Managers have started threatening people to come back to office. Why is this happening when employees are more productive doing WFH
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There's a huge effort to hire young talent at NetApp. The tendancy is to "over hire" and sit them on the bench. That talent needs mentors and for it to work people with experience need to be in the office.
I've spent over 10 years working mostly remote and traveling. Unfortunately, this'll lead to burnout for those that did work their a-s off remotely. Its gonna really su-k. I guess everyone expects a t-t to su-k on.
Is Santana Row building still empty? Although prime location, hardly anyone was going in the office.
Hopefully they'll move out of NorCal before making people come back to work.
Remember, what the tech industry does, so does NetApp. However, for the time being, there are no company mandates to return to the office. So I would say you have the wrong manager.
However, as much as I like WFH and the flexibility it provides, I see it as a gift for the last three years to have been able to do so. If we go back, so what? That'll be enough of an issue for some people who will leave, though I doubt the number is, in reality, as big as people posturing and threatening to do so. People talk a big game in the anonymity of the web. But it's just math at the end of the day with regards to how many open positions NetApp can do without. Just give us back our cubes. The open office setting doesn't work for customer calls.
I am a NetApp employee and an IC not a manager and I know I'm going to get pilloried for saying this, but, I think we need to remember there is more then 1 type of person. I've been working from home for almost 20 years and have a lot of process to keep productivity up. I have decidedly noticed since the COVID forced WFH and the continued work from home. Most, read as more then half but not as high as 75%, have been significantly harder to work with, longer to respond if they do at all, more dates missed, extended lead times. I don't know if telling certain people and groups that coming back to the office is in their best interests isn't a bad idea.
Talking to many ex-coworkers who got cut, if you're going to leave and expect to easily pick up a new WFH job expect a significant cut in pay and a long search. There are a lot of jobs posting as remote, but mid-interview they'll drop it's either not remote, or by remote they mean you can work in an office in a group of select cities.
Not with the company anymore, left several months ago. @2lqr+1oAlk9rI is spot on.
There were too many leeches in middle management at this company. Way too many bureaucrats and not enough performers. The sheer amount of bloat in management is what's really hurting this company. Too many people sacrificing their product and team all in an attempt to get their name noticed or boost their own ego.
It's interesting how the worker bees are the only ones to suffer come layoff time. Love to see a layoff focused solely on the companies bloated middle management.
Only managers want people to be in the office because they feel more useless at home when they can't see their underlings. Middle management is a very unfulfilling job and it’s even worse when working from home.
Just layoff a bunch of middle managers IMO. Too many of them…the guys on top should take on more responsibilities….they mostly just sit around after attending a few nonproductive meetings. Or layoff the upper managers and make the lower managers do their work.
sounds like something someone in middle management would say
For once I agree with George, it's time we got back to work for real and stopped half arsing it from home. I notice huge differences in engagement, bandwidth and creativity when people work face to face. Besides netapp offices are pretty damn nice places, lots of nuts and things to nibble.
They hold the leverage. Economy will get worse in coming months. COVID is spiking. Tech layoffs start around this time like clockwork. Stay busy and keep your head down. The tech industry isn’t necessarily on a “hiring spree” right now.
Sorry to break it to everyone but it's only a matter of time.before George mandates a number of days back in. He copies the other big SV based companies. Not coming back in will be considered voluntary resignation.
The rainforest is doing it, so NetApp is probably just itching to follow. The push for RTO is almost entirely political. Leadership has to do something to feel important.
What they fail to realize is how the job landscape has changed. There is no "going back to office" for people who don't want to. All RTO will result in is NetApp losing top talent for better opportunities with the benefits they desire.
It’s political - that’s all. And it’s an easy way to “fire you” if you don’t meet the RTO policies. Pretty common across the tech space right now. “If you don’t come in, don’t expect to keep your job.” They have the leverage. As financial outlook is worse going into calendar year 24, they know you either comply or you don’t. Also, they have leases and pay commercial rent. If these buildings sit empty, they’re burning through cash for no reason. I guess you can make the argument some teams are more productive in person. But that’s the simplicity of the whole situation.
I heard that NetApp isn't a remote company