Amazon Just Officially Ended Remote Work Permanently. (Why This Is Bad For Everyone)

[@ALifeAfterLayoff]

Looking to land an increasingly rare remote job? Here's how I can help: www.alifeafterlayoff.com/career-resume-training-courses/

[@danielvergara9890]

This is nothing but a lay-off in disguise

[@edupunknoob]

@@danielvergara9890 I was looking for something along these lines. Just before my employer announced an RTO, Fox Business release survey results saying 25% of those surveyed admitted it was done at least in part to make people quit and save in attrition.

[@Memememe-is1yn]

Most likely. More to come.

[@raidjameel7513]

u r 100% right " in disguise". when they need u, they run n smile 2u, rub ur shoulder, once the NEED 4u over, they fire U, under different excuses. the old wisdom said "dnt put all ur eggs in same basket". this is the real ugly face & side of big capitalists firms= 1st & last Goal is to make n generate profit at any cost or price, even if it require fire part of the gd staff

[@Razzy_D9111]

Correct.

[@horlanservia]

Probably just trying to push out some folks.

[@spacegene]

Why don't they just come out and say it? "We're doing this because we know you hate it. It satisfies our sadistic glee."

[@IP0Monsturd]

Time to get out of your pajamas and go to work.

[@sanshinobi3664]

Because you're assuming they care enough about you to be sadistic in the first place.

[@alexlopez5800]

😂

[@spacegene]

@@sanshinobi3664 They don't need to care about you in order to be sadistic. They scr*w people over indiscriminately.

[@WheresMyMotivation]

People don't want to believe other people are that sociopathic. You better believe it! Especially those who make it to the top of a company and had to beat everyone to get there.

[@LowkeyHundo]

My leadership hates letting us work remote, but we only meet on Teams in the office. Make it make sense.

[@bryanwalthall5483]

Sounds about right.

[@asadb1990]

Just sit at your desk and use meetings at a break and just casually listen in.

[@AldhairJOyaga]

Why do you callem leadership then

[@asadb1990]

@@AldhairJOyaga because they are "leader" of the team.

[@nicoleandalfonso6355]

I’ll try to make it make sense… “it is not about you or your thoughts about what you think is best for the company. You are an employee, do what you are told or go find somewhere else to work.” The video is right that what is going on is corporate gaslighting. Everyone can hate on corporations, but what really matters is what will employees do? Stay, leave, form a union? Companies are now indifferent to the decision of the majority of average office workers. Companies believe that worker are easily replaced. Best of luck to those in corporate America

[@sqlb3rn]

Managers always start announcements with a bunch of word salad no one gives a shit about.

[@Tristin471]

Gotta distract the people from the real outrage.

[@zerocal76]

Oh you know same ol' "office politics." The only worse politics are the presidential election type... 🤷‍♂

[@fyodor8008]

middle managers get told what to say

[@richtomchuk1584]

​@@fyodor8008this. I quit middle management because I hated myself for some of the things I had to tell my team.

[@sighsgkj]

They say team but then you read in news "Wells Fargo took 4 days to notice an employee had died in cubicle."

[@MichaelWaisJr]

@@sighsgkj Yeah that was funny. You gotta hand it to Wells Fargo. After helping spark the Great Recession years ago, they manage to make everything extremely worse!

[@sayyara2921]

Im not even kidding, companies who claim to be eco friendly and are forcing their employees to commute to office at the same time should be punished in some way

[@IP0Monsturd]

That company will be punished when you quit and deny them your awsomeness.

[@ging536]

@sayyara2921 Totally agree.

[@WheresMyMotivation]

Have you caught on already that THAT was just a gimmick from the start?

[@NdathieMucii]

I live near a major highway and I remember the air quality was so bad before the shut downs. The air was literally flammable during rush hours. I don't miss the high traffic to say the least. I even began wearing a painters mask in the car because there was no fresh air when sitting in traffic-even with the ac running. Now it's totally different, the air isn't terrible.

[@sydbarrett74]

The vast majority of corporate 'eco-friendly' initiatives are nothing more than green-washing, anyway.

[@SoulsJourney]

Tech companies should be leading the way in remote work, not falling back on a 1950s style of in-office only. With employees around the world, who often all report to the same manager, this nonsense about "collaboration" and meeting in person really falls flat. And like you said, with the "open office" where no one has an assigned desk and "teammates" end up on different floors or in different buildings... Come on. This is about control, period. They don't trust their employees. And I guarantee most of them spend half the day socializing, going to lunch, taking breaks, etc. anyway when they're 'on-site."

[@watamatafoyu]

If they're gonna fall back to the 50s then we should get pensions and they should have 90% tax on $3 million+ in income.

[@SoulsJourney]

@@watamatafoyu Co-sign.

[@SeaCrestInNOut]

They claim "collaboration" and at the same time outsource jobs to countries where foreign languages are spoken and are completely remote from the corporate HQ. It's a lie.

[@QuerkieGal]

This why I hate going to the office. It's the lazy people who waste my time in meetings and the 1.5 hour long chit chat when they come to my office. They don' t care if you have work to do, their venting about actually working, how tired they are, the endless gossiping is much more important. I get paid to work, not socialize - if employers would only see that they get a bigger bang for the buck with remote employees who actually work and can focus on getting work done without the bother of fake "collaboration" by their fellow lazy coworkers. And yet, they actually enable these people and do nothing about them.

[@censoredeveryday3320]

True, but then who would purchase the commercial real estate that has plummeted in value. My theory is that RTO policies are just a collective agenda by CEOs to repair the valuations of the commercial real estate market. Managers don't care if offshore workers are fully remote.

[@johnhudelson2652]

Amazon should not claim they are environmentally conscious.

[@konzza]

Do they? Amazon isn't a major player in my country (Finland), so not that much forcefed their marketing, but haven't seen environmental or sustainability being high on their agenda.

[@spacegene]

Amazon is not a friend of the rainforest.

[@livnsji]

Two thoughts… sounds like they became like Microsoft and that made them uncomfortable. Thinking it will take 2-3 years to determine if this change had impact towards their objectives. So now we wait.

[@EnglishInfidel]

Their customers certainly aren't.

[@imnugget8085]

But there also the richest company that's Number and that got to stay plus what's wrong just drive to work

[@Xokzu]

He likes the "culture" of having enough money to give thousands of people raises, but instead decides how they get to live their lives and have no say.

