Think about this.
Most companies, when they see something causing unnecessary stress or friction for employees, try to fix it. Even small things. Shorter commutes, more flexibility, better alignment. It’s basic common sense because it improves morale and productivity.
Here it feels like the exact opposite.
Every decision somehow lands on the option that creates the most friction. The most inconvenience. The most disruption to people’s lives.
Live 10 miles from one office? Doesn’t matter. You’re required to drive 50 miles to another one.
Can do your job perfectly from home? Irrelevant. Be physically present anyway.
Teams are distributed across the country? Still sit in an office on Teams calls.
At some point it stops feeling accidental. It starts to feel like pain is being chosen on purpose.
And then leadership turns around and asks why there’s no culture. Why people aren’t going above the bare minimum anymore. Why morale is gone.
Morale didn’t just disappear. It was worn down decision by decision, policy by policy, until people stopped believing anything would actually improve.
Then you hear “there’s no loyalty anymore” while at the same time wondering why no one shows up to town halls, no one engages, no one cares.
It’s not confusing.
People don’t disengage for no reason. They disengage when they feel ignored, when feedback goes nowhere, and when every decision makes their day-to-day worse.
And yet somehow the expectation is that people should accept all of this, have bad policy shoved down their throats, and then turn around and be grateful for it. After surveys where honest feedback was ignored or worse, scolded.
That’s not just disconnected. It’s delusional.
This didn’t become a bottom-tier culture overnight. It got there because of decisions like this. Because of policies like this.
Culture and morale aren’t things you can slap on a PowerPoint and speak into existence. They’re built by listening, adjusting, and actually giving people a reason to care.
Right now, that reason is gone.