During the pandemic, everyone at Schwab worked from home. We did it to keep the company running when the offices were shut down. And it worked. We were productive, we adapted, and we kept the business moving.
But over time, they started rolling out return-to-office policies. It was slow and subtle, like boiling a lobster alive. They said it was for “collaboration,” but that never made sense. Most of us come into the office and still have to join Teams calls because our teams are remote. Nothing about that changed. The real reason has nothing to do with collaboration. It’s about control.
Now people are back to commuting, spending more on gas, putting wear and tear on their cars, and losing time with their families. All in the name of something that doesn’t even improve how we work.
And to top it off, they’re getting rid of the sabbatical program. It used to be a month off after five years of service. They’re sunsetting it in 2026 for new employees. Just quietly phasing it out.
Schwab’s tagline is “Through the client’s eyes,” but honestly, it feels like they’ve stopped looking through their employees’ eyes a long time ago.