Source below… check this exec note on RTO:
As a retired Amazon VP who experienced a 9082% increase in Amazon stock during my time, I am out of touch with many common life struggles. The SVPs and CEOs above me are often more so. Talking about wealth and its impacts is a taboo subject most executives avoid. I'm going to try to address one small piece today.
It would be hypocritical to talk about "executives" in general without owning my own situation first. For brevity, here are four examples:
- No mortgage
- A maid service cleans every two weeks
- Someone else mows the grass
- I retired at age 50
The average family, even the average tech or knowledge worker, does not have these benefits.
In the level above me, I have seen much more:
- Multiple staffed vacation homes, with caretakers
- Private jets (PJs in the lingo)
- Personal assistants. Never pay a bill, get groceries, or pick up a kid when you are busy. The PA handles it all.
- Drivers (security and efficiency)
- Breathtakingly expensive and exclusive private schools for their kids
- They live wherever they want. Cost is not an obstacle
Let's look at one example of how disconnection from the daily experiences of employees can lead to very different priorities: return to work.
The disconnect here really starts with differing priorities. Executive wealth then supports the different choices.
Most executives place work and career success very highly in their lives. If they do not, they rarely become top executives. Most of them (myself included) then use our pay to free up time. Most time goes to work, some to family.
If work is the main focus of your life, then returning to the office might seem like a natural priority.
Now imagine:
- No need to commute, your driver takes you door to door while you work in the back
- No need to hurry home to pick up the kids, the PA does it
- No need to shop, clean, or cook, the staff does it all
- No need to help with homework, the amazing school provides tutoring
With these circumstances, returning to the office feels very "worth it."
This is not a screed against executive wealth. After all, I paid with 25 years of my life and I got some of the wealth. Instead, it is an explanation so that you can understand the disconnect.
If you need to influence an executive where their experiences may be out of touch with your reality, help them see the impact through stories, videos, and data.
Remember, they live literally in another world. This doesn't necessarily make them evil, just disconnected. I do not want to be "out of touch" but it is important to acknowledge that this does happen over time.
https://x.com/ethanevansvp/status/1895845734177452369?s=46&t=