[@konzza]

Of course they have a say. It's a simple yes or no question, wether you like to jump through the hoops or seek employment elsewhere. It's not a nice situatuation for the most, but each and every worker gets to make that choise.

[@also307]

@@konzza looks more like an ultimatum rather than a choice

[@konzza]

@@also307 Absolutely an ultimatum. That wasn't my point at all. It's a matter of "take or leave it", but there is a choise. I might be mistaken, but i don't think that Amazon has been at the top of the totem pole for the most desirable employes even for office workers for many years. Those poor bastards unfortunate enough, not to employ elsewhere will probably also have to start peeing in bottles, like other Amazon workers allready do. It never was a secret that Amazon has worse corporate culture than medieval slaves.

[@Xokzu]

@@konzza I agree with @also307, it seems like more of an ultimatum, given the current state of the job market.

[@jackie8357]

All they really want to do is track you while you go into a huge office building they've rented and sit with people you don't know and them go into a teams meeting - with a coworker in a different office on a different coast

[@djt3rrv875]

It's all just a power play... they want employees back in the office so they have total control. Even more control than monitoring your camera and online activity. They need to see you sitting in that chair, slaving away, in order to make sure you're "giving your all" for the company...

[@dchardin1]

Why are they like this? What is the business reason for pushing people beyond the point of misery? Don't they know that people snap at a certain point?

[@alexandrudinca2884]

@@dchardin1 Workers are like cogs in a machine. If one breaks , it needs to be replaced immediately.

[@angelacarbon4010]

​@@dchardin1They don't care.

[@vincentkingsdale8334]

Everyone was OK with going to work prior to Covid. The worst part is that if everyone returns to work, the traffic will worsen mid afternoon. For some reason the traffic now is ALWAYS terrible

[@monterreymxisfun3627]

@@dchardin1 NEVER let it get near the point of "snapping". The Americans With Disabilities (including temporary disabilities) exists. There's FMLA and short-term disability payment benefits. It might be a good idea to pay the optional premium for long-term disability coverage as well. The law, healthcare providers and insurance exist for a reason.

[@edalbanese6310]

There is no commitment to each other, there is no loyalty, there is no friends at work and I don't care about the CEO. No one will look after you except you and your family! Wake up! This has freed me so much and I am much at ease!

[@IP0Monsturd]

Want loyalty? Get a dog.

[@mineandmine4528]

Not even family looks out for you

[@edalbanese6310]

@@IP0Monsturd not even a dog!

[@aaronritchie7398]

Could be that Amazon invested heavily in beautiful commercial real estate headquarters and they are trying to influence CRE market by ending WFH. My teams are happier and more productive while WFH !!!

[@ALifeAfterLayoff]

It's 100% related to tax benefits in their local markets.

[@timgibney5590]

@@ALifeAfterLayoff How could the tax benefits change is they still own or lease the building. Does the state government have secret police to monitor the cubicles

[@sephondranzer]

@@ALifeAfterLayoff Do you think this requires a legal change? These CEO’s are legitimately adding so much bullshit to peoples’ lives. These people are the absolute worst.

[@kurrwa]

@@sephondranzer then work for yourself instead for someone lol

[@PeakBagger999]

@@timgibney5590 If a company invests in new real estate and decides to set up shop in a new location for at least the next several years, it is likely because the local government is offering tax incentives/breaks to hire local talent, especially in economic development zones of certain cities. The more people they hire locally, the more the tax base (funding) grows for the city’s budget. The company pays taxes over the term of their lease in the city as do the employees working there.

[@althunder4269]

One guy gets to decide how thousands of other people spend their days.

[@michaelisherwood9096]

Yes!! That's why he is the CEO. He makes decisions in the company's best interest, NOT for the employees.

[@caliinthevalley24681]

@@michaelisherwood9096Yep that why you get paid for your time.

[@althunder4269]

@@michaelisherwood9096 By the looks of your profile picture, you'd like to be him.

[@mosesnyper]

​@@michaelisherwood9096What is a company without it's employees, a business model?

[@also307]

@@michaelisherwood9096 what is a company without employees?

[@pdubvideo]

Some people may view WFH as a perk. But for people who are disabled (or caring for someone who's disabled), WFH is an accessibility issue. This trend of abolishing remote work is very worrying.

[@allenr.williams3211]

Yes. We really shouldn’t accept this

[@anthonyrodriguez2413]

It’s not the jobs problem to worry about your personal issues. Businesses are there for the bottom line. Haven’t figured that out yet?

[@TheIcecoldorange]

@@anthonyrodriguez2413then why do they give us healthcare? Edgy hot takes are fun especially with the edgy stoic one liners.

[@joepiekl]

​@@anthonyrodriguez2413 It sort of is. Most developed countries will have laws to prevent discrimination against disabled people. In the US, for example, they have to follow the Americans with Disabilities Act, which means they are legally obliged to make reasonable accommodations for workers with disabilities. In the UK, the Disability Discrimination Act says the same thing. They would open themselves to all sorts of lawsuits if they insisted that disabled people working from home come into the office as a covert way of firing them.

[@angelaonthego]

I would NOT mention that. It’s one thing if the worker is disabled and that’s an accommodation. Some exceptions for piece work or 1099 or whatnot..But to be fair, in an hourly role, caregiving in any substantial capacity while on the clock isn’t really cool.

[@DorkAhoy]

It's not what you think. It's a way to trim workforces without taking the PR hit of a layoff. Other big companies have proven that it works. Some workers will refuse to return to the office, effectively "quitting." If that percentage meets the company's downsize requirements, it's a win.

[@gz6x]

Amazon does not give a fuck about PR, this move is aiming at saving severance packages and stock bonus.

[@IP0Monsturd]

But all these “work from home” geniuses think their company will close their doors without their daily 15 minutes worth of work from them.

[@holybeetle4849]

This.

[@TheLittleEconomist]

And cheaper too if people chose to quit rather than being laid off.

[@WheresMyMotivation]

What did you think we were thinking?

[@witblitsfpv1265]

That's why people "don't want to work anymore", because they are sick and tired of this corporate BS.

[@bsheets5888]

Creates a major cloud hosting platform: doesn't allow remote work.

[@ernil-t3q]

And now Jeff Bezos is working on a space company. I'm sure you'll have to show up for that too.

[@MRkriegs]

@@ernil-t3q being required to "show up" to ur job LOL

[@RC-io7ie]

@@ernil-t3q I work remotely for that space company (Blue Origin). Word from my manager is they will be force all remote workers back in the office as well soon.

