Office mandates don’t help companies make more money, study finds

Technology@lemmy.world – 425 points – 5 months ago

Office mandates don’t help companies make more money, study finds::Three years after the coronavirus pandemic sent people to work from home in record numbers, U.S. employers are still struggling to get people back to the office.

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It's several things.

They believe people work better when they have team mates around them
They believe there are synergies from water-cooler conversions
They believe managers need to see their staff to know they're working
They believe people in the office are best for teaching new starters
They believe that since they are paying so much for office space it would be a waste to not use it

Probably more than that.

Some of it's true.

They don't understand what it costs. They don't understand that people resent having to commute to do the same work they could have done at home.

I used to have a manager that would micromanage everyone and come and stand behind you and make comments usually asking why you weren't working on X. X was always something other than what you were doing, he was never happy.

Now he can't do that anymore. Unsurprisingly productivity increases when an overbearing idiot can't stand behind you.

Yeah that's a good answer. A part of the problem is management not understanding that not everyone payroll is an extroverted, type A person. Most folks will actually be more productive if they can fuck off to walk the dog or fold some laundry in the middle of a work day.