https://www.hrgrapevine.com/us/content/article/2024-07-26-execs-hr-admit-rto-mandates-are-meant-to-make-staff-quit#:~:text=A%20leading%20motive%20behind%20many,before%20their%20in%2Doffice%20counterparts.
15 replies (most recent on top)
He's been working in the basement, they noticed he was laid off 5 years ago and was still getting paid. Say hello to Milton.
If they PIP you, consider it easy street. At that point they are giving you paid job search time. Take advantage of it if its given, completely ignore the PIP obligations as they aren't for you.
@jj management always says things like this and never provides the data
Whats funny is they had a few different consulting firms come in and try to balance the management to worker ratio, they did it, then when the consult people were done, they just hired more managers again. They tried to "change the way we work" but didnt actually DO anything, just talked about it. Now they hired people from BCG and nothing seems to be changing, other than the notion that they are trying to force people to quit by poor business practices. "what can we make them do within the labor rules that will pi-s them off".... RTO suddenly, sh---y buildings, sh---y attitude toward workers....
Everyone talks about just do your job and shut up. Well, some can only be pushed so far before needing an outlet, other than going home and yelling at the family. hahaha So, if they gave me work to do, I'll do the he-l out of it. But if there is nothing being handed down, whats my assignment?
Its all laughable but I will jump the hoops until Im ready, unless they PIP me and then ask me to stop coming in. I have a plan, it will su-k but I'll survive.
Post ID: @j6+1k3empa1v
You are wrong, very wrong. The data from many studies (look it up) has backed up what leadership (KG, DF, BF and many others) have reported on the clear benefits RTO brings. Employee engagement, collaboration, and increasing the bottom line of the company for starters.
RTO has never been about "better collaboration". It's Ford's way of making things miserable for employees....such as not having even work stations in every building. All intentional. They don't want to pay severance and unemployment, so they try to force people to quit before doing actual layoffs. No doubt other companies doing the same. It's a really weird time in the labor market.
Should be 6 days RTO you lazy b-ms!
Hi middle useless manager. I presume you are down since you lost your outlet of being in an office and appearing useful.
Forcing people to quit may be the new reason for RTO. But don’t forget the power of the commercial real estate investors (landlords, banks). They need companies and people wasting money on useless office space and commuting, spending money for things that add no value. Ford’s upper crust has to show they are part of the team and set an example for the little guys.
There’s also the status symbol thing for middle managers. Privacy, nice office, amenities… these things are status symbols and MS Teams makes everyone equal. There isn’t a “manager mode” on MS Teams that endows managers with booming, god-like voices and special royal backgrounds. That vexes them. They are sorely vexed.
I sincerely hope you all have to RTO for FIVE days a week asap.
The problem with the return-to-office (RTO) mandate isn't the RTO itself; it's the middle management. I have never seen so many unnecessary layers in a company outside of Ford. The work of middle managers has been reduced to monitoring insights in tools like Jira to track who is working on what. An AI could easily handle this, making many of these roles redundant.
The primary reason for RTO is that middle managers have no clear role in a remote work environment. By bringing everyone back, they can justify their positions and appear to have a purpose. However, this is not a sustainable solution. Layoffs are inevitable, and it's the middle management—specifically those at the LL5 and LL6 levels—who will be impacted.
While the need to justify middle management roles is the main driver, other factors for RTO are simpler: cities offer tax credits, local districts provide business support, commercial real estate interests, and the desire to stimulate the economy and offset tariff impacts. These reasons make sense from a business standpoint, but they don't solve the core issue of an overstuffed management structure.
The number of departments within IT needs to be significantly reduced. This isn't a complex issue requiring a Silicon Valley background to understand; it's just common sense. The excessive layers of middle management must be eliminated to create a more efficient and effective organization.
Summary of Article
A BambooHR survey reveals that many companies are using return-to-office (RTO) mandates as a strategy to push employees to quit instead of conducting layoffs.
Key Findings
- Nearly 40% of leaders said their organizations used RTO to encourage resignations
- 25% of executives and 18% of HR professionals admitted they hoped staff would leave due to these policies
- 45% of employees reported talent loss linked to RTO
- 28% of remote workers fear they will be laid off before office-based colleagues
Employee Preferences and Effects
- 52% of workers prefer remote work, while 39% prefer the office
- 88% of remote and 79% of office workers feel pressure to prove productivity
- 42% of employees in-office say they are present mainly for visibility
- 32% of managers admit RTO is about tracking staff
- 22% of HR pros say they lack metrics to measure RTO success
- 26% report a growing divide between remote and office workers
- 44% of hybrid/office staff say their relationships with remote colleagues are weaker
Implications
RTO mandates damage trust, morale, and relationships while fueling commercial real estate downsizing. Experts recommend:
- Clear communication and expectations
- Supportive policies that balance flexibility and productivity
- Team-building efforts to foster social connection
- Adapting work models to meet diverse employee needs
The success of workplace policies will depend on how well companies balance productivity with employee well-being.
Wait what? Dod you come to this conclusion on your own? This board has only been saying this for at least the last 6-8 months. All over this board. This insight isn’t new. Got something else?
Funny thing is most of the people I work with have been in the office 4-5 days a week. The RTO is not a big deal. It is just causing major distractions. People wondering around looking for desks and no regard for existing people who actually need to work in the building because of the resources in the building. They have 4-5 years to figure this out and they failed. Shame on them. You made it our problem and people are not happy.
Especially in Model e.