Hybrid working model changing?

Submitted by InevitableTea1809 t3_ycgzv3 in boston

I work for a larger life sciences company in Cambridge. I was remote throughout the pandemic. In mid 2021, they decided to implement a “flexible working model”, which basically meant we could come in any day(s), as long as it was a least one day every two weeks. Then in the beginning of 2022, they changed it to at least 2 days a week. As of this week they are changing the model to 3 days a week. Are any other companies experiencing this? I don’t mind going in the office, but as a parent, it’s very hard to arrange after school care with changing policies throughout the year.

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Maxpowr9 t1_itm2f6b wrote

I imagine with the looming recession, companies are trying to determine the best way forward with layoffs. I'm guessing the full remote workers will be the first ones laid off.

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harriedhag t1_itm7o5j wrote

This used to (5+ years ago) be the assumption. Not that they were intentionally first on the list, but because being remote gave you less “face time” and those soft interactions that ultimately build rapport. Subconsciously, without that, you’re less likely to be positively bonded with decision makers. I would think if employers are pushing a hybrid model, this could become true once again.

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boston_acc t1_itnp06z wrote

As a flipside to this, I could also see companies abandoning or downsizing office space and putting more of an emphasis on remoteness. But obviously those are fixed costs, and layoffs provide more flexibility. It’s also worth considering that remote work comprises many “luxury” positions (e.g., software engineer) so there might be pressure to retain that technically-skilled labor vs jobs that are more hands-on and require an in-person presence. Ultimately I don’t know.

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online_anomie t1_itmmr4l wrote

I sell office furniture to many biopharmas and biotechs in the greater boston area. It seems like many of my clients are working hard to instill a "must be in the office x days" policy with their employees. We seem to be reconfiguring a lot of spaces to allow for hotelling and collaboration areas where folks can work comfortably. The amount of employees in the spaces we cater to have increased since last year exponentially. I'm a bit surprised. Most folks seem to be able to do their jobs from home (some can't and I understand that), so I'm confused as to why these employers want their employees sitting at a desk in their office. Seems like the rent and utility costs would maybe make them rethink that, but it looks like folks are expanding and adding more seats almost daily.

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InevitableTea1809 OP t1_itmnfq0 wrote

We switched to hoteling, but hired more people than there are desks. It seems counterproductive! Just wondering how this will pan out in the future.

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online_anomie t1_itmr89b wrote

I've been designing/selling office furniture for over 25 years and this is the first time in my entire career where I'm actually not sure where we'll be in five years. I mean, folks will always need office furniture, but I assume that need will slow as we realize that folks actually do better work at home.

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TheGodDamnDevil t1_itnzgtu wrote

It's creeping up. Within a couple years they'll have you coming in 8 days per week.

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felineprincess93 t1_itod5bm wrote

Also work in a life sciences company in Cambridge. We went from this rollout of 'come in if required as part of your job' to whispers this year about mandated days back. We lost some benefits over the pandemic that had nothing to do with remote work, so it initially felt like their rollout was to bandage that. Now they're taking that away, most likely next year, and I have a feeling we're about to see a mass exodus. Anecdotally, my team has a lot of people who had 2-3 hour round trip commutes before and I really can't see them going back to wasting that time instead of spending it on their families on a C-suite whim.

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Competitive_Bat4000 t1_itmhomq wrote

Company is starting to make an “optional, but strongly suggested” 1 day in office per week which will inevitably increase. They were one of the ones that expanded during covid and invested money in a physical location so I’m sure they’ll force use of it to justify the expense.

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stavisimo t1_itmw3bo wrote

Commercial real estate underpins a lot of our American society for worse and worse. They call the songs and pols and other civic leaders have to dance.

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EventuallyUnrelated t1_itowg26 wrote

We changed every city for commuter infastructure. Of course they need people to use it

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BobDurham1 t1_itmmj7o wrote

Some companies got tax breaks for having X amount of people in the state. During the pandemic people moved and now companies are fearful that states will audit them and they will not hit the numbers and lose that tax break. Also a downturning economy some companies just want people to leave so if they force you to comeback in people may look for new jobs

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No-Garlic-2664 t1_itmjzp4 wrote

There are some people who want to claw back wfh so bad. Good luck, your investment rental properties aren’t my problem

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mtmsm t1_itmyxys wrote

My company was always dead set on bringing us back when it was “safe.” I’ve been in 3-4 days a week for a while now. There are definitely parents struggling with the policy.

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ijustlikebeingnosy t1_itpi22l wrote

I mean they are allowed to do it. Is it annoying? Sure, but nothing says they can’t. Parents seem to think the world has to revolve around them and their needs and worry about them when changing policies. Businesses only care about theirs and don’t worry about your needs. Some want to get back to “normalcy” of pre-Covid, that’s their right. Would it be more helpful to say “at the start of 2023 we will be going x number of days in” instead of saying “next month you need to be in x number of days”? Of course, but that’s not how everyone chooses to operate.

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