The WFH war is over. I’ll get to maintain my strong track record of energetic collaboration with diverse teams, consistent productivity, and also be properly compensated to needlessly upend my life to relocate and/or regularly transport myself to an office space because someone read a Fortune article that cites a Tweet.
That’s it. That’s the trade. If orgs want to do backflips with “data” or, even more embarrassing, use “culture” to justify what’s — in reality — an inelasticity to change, then pay for it. Else, I’ve successfully worked with and led global teams remotely since 2018 — and I’m happy to continue 🙂
In the past 3 years, I’ve joined and left 2 multi-billion dollar orgs that chose to understaff, overwork, and underpay employees. Being in an office addresses none of those issues.
This isn’t as hard as some make it out to be. The top-line issues are:
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Overcompensated and/or out-of-touch leadership
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Top-heavy orgs that refuse to invest in proper training, don’t elevate juniors, and instead — try to staff senior-level “unicorns” with expectations to cover 3+ roles at a mid-level rate; hoping they’ll just “figure it out” (it’s “fast paced” after all )
I’m also out of tissues and “we told you so’s” for employers suddenly tearing up over city centers being vacant due to office closures. That wouldn’t happen if people could afford to live nearby — that’s on corporate greed. And shame on them for propping up those actually suffering as justification to resume “business as usual” instead of putting in the effort to enact meaningful, common-sense change.
But in the spirit of bootstraps and all, I’m looking forward to the creative solutions from those in leadership roles that gave such sage advice as: “stop buying those $5 Starbucks” and “just buy a house to rent it out”. Maybe some fun nicknames or an Amazon gift card will get those gears movin’ 🤡