Organizations: Spare Us the Facade and Admit It's About Your Leases

In a world where "unprecedented times" has become a cliché, we're seeing a disturbing trend: companies rolling back hybrid and work-from-home policies under the guise of "fostering collaboration." Cut the shit and call it what it is: a financial band-aid for poor leasing decisions.

1. Honesty, Ever Heard of It?: Here's a radical idea – honesty. Companies are hemorrhaging money on empty office spaces due to ill-advised leasing commitments. Instead of owning up to this financial blunder, they’re herding employees back to the office. How about breaking those leases, or choosing not to renew, and using the savings to pay your people what they're actually worth?
2. Control Disguised as Collaboration: The old-school mindset of "if I can't see you, you're not working" is about control, not collaboration. Let's be clear: the true measure of productivity is results, not badge swipes or seat time in a shiny office building.
3. The Irony of Time and Money: The same executives fussing over productivity seem to have no qualms about tacking on hours of dead time to their employees’ days with needless commutes. When I embraced true work-from-home in 2020, the revelation was staggering. Suddenly, dinner wasn't a blurry race against the clock; it was quality time with my family, thanks to the hours reclaimed from a soul-sucking commute. I was personally saving close to three hours a day in commute time, and over $350 a month in gas and tolls.

So, here’s my call to action: Let's demand transparency. It's not about whether in-office or remote work is better. It’s about facing the real reasons behind the "return to office" mandate. Companies, it's time to own up. Are you making decisions for the right reasons, or are you just trying to justify your sunk costs in real estate?

Heroes don’t just wear capes; they also have the courage to confront inconvenient truths.

What’s your take on the real reasons behind the rush back to the office? Let’s talk about it.