[@A_Lo_Pex]

Zoom did the same thing, absolutely nuts

[@CreativeCat-h1l]

Amazon has just officially made itself a dinosaur. Remote work is here to stay.

[@Al-rn5qy]

Yes, 💯% agree! Amazon is like the business that insists on using horse and buggy 🐎 drivers after the invention of the automobile 🚗. No matter how much they hate the change, remote work is not going back! 😆🤣😆🤣

[@chrisknoblock]

I heard one speculation that they were only doing it to avoid doing layoffs and thus preserve their stock pricing. I tend to agree and suspect this is not their long-term plan.

[@ericprieto4348]

ok so whhat is yr alternative if u work for amazon ? quit and then how will u pay yr bills ?

[@romanfan250]

I doubt that. The corpos want control over their employees and they're getting it back, one layoff after another. Things look even grimmer with the two presidential candidates who see no reason to change anything at all.

[@hinkhall5291]

Given how hard it is to find work and people eschewing all the local stores in their areas I doubt Amazon will go anywhere. Yeah some talented people will quit and maybe that’s the point. Maybe Amazon wants them to quit so they can replace them with outsourced developers who work at smaller salaries and don’t get benefits and all that. And here’s the kicker: there are many skilled and equally talented developers who are capable of doing the work that locals can do. Especially after they are trained. People here are complacent about this fact. Developers in other countries doesn’t necessarily mean lower quality even if they are cheaper to hire. Take the Ukraine for example. So many amazing developers come from there.

[@randyriegel8553]

I got to go to the office 1 day a week... about an hour away. This was in my offer... but have heard rumors of high ups wanting us to come back to office more. I left a FULLY remote job for this position. If this does actually happen I'll spend my office days looking for a job. I am way less productive while in office because of too many distractions. When I'm at home I can sit and crank out code in my home office with no distractions.... don't need to take a cig break, or go to vending machine, etc.

[@lerubikscubetherubikscube2813]

In my experience, once they open the door to one day or more in office, it's to hypnotize the workforce that this is the new norm, and that... oh wait! Look at that, now we want 2 days, 3 days... pushing further and further in their own self interest, which is fair enough! That being said, workers should push for what is in their best interest, otherwise we're going to be slowly accepting worse conditions each quarter.

[@bobbyggezs2898]

Ya the distractions at work are because no one wants to be there. Yes there are distractions at work, but you're in a environment where you are comfortable and no one breathing down your neck.

[@CIS101]

Remote work should be encouraged across the board. I had an opportunity to work remotely sometimes before it was a thing. I thought I would be lazy, and non productive, but I was not , and not having to commute saved a lot of time. Before my current job I was working from home for an MSP which was very flexible. We were supposed to be in the office 3 days a week, but they looked the other way. One of our customers was a company founded over ten years ago by people working from home ! They never had an office building !

[@blogdesign7126]

Upwork and Fiverr are basically the only places where remote work can and will continue but then again it requires a certain persona to do that.

[@Seraphina_Atley]

I've been trying to move out of my toxic tech startup for years now. It has never taken this long for me to find a job, ever. All the competition from the layoffs and RTO policies is making it impossible.

[@pensivepenguin3000]

I’m in the exact same boat. Working for a startup where I got stuck under a toxic manager and I am desperate to get out, but there’s no hope on the horizon. I’m actually pretty depressed

[@simaancheno]

It is time to leave this field, it's crowded and doesn't priduce anything good anymore. There are other jobs that the people should start doing again.

[@RarebitFiends]

The company I was working for folded in January, outside of about 2 months of contract work I have been unemployed and looking. Hopefully picking up a long term contract soon, it's extremely rough out there right now though, especially for those of us working fully remote.

[@rosseryankeegirl]

Same...been laid off for a few months now..haven't had one interview..at this point I don't even care about going in 5 days...I need a job.🫤And I won't even mention the low paying salaries.

[@Amorget]

Never going to go back into an office. Just as you said, my team is spread out all over the US and Canada, no point in driving for an hour plus to see nobody that I work directly with. The company did have a return to office push, however a lot of people have just ignored it (along with their managers), so nothing really came from the push from the "Overhead" perspective. I am sure that the Operational people did have to return, which has been causing it's own set of problems that I only see in the weekly office update e-mails.

[@Morel92]

Never going back to an office. Everyones anxiety was off the charts in an office. They already have ways to keep thumbs on us at home. I dont need someone standing over my computer in the office making things worse. Theres too many chiefs and not enough workers. If some managers were to help with work and care like some other managers things would run smoother.

[@Runner466]

I’m working a hybrid remote contract job. I don’t think I’ll ever go back to working full time in the office. Right now I spend about 18 hours a week at the office, the rest of the time I’m home. And I like it that way. We as employees just have to start standing up and fighting back. We can’t take this crap anymore.

[@larahporter8123]

Yeah!!!!! But you go first...

[@zerocal76]

@@larahporter8123 😅😅 "you go first" good1

[@mycareergps]

Thoughts: 1) Those organizations that hire remotely will get the pick of A+ players. 2) If you cannot get sufficient collaboration within three days in the office, you are not in an environment conducive to collaboration. Either the management is falling down on the job, or the actual environment is the problem (physically and culturally). Instead of going to 5 days in the office, fix that first.

[@qatarworldcupwinnermessi]

Yea, but less and less jobs are remote because corporate world is built on control. Part of controlling someone is keeping them stressed, so they need you in the office.

[@officialnotesonlifepodcast]

Point #2 is spot on!

[@zerocal76]

*2 days not 3. By halfway thru the 2nd day ppl should be able to plank their as*es down and focus together.

[@kapp651]

This is a myth. +A talent will go to where the money and opportunities are at, regardless of remote flexibility. Much of what made those workers valuable were that they were team players and see the long term picture in terms of personal gains returned (which is alooot of money when talking about the best, not your avg dude). Remote work is nice but its not $200k+ nice.

[@bluetoast8584]

It’s too late to end remote work. If they didn’t get you back in office in 2022 or 2023 it’s too late. People have moved far away and money is too tight people cannot afford to commute.

[@qatarworldcupwinnermessi]

They can do whatever they want. They call the shots, you're just a worker.

