Flexible hybrid work from home and office arrangement or permanent return to office model for employers?

[Savak]

At the Big 4 firm that i work in, they recently ordered and mandated everyone to report back to the office 4 days a week. The end result was that a lot of seniors, managers and senior managers have switched jobs to other firms where they are offering a more hybrid work from home and in office flexibility.

Personally for me, 3 days at home and 2 days in the office is the right balance. I actually feel through the use of Microsoft teams and sharing my screen actually allows for more efficiency where i can share my screen with 10-15 people vs in the office where there are some constraints. The other headaches i resent in the office are the absence of a permanent desk where we have to remotely book our desks in advance and now that the firm has mandated people to come back to the office, there is always a shortage of desks, plus everytime i need to have an important phone call either with a client or the tax authorities, i have to find a private low noise room whereas at home its not a problem. Eventually, my manager and partner too have decided 2 days in the office is more than enough and that we work more efficiently from home.

Don't get me wrong, in person connectivity with colleagues and co workers is important as well and it is important to show your face to people in general at the firm as that helps a lot when promotion discussions take place.

Was having an interesting discussion with a recruiter today who told me that the 4 day mandatory return to office mandate by companies are actually a ploy by the higher ups to frustrate some of the employees and managers into leaving so that they don't have to fire them, pay them severance so that low cost employees can be hired in their place instead.

Anyways, thought this thread could serve as an interesting discussion where people can share their thoughts on the matter, do you prefer a full time mandate return to the office by employers, do you prefer a permanent work from home model, do you prefer a flexible hybrid arrangement with 3 days in the office, 2 days at home or 2 days in the office, 3 days at home or do you prefer the choice to simply be left to the employees i.e. those who wish to work from home can work from home at their choosing providing they do their jobs properly and those who wish to work from the office can work from the office on their own choosing?

 

[sweep_shot]

I prefer hybrid. Just my personal preference.

 

[LordJames]

At the Big 4 firm that i work in, they recently ordered and mandated everyone to report back to the office 4 days a week. The end result was that a lot of seniors, managers and senior managers have switched jobs to other firms where they are offering a more hybrid work from home and in office flexibility.

Personally for me, 3 days at home and 2 days in the office is the right balance. I actually feel through the use of Microsoft teams and sharing my screen actually allows for more efficiency where i can share my screen with 10-15 people vs in the office where there are some constraints. The other headaches i resent in the office are the absence of a permanent desk where we have to remotely book our desks in advance and now that the firm has mandated people to come back to the office, there is always a shortage of desks, plus everytime i need to have an important phone call either with a client or the tax authorities, i have to find a private low noise room whereas at home its not a problem. Eventually, my manager and partner too have decided 2 days in the office is more than enough and that we work more efficiently from home.

Don't get me wrong, in person connectivity with colleagues and co workers is important as well and it is important to show your face to people in general at the firm as that helps a lot when promotion discussions take place.

Was having an interesting discussion with a recruiter today who told me that the 4 day mandatory return to office mandate by companies are actually a ploy by the higher ups to frustrate some of the employees and managers into leaving so that they don't have to fire them, pay them severance so that low cost employees can be hired in their place instead.

Anyways, thought this thread could serve as an interesting discussion where people can share their thoughts on the matter, do you prefer a full time mandate return to the office by employers, do you prefer a permanent work from home model, do you prefer a flexible hybrid arrangement with 3 days in the office, 2 days at home or 2 days in the office, 3 days at home or do you prefer the choice to simply be left to the employees i.e. those who wish to work from home can work from home at their choosing providing they do their jobs properly and those who wish to work from the office can work from the office on their own choosing?

The problem with this theory is that the companies will lose their best talent because the best talent is often the most employable.

Agree with everything else.

 

[Savak]

The problem with this theory is that the companies will lose their best talent because the best talent is often the most employable.

Agree with everything else.

Major corporations like Amazon, Google, Meta, Tesla have ordered employees to come back to the office. According to these companies, they cannot justify paying such expensive rents/leases, utilities for their office spaces if the premises are not going to be used. They also claim that some employees end up abusing the privillege of working from home and they don't really put in the same kind of effort, time at office work when they should and it becomes harder for employers to micro manage employees when they work from home.

 

[cricketmania22]

Hybrid- 3-4days in office - 2-1 days work from home. This bs of 4-5 days working from home should end.

 

[sweep_shot]

I prefer hybrid. Just my personal preference.

