.

  3. In a time where most companies are struggling to find good competent employees, this move is just plain stupid. Perhaps they could take the radical choice of encouraging current valued employees and sell off their largely overpriced real estate holdings. To flip the famous Gordon Gecko quote, “Greed is good”; well now is time for employees to be “greedy” with taking and keeping a larger control over their lives and work/life balance. Remember, no company or business is entitled to be in business and business owners are NOT “job creators”. The real job creators are the consumers that purchases goods and services.

    1. @Momo that fact will be true no matter if the employee wants to work from home or not. You seriously think employers aren’t already doing this? Pretty naive if you ask me.

  4. I’m voting for the workers. The hybrid model is more efficient in many respects than 5 days in the office, away from family and home, long commutes, etc… Employers may need to downsize some of that extra office space they’re holding onto.

    1. They donโ€™t work at home. They Bullshyt. I am an Insurance agent and I own an Insurance agency. We get so much complaints about the BS these people do working from home. They donโ€™t like answering the calls. Babies crying in the background, dogs barking. They have become so f up. They are so complacent that they donโ€™t care anymore. They need their azzez back in the office or use immigrants to do the job. Thatโ€™s what is happening at some of the big insurance companies anyway. Americans donโ€™t want to work probably, get rid of them.

    2. @Tonya Berman Since you won’t support Americans, I think it’s only fair that Americans don’t support your insurance company, and this is your word and purely anecdotal according to your experience.

  5. It makes sense to have most workers working from home. It would reduce the need to travel, hence reduce the need for spending money on gas and maintenance on a vehicle. The companies could reduce the amount of money they need to spend on office space, thereby increasing money for payroll and stockholders. Having workers working from home would also reduce the stress on workers who have families. For many workers, there really is no reason to work in an office in this day of computers. The companies that want workers back in the office sound to me as i f all they care about is being able to physically “boss” their employees around. Save money, reduce the office space and use it for something more constructive….say HOUSING for those in need!!

  6. The biggest reason why bosses and owners want their workers back in the office is because cities are losing money. Restaurants, payed parking, etc etc are loosing money big time right now. The city business need the office workers back much more than anyone else.

    1. But groceries are making more and if restaurants were smart they would be hiring delivery drivers and offering that .

  7. More corporations trying to go back to the old ways of micromanaging employees and forcing them to work long hours away from their families when their jobs can get done easily from home. A hybrid schedule allows flexibility and better work-life balance for their workers but comes at the expense for the companyโ€™s bottom line ๐Ÿคท๐Ÿปโ€โ™‚๏ธ

  8. I love how they think it’s a “wake up call for employees”. It’s about to be one for bosses. You don’t respect your employees in this market, you’ll get what you deserve.

  9. Working from home saves, gas, electricity, time. I don’t (and can’t) work from home, but I fully support it. What else does this reduce? Traffic, pollution, accidents, I could go on and on, road rage, stress, … The price of gasoline, diesel, less latchkey kids (and closer family ties). It’s just a good thing overall. Increased worker earnings via less expense injects more money into the economy in the form of savings and more purchasing power… etc

    1. @Don Newton Oh, I made little Donny angry… Maybe Donny’s mommy needs to put him in his room for nappy time…๐Ÿ˜ญ

  10. I was a serious workaholic 20 odd years. It wasn’t uncommon for me to have up to 3hr commute some days depending on traffic. When I was first forced to work from home I hated it. But a few months in I suddenly found myself finding a work life balance I never had experience before. I told my boss a few months ago if they wanted me to go back to the office I would find a job elsewhere. Not only was I told I could work from home permanently, I also received an unsolicited raise. Second of the year. I have never stood up for myself when it comes to work. Never asked for a raise before just graciously accepted them as they came. Have never said “No” before at work. Haven’t taken a vacation in 12 years. The response from My employer made me realize that they’re afraid to lose me. And value me. My whole life I’ve been afraid of losing my job so always just took whatever was thrown at me. It was a bit of a wake up call for me as to where the power lies.
    Mind you I still work 50-60 hours a week and get paid for 40 lol but when I am not driving 42 miles to the office each day in traffic anymore, I have a life again. Also love taking my 30 min walk with my dog at noon and recharging my battery. Mind you I am not one of those that’s “quiet quitting”. I don’t have that in my DNA.
    Working from home has been amazing for both my mental and physical health.

    1. My two dogs know the difference between sweatpants and work clothes. I now go into the office twice a month. They get sad and mopey.

    2. For every one of you there are 10 or more that are not as honest or productive as you which is why they want people pack in the office.

    3. @Momo Got any citations for that? Any citations that the number is that high, that the number are of people who are not already slacking at the office, any citation that “THE ONLY” answer is to unilaterally force everyone into the office?

  11. Only the โ€œvaluable employeesโ€ are allow to choice where they work now! All others are forced to go back to the office! If you are the top salesperson or top engineer, you can work where every you heart desires. If these top employees leave they take the company down big time.

  12. The thing is, working from home has saved me hundreds, if not thousands, on gasoline and insurance. It saves time. Itโ€™s better for the environment. I honestly think if a company can go virtual, they should. Working from home is proven to increase employee productivity and happiness. There is no reason to force employees back into stuffy offices that can trigger medical problems and radically impact their ability to even work there, as gasoline is expensive, other than to have someone to micromanage.

  13. They need us to come back and fill the buildings they have expensive leases on. They also donโ€™t trust their workers which says more about micro management than the workers. We donโ€™t want to hand over more time in commuting and related costs, if we can do the job just as well from home. I donโ€™t ever want to go back into a large noisy room with cubicles and constant distractions. Itโ€™s nice and quiet at home and nobody bothers me. My old commute was 50+ minutes each way. I donโ€™t ever want to go back to an office.

  14. Everyone should be working to implement a mostly remote workforce to help reduce carbon emissions & clear up valuable real estate space to begin combating the housing shortage.

  15. No. With raises that donโ€™t even come close to the cost of living increases, we arenโ€™t spending the gas money to sit in awful offices to do work thatโ€™s more productive at home.

    Iโ€™ll quit first. There are more jobs out there, we donโ€™t have to put up with this anymore.

  16. Ive been working from home long before the pandemic. And just hearing the words โ€œthey want oversight of people in the officeโ€. That statement alone would make me want to quit. Bottom line is some companies will offer remote work and valued employees will simply quit and go work somewhere else. Experienced people donโ€™t have a hard time finding another job.

  17. “More oversight” means micro-manage and make their lives miserable in general. Companies that want this have a problem with company loyalty because they already treat their workers like sheet.

  18. As a software engineer I find it entirely ludicrous that an employer demands we waste upwards of an extra 2-3 hrs a day, not to mention gasoline, wear-and-tear on our vehicle, and potential death (from a car accident, etc) just because they have control problems and want to dominate people’s lives. I would never work in an office for someone again. Period. Done. No one who does computer-based work should be required to go through all that extra BS and if they do require it then they should reimburse us for the expenses and pay for our fuel, car repairs and a percentage of our vehicle insurance.

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