[@bluetoast8584]

@@qatarworldcupwinnermessi I can also do whatever I want. You won’t see me in the office

[@DreadLordOfNaggaroth]

​@@bluetoast8584true, but still they are the ones who hold all the cards. You need them and a salary much more than they need you. If it's all remote, they can just outsource to India. It's all about commercial estate now. Once they get rid of it, they'll still get rid of first world office workers.

[@izzyhezz]

@@qatarworldcupwinnermessiand people have choices to not keep supporting these companies.

[@qatarworldcupwinnermessi]

@@izzyhezz Good luck with the boycott. I'm sure most Amazon Prime customers make their decision to pay based on where Amazon employees are working.

[@juli6497]

For those of us staying remote, management has decided they can squeeze more juice out of us. "You get the benefit of working in your pjs." They no longer take into account the overhead savings they are reaping and are jealous of our time. They are demanding increased productivity ONLY for the remote team members.

[@joes3376]

Perhaps we should abandon remote shopping and head back to brick and mortar stores.

[@MarkDaMak]

never gonna happen... the laziness has set in and strip malls are being demolished.

[@truthhurtsohwell05]

@@MarkDaMak and no one wants to go in the store with a bunch of nutbags lol

[@charbam9506]

@@joes3376 Very, very clever comment!! Touché Amazon! Thank you for making me smile amidst all this real gloom :)

[@ThrowBackZone]

I bet Amazon's top talent is already polishing their resumes for remote-friendly companies. This could be a huge brain drain! 🧠💥

[@kapp651]

Cope

[@bobsemple9341]

​@@kapp651cope? You sound so jealous. Why not just get a skill?

[@kapp651]

@@bobsemple9341 cope

[@NovaPrincess]

This is why Texans are sick of these out-of-state corporations (and Californians and New Yorkers) coming to the state, building up huge offices, and then overwhelming the roadways with people commuting 30 miles to sit at a desk. It's ridiculous.

[@DeaconG1959]

Floridians agree.

[@ernil-t3q]

@@DeaconG1959 And, in true Republican fashion, your response is... nothing. Ah, but I'm sure one day people will wake up, right? Then you'll show'em what for!

[@IP0Monsturd]

@@ernil-t3qand the democrats response is what? Bellyaching on KZbin?

[@ernil-t3q]

@@IP0Monsturd Democrats don't need a response. They're the ones doing it to you.

[@mechamicro]

This also. It absolutelt bull shit

[@Alexatorr]

After working remotely for 5+ years, I hardly see an opportunity or any sense to visit the office again, especially every day. Productivity is higher when people do not need to waste 1-2 hours of their life commuting to work, and these hours add to months which can be spent with the family or invested in yourself.

[@JonathanWymer-p7z]

In the 80's my Dad worked a modest job, Mom stayed at home and raised the kids, and they lived a nice middle class lifestyle including owning a home. Nowadays both I and my partner works and can barely afford to make ends meet. Soon the kids and family dog will need to work to keep this household going. It's the destruction of the American dream right before our eyes.

[@GerbertTurco]

I'm 54 and my wife and I are VERY worried about our future, gas and food prices rising daily. We have had our savings dwindle with the cost of living into the stratosphere, and we are finding it impossible to replace them. We can get by, but can't seem to get ahead. My condolences to anyone retiring in this crisis, 30 years nonstop just for a crooked system to take all you worked for.

[@DavidMoore987]

I feel your pain mate, as a fellow retiree, I'd suggest you look into passive index fund investing and learn some more. For me, I had my share of ups and downs when I first started looking for a consistent passive income so I hired an expert advisor for aid, and following her advice, I poured $30k in value stocks and digital assets, Up to 200k so far and pretty sure I'm ready for whatever comes.

[@EdgarBossen]

If you are not in the financial market space right now, you are making a huge mistake. I understand that it could be due to ignorance, but if you want to make your money work for you...prevent inflation

[@HerbertNorman-r6u]

I was a late bloomer, but Tracy Britt Cool Consulting, my financial advisor helped me bring it all together and got me into crypto. Now retired for 6 years at 72, my managed portfolio with Tracy generates about 9k a month on average more than my RMD on my retirement accounts. Not real big, but together with SS we're able to live reasonably with 160k a year. While being mortgage free.

[@HerbertNorman-r6u]

She is really a good investment advisor. Was privileged to attend some of her seminars.that's how I started my own crypto investment

[@lifesIronyboard]

In my opinion, whether intentionally or not, worker productivity may decline as a result of this decision. Many employees who, while working remotely, put in extra hours and maintained high engagement, might now feel that their preferences have been dismissed. This could lead them to adopt a more minimalist approach to work-doing only what's necessary to avoid being let go, rather than going above and beyond as they might have done when they had more flexibility.

[@truthhurts...6574]

I'm sorry but going above and beyond doesn't equate to more money being added to your paycheck. Just more responsibility for the same pay. I do what I am paid to do and nothing more. These greedy jobs care nothing about their employees and would post your job probably the very next day if something happended to you. I've seen these dirty rotten companies let go of employees who were getting ready to retire just to keep from giving them what they worked for.

[@Longlostpuss]

@@truthhurts...6574 If you've worked at a company for a long time and are near retirement, it's not in the company's interest to make you redundant, as they have to pay you a severance for every year you've worked there. If you'd been there say 25 years, your severance pay would be huge depending on the company and their individual policy. They're better off just letting you retire.

[@Sarah27H]

Yeah, they don't take into account that the commute savings are often turned over to the company. I've always worked remote, since 2011 when I graduated, and the fight we have in my sector is limiting people from over-working since they're all at home.

[@truthhurts...6574]

@@Longlostpuss every company is not the same. I'm speaking from what I have witnessed in my 20 years of working. Believe it or not some people are very spiteful and do not want to see you have a good life. It angers some to see you retiring getting out the rat race especially if you are not broken down and in bad health able to start a new venture in life. I've seen it in the military too with them trying to kick out people before before they can get retirement. Those asre the ones that then go to try to get medically chaptered out to get something for their years of service. It's a dirty game.

[@garygoodrich7495]

This is a bad decision. Here's why. Remote work allows companies to see other candidates, highly experienced candidates, and potentially game-changing productive employees who could play an integral role in the success of a company but doesn't live near that company's HQ or main office. If you're a company President or CEO why limit yourself to just the talent that's available in your market? The best employee for your company could be someone living on the other side of the country. Why do you think Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google Meets was invented???

