Check out the article on Business Insider
In an email sent on Friday morning, CEO Michael Dell said that from March the company would expect all employees living within an hour of offices to be at their desks five days a week.
"Starting March 3, all hybrid and remote team members who live near a Dell office will work in the office five days a week. We are retiring the hybrid policy effective that day," the CEO, who has a net worth of $117 billion, told staff.
"A thirty-second conversation can replace an email back-and-forth that goes on for hours or even days."
You don't need to be in the office to have a 30 second conversation with other coworkers. We do it all the time.
"BI understands that leaders at Dell will be able to ask for exemptions for their team members."
"Most offices have capacity for all workers to return in March, but in the few cases where space was limited, Dell will provide guidance in the coming month, BI understands."
BI understands? How exactly did BI come to understand that?
All... no one has a g-n to your head to work there. If you are that miserable quit yer b!tchen and find another gig. Trust me there are good better paying gigs out there without all the needless drama.
CEO, who has a net worth of $117 billion, told staff.
because he can afford to live anywhere
and be completely out of touch with his workforce.
if he disappears, the company continues on
if we disappear
so do their profits.
The requirement for Dell's policies to consider the needs of workers with disabilities necessitating remote work. Dell would face "exposure to liability to the extent remote workers who are otherwise qualified are passed over for promotion because their disability requires them to work remotely as a reasonable accommodation" if it failed to oblige with workplace anti-discrimination laws.
Once you realize most corporate bigwigs are pathological liars and stop paying attention to what they say, life gets much better.
One way they manipulate you is demand you listen to them. They gaslight you by telling you one thing today and the exact opposite tomorrow.
Be a mercenary. Get the most money you can, with the least amount of stress and effort. If something better comes along, take it. And never, ever take anything they tell you seriously. For them, it’s all a game, and you should play your own game.
I can tell you this! Travel time is work time! That is 6 hour work instead of 8 ;)
I stopped caring or listening to senior leadership and I'm much happier. Woot!
"In my case this RTO will be completely counter productive to the business. Plus purposeless 2 hour commute each day and 3 additional gallons of gas burned."
Dell is a green company supposedly.
If sharing a physical presence is the secret to success, then how can Dell pride themselves on a global supply chain? Why is there no travel budget for most of the company? I mean, shouldn't we all be sitting in the same place to create success ? I'm tired of the lies. We are not children.
In my case this RTO will be completely counter productive to the business. Plus purposeless 2 hour commute each day and 3 additional gallons of gas burned.
The letter assumes physical presence drives productivity, but research consistently shows remote and hybrid models are at least as effective, if not better for knowledge workers. It claims office work leads to faster decision-making, but digital collaboration tools reduce bottlenecks just as effectively. It frames passion and energy as office-dependent, but research shows that engagement is driven by job autonomy, not location. It promises flexibility while eliminating hybrid work, which contradicts flexibility research.
Claim: "Nothing is faster than the speed of human interaction."
Contradiction with Research: - Studies have shown that while ad hoc conversations can be efficient, constant in-office interruptions (chats, meetings, and background noise) can actually reduce deep work productivity. A study from Harvard Business School found that open offices reduced face-to-face collaboration by 70% as employees compensated by relying more on digital communication. Remote work tools (Slack, Teams, Asana, etc.) facilitate rapid decision-making without the inefficiencies of physical workplace distractions.
Claim: "For us to lead, the speed of our business must continue to accelerate."
Contradiction with Research: Productivity metrics from the Stanford Work From Home Experiment (2021) showed that remote workers were 13% more productive than their in-office counterparts. The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) found that remote employees worked longer hours but experienced less burnout due to better work-life balance. Microsoft’s New Future of Work Report found that employees were more efficient remotely, particularly in roles requiring focus and problem-solving.
Claim: "We've already asked our sales teams, manufacturing teams, engineers in the labs, onsite team members and leaders to be in the office five days a week, and we have seen these areas come alive with new speed, energy, and passion."
Contradiction with Research: While some roles benefit from physical presence (manufacturing, lab work), knowledge workers do not require full-time office presence to be engaged or passionate. A 2022 McKinsey & Company report found that employees with the flexibility to work remotely were more engaged, happier, and less likely to leave compared to those forced back into offices. Gallup’s workplace research shows that autonomy and flexibility—not physical location—drive engagement and motivation.
Claim: "We remain committed to flexibility within your workday."
Contradiction with Research: - Flexibility is not just about work hours—it includes location flexibility. Gartner’s 2023 Hybrid Work Report found that companies that eliminated hybrid work in favor of RTO had higher turnover rates and decreased employee satisfaction. Deloitte’s 2022 Workplace Study showed that forcing employees into offices without compelling reasons led to higher attrition rates.
Claim: "We continually evolve our business to deliver the best value and service to our customers and partners."
Contradiction with Research: Remote and hybrid work models have not shown a decline in service quality or business value—in fact, companies that embraced hybrid work models reported increased output. The PwC 2023 Future of Work Survey found that remote workers were just as productive as in-office employees and that hybrid work led to higher employee satisfaction without harming customer outcomes. IBM’s Work-from-Anywhere Study found that companies that embraced remote work outperformed competitors in revenue growth and talent retention.
Funny.. You should ask Dell how much he works remotely from his resort in Boca Raton, Florida.
He purchased Boca Raton Resort & Club back in 2019.
Sure... I am sure he does not work remotely from there.
Michael Dell is a dirt bag