David Zalubowski/Associated Press
- Many companies are requiring employees to return to the office full or part-time.
- Meanwhile, many employees are resisting these mandates because they prefer remote work.
- One of those employees shared her perspective with Insider's Rebecca Knight.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with a worker whose company, a large US insurer with more than 40,000 workers, is mandating employees return to the office this summer. She spoke on condition of anonymity to protect her career. Insider has verified her identity and employment.
Before the pandemic, I worked from the office every day and never thought anything of it.
Working from home was not a thing for employees like me. I'm a digital-service rep at a large insurance company that handles things such as online chats. Remote work was for tech people or consultants — not for regular folks.
So when COVID first hit and I, along with almost every other office worker in the world, got sent home to do my job, I didn't know what to expect. Turns out, I loved it. I was more productive, and personally, it's been incredible. I have more time for my husband and I'm much healthier.
At the end of 2020, my company told employees we could permanently work remotely. But now, management is backtracking and saying we need to be in the office at least two days a week. The reasoning is that being together "boosts morale."
But the truth is, it's already having the opposite effect because none of us wants to go.
The life-changing magic of working from home
When I think back on my work life prior to the pandemic, I feel tired.
I remember all those stressful, early mornings getting my kids out the door for school, then putting on makeup and my business clothes and battling traffic to get to my cubicle by 9 a.m.
For me, and for a lot of people, working from home has been a life changer. I used to eat every lunch in the employee cafeteria — chicken strips, French fries, Doritos, and Snickers. Now, I'm much healthier; I eat beans and rice, a salad, or a smoothie.
I've also started exercising again. I do my job in gym clothes, so the minute I log off, I go for a jog around my neighborhood or do a workout class on my phone. Before, I would've been too tired to exercise after a long day of commuting and work.
And my productivity is better than ever. The office was full of distractions: people chatting, radios blasting, and food smells wafting over the cubicles. At home, there's none of that.
On the flip side, my utility bills have increased, and I have to use my personal cell phone to conduct business, which I don't like doing. But it's a small price to pay.
Workers' voices are not being heard on this issue
After promising that we could work from home indefinitely, my company reversed course. Earlier this year, management ordered us to go back to the office two days a month; starting this summer, they've mandated two days a week.
My colleagues are annoyed. Our numbers are good. We're happy. Why is management rocking the boat?
I saw this change coming, though. Last year, my company developed a work-from-home certification. They ranked us on average call-handling time, calls handled per day, and ratings on customer surveys. If workers weren't hitting targets, they'd need to come into the office at least three days a week.
Then management started messing with our metrics and increasing our goals so that more people had to come in. Something was up.
A month ago, we got an email from our director about the "transition to hybrid work" to "build morale." There's "no substitute for in-person connection," he wrote.
His email paid lip service to the company's desire to support employees and help us do our best work, but our voices are not being heard on this issue.
Morale is already suffering. My supervisor, thankfully, lets the team choose which two days we go to the office. We always opt for the first two days of the month just to get it over with.
When my team and I work from home, our Webex chat is lively: We joke, we send memes, but we mainly talk about work. But when I was with them at the office last Friday: silence. We were just trying to get through the day.
I'm looking for another job, which is frustrating since I'd rather stay with my company and continue being the productive remote worker that I am.
If I could say one thing to my CEO, and all CEOs who are demanding workers return to the office, it's this: Why do you refuse to listen to your employees?