[@pwalkleyuk]

Amazon were recruiting fully remote roles during the pandemic (I was approached for one). Anyone who took a job on that basis has just been given a nasty rug pull and needs to talk to an employment lawyer if they don't make the "special exemptions" list. If enough people fight it, the bad publicity and cost may just trigger a re-think.

[@pedros1]

If "remote" was in the contract then go to the court

[@qatarworldcupwinnermessi]

No, they will just replace the ones that can't work in the office. CEO already said they can't win and he is right. Only one that can win is the CEO. He is still working remote.

[@IP0Monsturd]

Good luck finding a competent lawyer to take on Jeff Bezos. And I hope you have a ton of cash for a retainer because I doubt a good lawyer will do it pro bono.

[@NaomiCantora]

I work for an Amazon company. Those contracts also state things can change according to what's best for the business. Trust me there's no winning a court case. Those fully remote positions are being demolished and RTO 5 days a week is here to stay. I wish it wasn't true as I absolutely love wfh but sadly, it is and you'll need to RTO if you want to stay w the company.

[@Tristin471]

I’m not saying that they should, but if they were going to end remote working, they should have done it in ‘21 or ‘22. The fact that it’s been a thing for 5 years, makes ending remote working that much more ridiculous!

[@watamatafoyu]

Can we try the Great Resignation again? Apparently it's the only way giant corporations will care to treat workers fairly.

[@AverageJoeDividends]

Too many people are broke right now...

[@michaellightbown9492]

You first

[@jackb348]

The economy is basically toast now.

[@zerocal76]

You go first bud 😁 lol Honestly the onyl power we have is as consumers, not as employees. Vote w/ your wallet ppl and stop buying so much useless crap! Seriously, so many ppl do it. If Americans really changed that habit, prices for a lot of things would drop!

[@bobbyggezs2898]

@@zerocal76 Speaking of useless shit people keep buying stupid shit from Amazon, especially sex toys. Friends that work there say they keep having to pack them.

[@edash2065]

This is likely a backhanded way to push people towards quitting, i.e. back door way of laying people off.

[@IP0Monsturd]

And judging from the comments it will work beautifully.

[@alexlopez5800]

Yup!

[@kapp651]

Ok. And?

[@J-tu3hw]

@@edash2065 100% essentially cheaper may lay off then drop the costs of hiring people local and remote. The best of the best will be fine. The average 80% will take a pay cut.

[@bobbyggezs2898]

Amazon has high turnover rates, but counters that by over hiring people. Depending on the level there are no interviews or background checks. For office workers they do multiple types of interviews and practice exams.

[@user-mb8rf7qk5q]

Remote work will not last very long. They’d rather have less people working in the office where they could see them, than infinite people working from home unsupervised. Actually the end goal is AI chat bots handling everything

[@Gabor-jn9zc]

1. Fewer people, not less people. 2. Companies that hire remote will out-compete others. 3. non-narrow ai is mostly hype.

[@Jupiterxice]

Listen companies are not loyal to you. And this remote work will be a tension between employees and employer. So this will be interesting.

[@bryanwalthall5483]

Those window offices won't be admired by remote workers and the executives can't have their pointless all hands where they can brag about their bonuses and have their butts kissed by *that* employee who always asks the questions at the end of an all hands. Who else will appreciate the executives' parking spaces? Who will laugh at their lame jokes? They're just a spouse or partner or parent at home. But, they are royalty in the office. What executive would give that up?

[@neugey]

LOL! But they still get to flex on LinkedIn. That's gotta count for something.

[@Dweeble233]

Agreed. I hate All Hands meetings. Just a waste of productive time. Shameless cheerleading and butt kissing.

[@truthhurts...6574]

Another small thing that's being overlooked that I picked up on when the pandemic happened was that a lot these men were desperate to get back into the office because they didn't want to be around their families 24/7 at home. Also they couldn't get out as freely to meet up with their mistresses and hookups buddies. I knew of at least 2 men cheating on their wives who were mad that we all didn't get called back into the office during the pandemic. The office was available to anyone to use if they were having internet issues or needed a quiet space, but nope those individuals wanted all of us back in the office because they ran out of excuses to tell their spouses. I just laughed them.

[@tumbles8715]

Being in the office doesn't increase collaboration....CEOs just want to see their worker bees

[@IP0Monsturd]

Tell your CEO to pound sand. You aren’t getting out of your pajamas for anybody!

[@truthhurtsohwell05]

and the crappy coworkers want to bother people. lie about good workers and keep up drama. no thank you. i love working in my pjs

[@bimrebeats]

may be, but there certainly is an increased risk in terms of information and system security

[@CIS101]

And here's another problem. A lot of companies hired people to work remotely during the Pandemic to the point where there aren't enough desks at the office IF everyone showed up for example. I was hired in May 2024 and there's currently no desk for me at the office.

[@edupunknoob]

This right here. Most companies aren't cash rich enough to have held on to their giant, empty offices. There is nowhere for many to go.

[@CIS101]

@@edupunknoob Ok so then why don't they sell or abandon their real estate, and let people work from home ?!

[@edupunknoob]

@@CIS101 That's what a lot of companies did. I wish more (like Amazon) had done that rather than leave giant buildings vacant in the middle of a housing crisis.

[@CIS101]

@@edupunknoob Ah but here's a twist. A lot of those buildings can be converted to apartments, and condos. There's an architect out there who has come up with a rating system to determine which office buildings can be converted, and which cannot.

[@edupunknoob]

@@CIS101 you're phrasing that like we're arguing. I'm not disagreeing with you. It would be great if we actually used the real estate for something we need rather than something to make big corp balance sheets look better.

[@Epicurus345]

Great work culture in which you aren't allowed to have toilet breaks during shifts.

[@cybernightzero5891]

I've said this before and will say it again, hoping what I'm saying will get attention. But hear me out: At this point, the government should step in when companies try to do this. We know what they're trying to do. They do this as a way to force people to quit. Companies do this so they won't need to pay 1. Avoid paying severance packages 2. Avoid paying unemployment. I can bet money that we'll hear about Amazon laying off workers shortly. This is just a form of manipulation.

[@DreadLordOfNaggaroth]

The government is in their pocket. Be real

[@RyanAnnan-wc1lf]

I just want to thank you for all that you do! In June I was laid off from a remote TPM role at a Bay Area tech company and I watched nearly every one of your videos. I just accepted a Staff level TPM role at a Fortune 100! Much higher level and significantly higher pay! Couldn’t have done it without you!

