Zoom — yes, that Zoom — was in the news lately due to their mandate forcing people to work in the office. Here’s just one of many pieces on it. Buried at the bottom of that piece was this:
Zoom (ZM) has had its own difficulties as demand wanes following a pandemic-fueled surge. In February, Zoom (ZM) cut approximately 15% of its staff, amounting to about 1,300 employees, after growing too quickly. Members of the executive leadership team also reduced their base salaries by 20% for the coming fiscal year and forfeited their fiscal year 2023 bonuses.
Relatedly, a union drive is underway at Grindr. So what does Grindr management do? Try to force employees back into the office too. See here for details.
Look, management can have many reasons for having people come back to the office. While those reasons are often portrayed as positive, they might not be. Want to shed employees because business is bad but don’t want to have to lay them off? Then force them to come into the office like Zoom. For some it will be impractical or undesirable and they will leave. Voila: workplace reduction achieved. Want to make it difficult for employees to organize a union? Make them come to work where you can monitor them closely. None of these things are about employees being more productive, etc….they are about using the office as a weapon to manage your business woes.
I suspect these WFH (work from home) battles will be ongoing for a few more years, until leases come up for renewal. I could be wrong, but once that happens, I suspect more and more companies will eliminate costly office real estate from their assets and working from home (or temp offices) will become the norm. That’s going to occur over the next few years though, not immediately.
Meanwhile expect more WFH stories as employees and management adjust to our post-pandemic work life. Stories like this: some executives are finding forcing workers to come into the office is a big mistake. Or like this piece that argues the way to get employees to come to the offices is by giving everyone their own office. (I personally think that’s a nonstarter.)
Regardless of where you are working, here’s some tips on balancing work and life I recommend you read. And if you do have to go to the office, read this good piece on how leaving the office at five is not a moral failing,
To close off, here’s three pieces on badness at work:
- Bad Tools: workplace monitoring tools are bad. If you have to deal with them, here’s something that can help.
- Bad Bosses: Return-to-office orders look like a way for elite, work-obsessed CEOs to grab power back from employees. Possibly.
- Bad Employees: this was a really well written piece called bad waitress. Recommended.
Smart People I Know 