I used to work at an ad-tech company (advertising tech) in adops (advertising operations). We're the ones responsible for many of the ads you see on the web and mobile, sorry.
At the beginning of the year, my company forced us to start doing 5 days back in the office. While I'm close to the office, many people on my team are not. Despite productivity being better during WFH, the senior managers think we'd be more productive in the office.
I immediately started documenting how many tickets/projects my team (10 people) was completing during WFH and what we complete after being back in the office. This includes how often we meet deadlines/project milestones. The numbers are very telling. Here's a basic version:
Pre-covid
- Average tickets completed per day: 45.2
- Project deadlines met: 85%
Q2 2020 – Q3 2020
- Average tickets completed per day: 52.3
- Project deadlines met: 96%
Q4 2020 – Q1 2021
- Average tickets completed per day: 48.6
- Project deadlines met: 89%
Q2 2021 – Q4 2021
- Average tickets completed per day: 66.4
- Project deadlines met: 93%
Q1 2022 – May 2022
- Average tickets completed per day: 43.1
- Project deadlines met: 81%
Things to note:
- Q4 2020 – Q1 2021 The slowdown was due to 2 factors, people burning out and I had 2 people resign.
- We track everything using Salesforce and Asana
Main takeaways:
- T1 tickets were being completed about 30% quicker during WFH
- Project deadlines were not just being met more regularly but also being completed earlier than expected.
- The average commute time on my team is 45 minutes each way. For people driving, the commute is quicker with fewer cars on the road. Public transit is about the same.
I presented this in early April to my manager, her boss, and 5 other VP-level execs. The COO was supposed to attend but did not show up. From what my manager has told me, reactions were mixed. My manager, her boss, and 1 VP agree with my findings but the other 4 VPs are “skeptical” despite it being my job to analyze and interpret data, so I like to think I know what I'm doing.
The following week during my 1on1, my boss tells me that the VPs are upset with me. They say I may not be a “cultural fit” and not a “team player”. I had been with this company for 3 years at that point and not once has this ever been a topic of discussion. My manager is great though, she defends me to no end. Instead of trying to fire me, the hire-ups basically blocked any chance of promotion for me.
I started interviewing and found a new position and left in mid-May. I make 43% more and do significantly less. Also, I no longer have to deal with clients. Before I left, I made sure to tell my team why I was leaving.
My old manager reached out recently and told me she had left too. Basically, after that incident with me, it left a poor taste in her mouth and my previous team is dropping like flies.