Hot take: companies that went remote during COVID and are now forcing RTO owe us the truth about why
And the reason isn't collaboration. It isn't culture. It isn't because in-person is better. We all did the same jobs from our apartments for 2 to 3 years and the companies survived. Some of them had their best years ever.
I worked at a company that posted record revenue in 2021 while 96% of employees were remote. They bragged about it in the investor call. They literally used our remote productivity as a selling point.
Now the same CEO is saying we need to be in office for "the energy." That's the word he used. Energy.
My theory. And I think a lot of people quietly agree. The truth is office space. The leases. The real estate investments. The buildings they bought in 2018 and 2019 that are sitting empty. They need bodies in chairs to justify the spend to the board. That's it.
There's no secret productivity study that proves in-office is better. If there was, every CEO pushing RTO would be waving it around like a trophy. They're not. Because it doesn't exist.
So they say culture. They say energy. They say collaboration. And they hope nobody asks for the data.
Is anyone else just sick of the lies? Like if you're going to force me back just say "we have a building we need to fill" and stop pretending it's for my benefit.