As a software engineer currently job hunting (in the UK) there seems to be a big push to at least do hybrid work. 90% of the roles I see require at the very least 1 day a week in London.
this post was submitted on 27 Aug 2023
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The entire Canadian federal government has forced hybrid on its staff. We have to do two days a week. Most people are not happy about it since it's completely pointless. We did our jobs just fine for 3 years during Covid. Then a bunch of businesses in Ottawa write an open letter to the government complaining that downtown is dying because of work from home. Then all of sudden they force hybrid on us.
They keep parroting buzz words like "Collaboration" and "New normal" as reasons why we have to go in. But everyone knows the truth. Stats Canada did an internal employee satisfaction survey and the result were complete shit. Worse than ever before. Main reason is forced back to work. Then directors come out of the woodwork and start asking what they can do to improve things while also saying they can't do anything about work from home cause it's a mandate across the entire government....
#justsayno
On a serious note I think at least in some cases you can try to negociate your way out of that, especially if they're having trouble filling that role.
I'm working in the UK and my employer which is US based has embraced the WFH culture. Although the CEO initially said they didn't understand it, they did listen to their employees and has decided to sell off their HQ in the US and give people the option to WFH or work in office.
I value this so much.
I do hope more C-Suite listen or that employees leave to reach then a lesson.
Yeah same!
Your company sounds like they did the smart thing selling HQ. It feels like a lot of places are forcing the office time because they're locked into expensive London office leases. Either that or old school management.
May I ask how it works in terms of living in the UK but working for a US company? Are there gotchas with HMRC for example?
No gotchas, they have loads of employees globally while it's a US company they are a global company.
I was hired via the UK side of things but the C-Suite bosses are American.
Basically like if you worked at mcdonalds.
So HMRC get their fee like normal :)
I mean doesn’t this save employers money by allowing them to spend less on office space, utilities, and other services?
Or are the same rich people who run these companies also the same as those with giant investments in commercial and retail real estate that will collapse without the previous status who and fear losing money?
Or maybe the managers are just control freaks who can’t track the employees as easily as when they are in the office?
Or maybe the are just a bunch of boomers who didn’t work like that 30 years ago and are incapable of change and adaptation?
I wonder which of these it could be.