I used to like 100% remote.

But, after doing a remote job for 2.5 years, I started to dislike it a bit. I now prefer 40%-60% remote.

 

[Suleiman]

100% remote. As long as I’m handing my work in, should be no issues, also gives me time to defend my country and people online against enemy nations

 

[Suleiman]

Also at least in Middle East and South Asia there is ghairat and haya, but in west there’s a lot of beghairti with men and women and office drama. So it distracts from focus. Remote is the way to go.

 

[sweep_shot]

Also at least in Middle East and South Asia there is ghairat and haya, but in west there’s a lot of beghairti with men and women and office drama. So it distracts from focus. Remote is the way to go.

One issue I saw with remote work was dishonest coworker. I sadly had to deal with one.

I had to work with one dishonest worker (female) who was stalling/slacking hard. I ended up having a far bigger workload because we were supposed to share workloads and she wasn't being cooperative.

I could've snitched on her and got manager involved but I decided not to.

Anyway, I no longer work there but it was definitely a learning experience for me. I never experienced a coworker like that before.

 

[maverick85]

Mandated office returns equals job cuts imminent

 

[ElRaja]

flexibility of hybrid is cool, makes it easier to manage life, but unless i have to i dont wfh. makes no sense for me, i need to get a people to work on numerous things and even if u wfh 2 days a week sometimes ppl only see other ppl 1 day a week and unless people enjoy being in others company u have huge communication drag. u need people to be comfortable in calling out someone when they are needed, or shouting out loud, metaphorically, when sometime goes wrong, and as far as i can tell it doesnt work in a remote environment.

ive had people in my teams who have needed to wfh more, and no matter what u do, they dont gel in the team like people who are around each other all the time.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

I prefer work from home but companies are mandating more face to face working. So I am going to the office more regularly.

If you want to get ahead and be seen as someone dependable then you must go to the office and maximise your time there.

Growing influence of AI in the workplace will mean traditional technical skill sets are not needed, the simple things like guys who can hold a conversation, give eye contact and have a firm handshake will be preferred when the inevitable job cuts happen. These are simple things but becoming rarer as people become more introverted.

When it was totally office based I hated it because a lot of the socialising and networking was down out of office in bars and stuff. Now even going to the office is seen as socialising and networking so it ticks that box for me to.

Pro tip if you are hybrid and have the choice when to office good time to go is after a big football match or boxing match. Lots of the small talk is taken care of.

 

[Savak]

Working from home has helped me save 1.5 hours in travelling time to and from work, reduced fuel and parking expenses and has given me the luxury to sleep an extra 1.5-2 hours, I can literally get out of bed and start my work day.

When I am really exhausted during busy season, I have the flexibility to take a much needed 2 hour nap to recharge and then dive back in work when fresh. I could also take advantage of my 24 hours gym by going in at night time or early morning when there is significantly less rush.

I would not have had these benefits if I had to work daily in the office.

To each their own.

 

[Bhaijaan]

A man who stays home for work should start wearing lipstick and prepare food for the family. Man is meant to go out there and wrestle it out in the harsh world. Don't settle to be a beta and lose your worth like that.

 

[BouncerGuy]

A man who stays home for work should start wearing lipstick and prepare food for the family. Man is meant to go out there and wrestle it out in the harsh world. Don't settle to be a beta and lose your worth like that.

Ah yes, the sacred rulebook of masculinity clearly states: ‘A real man must suffer in the brutal outside world, while absolutely refusing to chop an onion or enjoy a peaceful day at home.’ Imagine thinking that working from home somehow erases a man's worth—meanwhile, CEOs run entire companies in their pajamas. But sure, keep believing the only path to greatness is through rush hour traffic and overpriced lunches.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

A man who stays home for work should start wearing lipstick and prepare food for the family. Man is meant to go out there and wrestle it out in the harsh world. Don't settle to be a beta and lose your worth like that.

Nice lipstick there, Sanjeev.

 

[Energy]

If you are not in a public/structural facing field like teaching, medical, transport, engineering, construction- (a) you made the clever choice and (b) can work efficiently from a laptop in the bedroom.

Whether it's 2 days or 3 days at work is an entitlement.

 

[Double Trouble]

I enjoyed the WFH for the first year in Covid now the novelty has died. Mrs constantly nagging me as she also works from home so decided hybrid way forward 2 days at home 2 days in the office i only work 4 days them days of working 6-7 days a week have gone.