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- This tech worker said their company recently announced a twice-a-week RTO mandate.
- Since the announcement, they say office morale isn't very high and employees try to skip out.
- The worker said they will continue to push back and loud-quit until they find a better job.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with a 31-year-old tech worker in New York. They've asked to remain anonymous for professional reasons, but Insider has verified their identity and employment with documentation. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
I used to love my job, but the company culture has changed vastly since I started there five years ago. I'm a solutions engineer and I've been loud-quitting since April.
For me, loud quitting manifests as openly questioning leadership, calling out management, and pushing back against their decisions. I care about doing quality work, but I don't care about the company's mission.
The company used to celebrate work-life balance, but now we're being forced to return to the office
I loved the company culture when I started. Even before the pandemic normalized remote work, the company allowed employees to take a day to work from home if needed. It also celebrated our well-being.
We went fully remote in March 2020, at the start of COVID, and my team was able to adapt so quickly that I was fully sold on working remotely. However, within the last year, they've wanted us to return to the office.
At first, we were just encouraged to come in twice a week, but management recently announced a mandatory two-day in-person work schedule. They even started tracking who was at their desks. The morale around the office isn't very high, and employees try to skip out as much as possible because we've already proven that we can complete our work remotely.
I'm actively resisting the ongoing return to office and I don't trust my company
I feel that the administration deliberately holds back information about significant company-wide decisions and can't admit when they're wrong or made mistakes. I'm actively against the RTO mandate, since management cannot show why it's beneficial for us to return. I can't take any of our leadership team seriously, and I have no qualms about fighting their decisions — specifically with returning to the office.
Our company culture has changed gradually, but significantly over the last three years. After being purchased by a private equity firm there have been several rounds of layoffs, new hired management, and less transparency about decision making.
This also drove many long-time employees who were real champions of the old culture to seek employment elsewhere — which accelerated the culture change. I feel like the administration has been operating with confusion and a general lack of transparency. As a result, I've developed a lack of trust and respect.
I'll continue loud-quitting until I find a better job
I've been planning to find another job for over a year, but I believe my level of experience provides a decent amount of job security. That job security is hard to give up, so I've stayed for the paycheck.
Taking the next steps is scary; I know I'd like to continue working in engineering, but I've soured on my current role. Unless the company drastically shifts back towards the previous company culture, there isn't anything it can do to keep me.
I've also stayed because I love my team, but many respected co-workers have been laid off or left for other companies in the past years. Other co-workers can't speak up because they have work visas here, so unless they're willing to give up the lives they've built, they can only put their heads down and work.
I'm fortunate that I don't have that problem, so I'll continue loud-quitting until I leave for a better workplace with a better company culture.