[@DavidWilliams-q7b]

Your video inspired me to lower my pay expectations to $7.25 per hour (minimum wage) as an experienced Data Engineer. I would rather get minimum wage than return to the office. Life is better at $20K remotely than $130K in the office.

[@kevinmach730]

I assume you're speaking hyperbolically, but I can agree with your setiment to some degree. Some of IT jobs in my area (legit,customer facing IT jobs,not just resetting passwords over the phone) are still paying about 50-60k a year in my area. Long hours with no ovetime, stresful, projects that go on along with your already assigned duties, if you take vacation or a sick day your work sitting there waitig for you. Meanwhile, some fast food / retail jobs with no experience are paying18/20hr. Is all the BS really worth the extra 10k a year?

[@also307]

All hail forced collaboration! It is now a part of our great culture to make people waste thousands precious hours of their lives commuting to work and stressing out! We could compensate for the "lack" of collaboration by coming up with some creative ways to fix it, like setting up more company parties or informal out-of-office offline meetings and seeing each other in person during some fun stuff outside of work, but we're too lazy for that, and it's much easier to just try to force you back! That's our culture!

[@Old_Sailor85]

I had no desire to see 99% of my co-workers at "a party" or any function outside of work. They are co-workers, not friends. Retired since 1/2020. Y'all can have it.

[@truthhurts...6574]

As a employee I refuse to do anything outside of my job with coworkers. A lot of other people feel the same and would not attend anything either.

[@CT-yc4gd]

My viewpoint is this. If companies can outsource jobs to other countries, they can let people work from home. This is likely just about control and to make sure they have eyes on everyone at all times.

[@tinaperez7393]

An anxious staff is a much less productive one. It's so idiotic. As a boss (and or manager) what do I want? For my staff to be anxious and distracted, or physically and mentally comfortable and focussed / so they can focus on their work? That's a no brainer to me but higher ups and corporate c-suite types aren't often the wisest bunch when it comes to people. I've read some articles that theorize that it's a lot of it is about the big execs and their egos. They don't feel as big and important when they can't see & be seen, and wave their arm across a physical spread and domain of people who work for them - and who HAVE to acknowledge and smile at them cuz they're dependent on them for their jobs. It's like plantation mentality.

[@roberth4395]

Most “office” companies are owned by bigger giant companies that own 10+ smaller companies. These mega corporations often own and rent the office buildings to their smaller companies. Just follow the money.

[@curiouspenguin6887]

So they'll be paying more so people can afford to live near corporate offices, right?

[@maryjanesnow]

They’re already paying too much. Remote work has ruined Seattle and the babies whining about it are the ones who can afford to live near the corporate office, as they should.

[@vectorwolf]

The only reason management hates remote work is that their little tinpot dictator souls can't bear the thought that people might not have their nose to the grindstone every living second. Being remote keeps them at arms length and they hate that. Instead of being concerned with the real work and whether it gets done properly by the deadline, they obsess over making sure people are 'busy' every second. Trivia fact... people can't work that way because we aren't machines. So what ends up happening is that either people make themselves sick by stressing over being watched incessantly, or they spend all their time figuring out how to evade panopticon culture and not working...

[@ariahlea]

Bingo!

[@karihosny9420]

I think the executives want the real estate to be used.

[@lifecyclestyled6732]

Correct, once the rental lease is up or if they can sale the property, they will be happy to have remote workers to save a ton of money.

[@zesky6654]

@@lifecyclestyled6732 They don't care about the money, the money belongs to the company. They want to have a big fancy desk in a big fancy office and boss around underlings.

[@JeiBurke]

Yeah they had to spend money on that stupid biodome thing instead of paying people fairly

[@kapp651]

You "think" this because everyone else says this. And?

[@ButterflyBree]

If these companies want to improve and create healthy workplace cultures, they'd at the very least allow hybrid work. Productivity improved while employees worked remotely. I'm currently looking for optimal remote work opportunities. I left the traditional 8 to 4:30pm healthcare job because the work environment was toxic. Especially post pandemic. I have PTSD from my last job. A lot of toxic employees and supervisors are in these companies and they're not being held accountable for their bad behavior.

[@user-cz8do7xl8u]

My boss is in Detroit, my co worker is in Souix Falls and our director is in Alabama. Yeah, not moving.

[@dmitripogosian5084]

Are you working for Amazon ?

[@stephenharber5694]

GM?

[@gokuskywalker2442]

I got diagnosed with PTSD, aggravated by being placed into Focus at Amazon, a situation so ugly that ended up with my supervisor being fired , after he threatened me during a phone call. Despite the admission of guilt, they did not take me out of Focus. This was less than a year ago. I think the reduction targets were being demanded from L8s and L7s for a while now, but maybe PIPs were not doing the job fast enough? Good ol’ Andy helping the boys with a 5 days mandate, gonna send those middle managers out of the door much faster.

[@JustinHitt]

If they let you work remotely as part of reasonable accommodations, you'll be stigmatized as not a team player.

[@simaancheno]

I don't understand why people would work for such a company.

[@gokuskywalker2442]

@@JustinHitt funny thing is that I live close to their offices, I was there 5 days a week on my own will. I guess even more reason to try to make me leave by other means…

[@cpK054L]

Was your supervisor.... Indian?

[@gokuskywalker2442]

@@cpK054L no, and he was a tenured amazonian , 10 years with the company

[@TheNora_]

You are asking if remote workers are lazy? Check the quarterly profit reports. Last one was +13% profit for Amazon. And the raises they offered didn’t even cover inflation!!

[@Joe-ku1ko]

The reason they do this is because its not about fostering collaboration, its about getting people to leave. They don't need work to get done at this point, so the people hired aren't hired for their ability to get done, they are hired because they gamed the system well enough to get approval from everyone.

[@chrisj699]

Exactly! This will let them get rid of people without the the cost and negative perception of doing formal layoffs.

[@alexhigginbotham8635]

... and keep in mind... that NONE of these pos corporations are offering an extra CENT of pay to compensate the employees for having to move, commute, or anything. Interestingly in my ENTIRE career I have yet to see any contract ever that compensates any employee for those costs associated with employment.

[@truthhurtsohwell05]

I think remote work needs to be a priority. The office work place is fully of bullies, sabotaging, harassment and drama. No thanks. I don't want people counting how many shits I take a day.

[@Headhunter_212]

Amazon spent 20 years dragging as many people as possible to Seattle. Now it's unaffordable and impractical. And you can't really build vertically there. Part of this will look like a slow-motion RIF and more voluntary quits. Some will stay, some will leave. May a thousand startups bloom!

