u/Ok-Construction9673

For about 5 years, I was that guy. First one in the office, last one to leave. I thought that was the right thing to do. I'd check Slack while still in bed and volunteer for any crappy project nobody else wanted. I asked for a promotion four times, and each time I got the same old line: 'You have great potential, but it's not the right time.'
A few months ago, I finally had enough. They promoted a guy who'd been here a third of the time I have, probably because he goes for drinks with the boss every Thursday. That was the final straw for me. I said, enough of killing myself for a company that doesn't care. I started working my exact hours, 8:30 to 5:30, muted all work apps on my phone, and started saying 'no' when people tried to dump their urgent tasks on me.
Anyway, the weirdest thing just happened. My manager called me into his office this morning and gave me a 12% raise. He said it was for my 'noticeable development in leadership and focus.' He told me I'm delivering 'more impactful results' than ever before. And all I did was just nod my head.
I'm seriously baffled. All the things I thought made me a good employee - like being available all night and saying yes to everything - turned out to be what was holding me back. The moment I started treating it as a job instead of a lifestyle, they suddenly see me as a leader. Has this happened to anyone else before? The logic is completely backward.

The latest corporate 'innovation' just dropped: mandatory 'office' days for our 100% remote team. And here's the kicker - we don't even have an office building anymore.
They're renting a co-working space a few times a month, supposedly 'for culture and collaboration.'
But the final blow: we have to cover our own transportation and food costs. And even though they say attendance is 'highly recommended,' anyone who's worked in corporate knows that means 'you absolutely have to come.'
So now I'll spend a large part of my day sitting in some rented room, doing the same video conferences I'd do from my couch at home, but with a terrible internet connection.
Our team lead called this whole charade a 'fun new experience'.
Honestly, what's more enjoyable than pretending we're not a distributed team anymore, all to satisfy an old, broken idea of 'being in the office'?