[@mwends1618]

Absolutely!! I think it is going to encourage people to get out and start a business. Lots of talk on the campaign trail offering tax credits for small business start ups.

[@michaelallaway8650]

I can’t wait for millennials to be in charge cuz they’ll understand the value of allowing employees to work remotely without sacrificing productivity

[@Memememe-is1yn]

A friend of mine who did remote work for Amazon was just let go without warning. He lives in a rural area and was the bread winner for his wife and three kids. I'm trying to help him get a job at the company I work for right now.

[@lowermichigan4437]

Employers have returned to power in the job market. They are going to force what they want now. This is likely also an effort to reduce head count on the cheap.

[@timgibney5590]

It will bite them in the rear end in 3 years when there will be yet another shortage of IT workers

[@Ravi-rl8tt]

Use your heads here guys. This is here to trigger layoffs. Knowing that, I definitely wouldn’t move back. If they’re trying stuff like this, where’s the guarantee that there won’t be another sweeping around of layoffs when not enough people had the balls to resign in this market?

[@SurpriseMeJT]

I work in software and they were getting rid of all remote workers. I am fully remote and in a reduced team asked to work more than double the load we were doing previously. They targeted me, but since I'm employed in France, they had to give me 6 months of salary even though I only worked 2 years with them. They were the hardest 2 years of my working life. They squeezed me like a lemon but eventually I just started working at my own pace and forced them to negotiate my leaving. Thankfully, I don't need to do what they tell me because I have a good FU fund.

[@IP0Monsturd]

If I had to bet on who would win this contest. Jeff Bezos or the pajama wearing work at home employee I think I would put my money on Jeff.

[@Ravi-rl8tt]

@@IP0Monsturd The loser who doesn’t know how long his work takes and would believe it if I told him modifying a simple line of code took eight weeks while I took advantage of it and worked six jobs? Jeff Bozos is a joke.

[@sephiroth7818]

This is just Amazon pre-gaming for a mass lay off. And remote workers are just low hanging fruit. If there's no office close to the remote worker....

[@IP0Monsturd]

Jeff Bezos and his upper management team aren’t dummies.

[@MegaGman83]

What's wild is I work remote and went into an office and we still met on teams while all in the same building to talk about the same shit lol. Corporate word salad that doesn't mean anything leading to layoffs. This is why i day drink and do the bare minimum. My middle manager is the best and the director is the hindrance.

[@witblitsfpv1265]

5 days back in the office is the last straw, never doing that again.

[@coolerking7427]

Me either. I work from home five days a week. On weekends I work at a local school kitchen. Its a mile down the road. Not going to change nothing.

[@JoesIceCreamCone]

Just a way to get people to quit.

[@kevinkirchner8839]

"Middle Management" is technically directors & above. It's the middle between the staff managers and the executives. they are the ones who spend all their time keeping updated on the actual status from the staff managers, summarizing directives from executives and results from staff, and then coordinating actions across the organization. Removing middle management means either a) combining functions under the same staff manager, which simplifies the coordination, or b) putting the coordination activity on the staff manager or individual contributor, which increases their workload. Alternatively, the company can create a class of 'superhero' project managers and turn any change into a project; this doesn't eliminate middle management, changes its nature.

[@AnnaSzabo]

People don’t even all to each other at the office. Teams are distributed across the world. Why drive to be on a laptop talking to your team VIRTUALLY??? 😢

[@luvshak3095]

I work for Americans largest retailer. We had the RTO a few months ago. Was told this was because we're a "people culture." First, you're a Fortune 1 company that makes billions of dollars in profit each year while having hundreds, if not thousands, of store associates on welfare. Whom you get a tax benefit from. Stop calling yourself a "people culture." Second, I now travel from Connecticut to New Jersey, every day, to the office to have the same discussions via email and Slack that I could have had at home. Get phuqed.

[@pensivepenguin3000]

Thanks a lot, Amazon. As if it already wasn’t hard enough in this tech market to get a different position. I’m stuck under a toxic boss at a dysfunctional startup and I’ve desperately want it out for many months now. Trying all the things that the experts say when looking for a new job and I’m coming up With nothing. It’s depressing, and I feel like my walls are closing in

[@FIVE5-r6z]

This is going to backfire horrendously.

[@learntoplumb]

if it does, theres ai and outsourcing to india

[@morganseppy5180]

Depends on what the goal is. If they want voluntary layoffs, it will be great and their labor costs will look great without having to pay out.

[@istvantoth7431]

It won't. In a capitalist society/economy the Companies dictate. Not the Employees. Simple as. People will eventually be happy just to have a job, believe me.

[@yiyao1522]

I don’t know about AI, but tech companies had tried outsourcing ever since the 90s and failed horribly each time.

[@itmeng]

@@learntoplumbwell you know what AI stands for… An Indian

[@nalen5050]

after that level of corporate gaslighting, I have to go to puke....

[@8MunchenBayern8]

It’s just a way to lay off without severance

[@russell8032]

Amazon is setting a precedent in a way, which is unfortunate. I am at a senior level in my role and am fully remote. Like Bryan said, increase your skillset and if you have good experience, it will help you stand out among hundreds of applicants wanting that same remote job.

[@IP0Monsturd]

Some time in the near future that “same remote job” will be done by A.I. The tech industry isn’t dead, it just has stage 4 terminal cancer and a bum ticker.

[@owningyourfinances]

In short, they are getting ready to do a RIF, and this is a pre-RIF RIF, or a quiet RIF. See who leaves, then decide if it's enough to satisfy their shareholders. It's impossible to be ignorant of the gravity of remote work in the workplace, and people don't have short memories. If you can offer it as a company, you should. When the market is back in the power of Job seekers, they will remember actions like these like it was yesterday. 100% guaranteed.

[@dynamo3059]

the market is almost never in the average job seekers hands except for very short periods of time top performers dont have a problem though no matter what the state of the market is. a lot of those people either left already or will leave

[@gz6x]

@@dynamo3059 Top performers are not insulated, just to a lesser degree.

[@dynamo3059]

@@gz6x they are in that they can always get another job

[@IP0Monsturd]

By then, A.I will be is full swing. You will be wishing you had a job to commute to.

[@owningyourfinances]

@@IP0Monsturd Could be. I wonder though if AI will fail to thrive if people refuse to engage with it in the consumer space. "Oh, it's AI-driven? Nevermind, I'll go somewhere I get actual human interaction". Maybe if we vote loud enough with our dollars, we can make an impact and increase the value of investing in people.

[@BrandonSorenson-fb3gg]

Im going to be canceling my prime account, something ive had for 10 years.

[@tinaperez7393]

Unless there's an organized mass movement of that kind of action, and at a big enough level to have an affect on Amazon profits, don't bother. They don't care and won't notice. If it's convenience and service benefits you, keep it. They're a huge global corporation (there's an Amazon for most countries and languages) that's too big and successful (and too convenient and popular to its users) to be affected by anything like a few people here and there cancelling prime in protest.

[@MichaelWaisJr]

😂Ok

[@frankprit3320]

Just another CEO on a power trip. Companys don't have the leverage they use to have, because fewer young people are married or have children these days. all they have to worry about is themselves. SO, (you can't FORCE them to do something they don't want to do.)

[@IP0Monsturd]

Yeah, and A.I. is just around the corner. Tell your boss to pound sand and stay in your pajamas. There is nothing to worry about.

[@jpizzzle89]

Average American spends $51/day commuting to work plus food etc. all of that was realized during the pandemic fantasy furlough era. This is gonna get ugly 😂

[@Bailey1879]

Amazon has a reputation for being a lousy place to work where I'm from.

[@hopeinajar77]

Nope , never going back in an office!

[@TheNora_]

Covid is the best thing that ever happened to me as a single mother. I am an individual contributor, not team contributor. I’d rather ask and build with my AI agent rather than a colleague… AI is a much more knowledgeable colleague. I am NOT going back to the office. Employees are not all alike.

[@ybergik]

The lawmakers should prohibit in-office work for anyone who can work remotely. The benefits to the environment are huge.

[@sirnoodles78]

I worked in the office as a dev for many years. Basically just spent most of my time in teams or slack. Especially since half my team was in another country. It’s absolutely a waste of time to make people drive into an office

[@cptcosmo]

They are trying to get people to quit so they don't have to lay them off an look like the bad guys.

[@sugarhighwolf]

I wouldn't be surprised if the cities were trying to force people back into the office buildings. I mean, think about how much money gets spent for lunch, shopping, etc during an average work day.

[@europana7]

Glad I retired this year w 1 yr severance in lieau of return to office in a different city all together

[@incognito9428]

“Peasants” need to know their place. When you seat in a dark cubicle in the office without windows, on a poopy, 25 years old, chair and look into 10 y.o. monitor . It should help you better understand your “peasant’s” place in a corporate hierarchy.

[@EzraAlistair]

No wonder traffic has been crap lately....

[@karenwang313]

The thing about remote work is that if something can be done remotely, it can be outsourced to India or whatever for cheaper.

[@TheBlackCat1337]

I wounder how many of them were disabled.

[@Codester91670]

My employer just made an announcement last Friday for transitioning from 1 day in office a week to 3 and I fear it will increase next year and we down sized our offices, I suspect this is a way to try to get labor cost down and then they will go back to our understaffed ways and be miserable. I won't say it is surprising, nor will it kill me, but this is going to force many of us to change our daily and weekly planning. It's a power move companies are doing to get back control, especially big cities where they want to keep their properties open and in use for tax purposes. I see many young people with kids who rely on remote space to get job done. Some day cares are not allowing more kids in. It's incredibly careless the research being done to rationalize full returns to office. No pay increase for travel back so you take a pay cut to do it over all. You have less time for you day as well with travel to and from. It's crap. Some companies know zero about retention strategy.

[@mfmcintyre]

The right choice of an investment has always been a big problem for me I know picking a wrong investment will leave a big scar in the future

[@JasperMaartenHoutman]

It’s really heartbreaking to see how inflation and recession impact low-income families. The cost of living keeps rising, and many struggle just to meet basic needs, let alone save or invest. It’s a reminder of the importance of finding ways to create financial opportunities. You've helped me a lot sir Brian! Imagine i invested $50,000 and received $190,500 after 14 days

[@katiekilbo]

Absolutely! Profits are possible, especially now, but complex transactions should be handled by experienced market professionals.

[@MianHussnain-tu1wi]

Some persons think inves'tin is all about buying stocks; I think going into the stock market without a good experience is a big risk, that's why I'm lucky to have seen someone like mr Brian C Nelson.

[@whitefearlytales]

Finding yourself a good broker is as same as finding a good wife, which you go less stress, you get just enough with so much little effort at things

[@quantarrow]

Brian demonstrates an excellent understanding of market trends, making well informed decisions that leads to consistent profit

[@georgecook5120]

The same thing is happening where I work. In my opinion I think there are several reasons for this, but I think the main two are: 1. A lot of companies either own or are in leases for office space. There's the whole thing about spending a bunch of money for a vacant building or floor(s). 2. I believe a lot of middle management was exposed. They found out that most of them are not necessary and all they are there to do is to approve your time off and give you performance evaluations. Within 10 years a lot of middle management will be let go due to AI. Some robot will be doing the very things they are doing today.

[@s0urp0wer5]

Complete power tripping

[@MRkriegs]

Asking employees to show up to work is not power tripping. Jesus Christ

[@DesertMav]

They just announced at my workplace that they are going back to full-time in-office again. They claim that the reason why is that working remotely is a security liability and that the project wants us back in office 100%. We were scheduled to eventually go back in a hybrid schedule where we would only go into the office 2 days a week. Apparently, from my I've heard from the rumor mill at work is that our off-shore IT folks violated processes that lead to security breaches that cost the company money, so they are going to take it out on us American workers. On top of that, they gave us all crappy merit increases this year even though we did so well throughout the year. The only benefit my job had was it being remote/hybrid. If that goes away, I'll just start looking for other jobs where I can get a nice pay bump.

[@cgarcia7614]

Good luck looking for young talent, I work remotely and I'd never go back to an office environment, not even for more money. I understand that for some positions it might be advatageous to go to the office but at least for technical jobs I don´t see the point to go back, I don´t need to socialize with anybody. Ist just a job

[@deidrediane9594]

There has been thousands of high salary employees from California who decided to move out of state during the pandemic, and bought homes all across Texas and Oklahoma because the homes are more affordable. Now, these big tech companies and corporations are making them all come back into the office. Most assume they would be working remote permanently. After 3 years working remotely, we were told we had to come back into the office. It was very difficult, but I'm grateful to have a job.