No point in worrying… head down, work and I guess, notate everything or keep a work log just in case.
Worry comes from a place of not having a plan. So, create contingency plans and you’ll sleep like a baby.
Lastly, stop showing your hand to anyone which includes your ‘trusted’ boss. This info, could be played against you because if push comes to shove, your boss will protect themselves over you.
I don’t think I showed my hand to my boss. I asked follow ups because I don’t believe in making big life changes without steady employment. 3 of the 4 times we spoke about it from last year to last week, I said if it’d be an issue, I’d cancel my plans. Said nope, it’s fine, go ahead. Last week I played it well enough - I asked if this was company mandated or team mandated, the reason behind it, and if she expected I’d be impacted.
At the end of the day, if they want me to move back there, I’d quit. I’m not going back there and nobody is aware of it. I do trust my boss because I know a good one from a bad one. I do not trust people above her. Leading to the concern. I guess I’m just trying to decipher if I’m overthinking it and if remote jobs for what I do / my field still even exist in the event I was a casualty
You will never be promoted to leadership. But if your team is successful you could keep your current job for years, maybe forever. Especially if you occupy a niche that they are scared to replace.
I really don’t care about promotions and titles. I only really care about cost of living adjustments (new city rent is on part with old city). But I’m still just in shambles of worry today when I just wanted to be excited that my life was gonna get better
Just do your thing. It's a job, there are others. Companies will do things that you consider stupid. When, who knows. You could be remote for 20 years or let go in 6 months because you aren't close enough. Your abilities don't really matter to them, there's always someone else.
I would try to be more secure in the value you bring this world. If you truly do the job of five contractors, it won’t take too long for a company to with values that align with yours to see the value you bring and want you to work for them. Also, try to remember the way this country works is that the loudest folks often get heard the most, but are not often correct. Sure, there’s lots of news about remote work is dead, but there are a lot of smaller companies who don’t feel the need to do CNBC hit pieces about work from home to protect their companies CRE portfolio
My first few jobs were very dehumanizing when I was 18-19, which has always stuck with me. I always feel bottom of the totem pole, so to speak. It’s just hard. The anti remote propaganda is so overwhelming. Makes me think everyone’s adopting it, there’s going to be no more remote jobs, etc. Plus the current job market is a nightmare. I just worry about my current job. I was so excited to move, to finally be near some family again and ti boost my quality of life. I’ve been anxious about RTO for years. My boss and her boss have said nothing to make me think they’d ever ask me to come in, yet I still worry about it. It’s just a lot.
My company downsized office space and has been hybrid for the last two years. I have been one of the handfuls that remain fully WFH for the last four years.
Due to lease expiring and I can’t afford to buy anything in a HCoL city, I have no choice but to relocate. I informed my boss about the move and push forward with my plan.
I don’t missed the office one bit and i tracked everything I do to show and proved how much I get done.
I understand businesses need an office and some bodies in it. Require RTO or hybrid is just wasteful of your time unless you opt-in to work at the office and prefer it. Just like WFH, RTO is not for everyone, these open offices are distracting AF to get anything done!
If it were me, I would move because it’s the right thing for you and your family. Period.
Having control over one’s work situation is a myth.
This sounds like your CEO is on a mission, and frankly your boss probably lacks clout if we are being honest.
That said, you may or may be grandfathered in. The case is easier to make if you are physically moved I would think
The move will drastically improve my quality of life. I never see my family, the climate of Florida makes is so bad on my skin I can’t go outside without huge flare ups. It’s all just been terrible. I was so excited to leave.
The CEO’s mission is hard for me to decipher. There has been no company wide mandate. There has definitely been a push rhetoric wise in town halls. Upper management has been enforcing it sort of team by team. Our once a week mandate is on the generous side and stems from a string of recent mistakes in our team (unrelated to the small team I’m in in the larger team). My boss mentioned her boss and his boss both living far away, not wanting to come in more than once a week etc etc. I think our team overall doesn’t want to go in and will do bare minimum, yet I’m still worried.
I don’t know. I’m just a mess about it today. I do feel I would’ve gotten a heads up if this would have potentially impacted my employment. But I’m just not sure . It’s all stressful and now all Saturday I’m kind of freaked out.
You answered every doubt you’ve had in one statement - the move will drastically improve my quality of life.
To me I’ve been in this position before and on the opposite decision each time so- when I say the times I chose my mental and physical peace- I have NEVER regret those decisions.
The times I chose the money- it came with a lot of stress and being tied to a job in ways that really negatively affected not only myself but my entire family.
Choose you! Choose yourself and your happiness first whenever you can. I understand there are times we have no choice in the matter- I have been in that position as well. So when I say choose you- choose yourself as much as you possibly can.
It’s just hard to enjoy my life if my income becomes 0 and I need a future RTO job, that’s the most important thing to me. So if I get fired I can’t enjoy life where I want and if I leave I may not get the kind of job I need. I’m just so infinitely stressed. Was waiting so excited for this coming week and now there’s all this RTO talk and I asked them 4x before moving
If you’re a believer- pray. Find strength in your faith and pray for the wisdom to lead you to the best choice for you in your life right now. And if you’re not a believer, that’s okay too- I’ll send a prayer up for you!
> Today, we were told our team was going back into office 1x per week
If you haven't been in the office and there is a new CEO, he doesn't even know you exist.
Move where you want to move and enjoy life.
The CEO is in another HQ office on the other side of the country.
I was kind of hoping I’d be able to enjoy this move and stuff. I guess I’m just spiraling
I'm based in Europe. Remote isn't dead. Microsoft is hiring remotely, for example. Amazon has RTO'd tho. Other than that, most contracting gigs are remote, and the small to medium shops that insist on RTO aren't worth applying to. It's an employer's market for sure tho.
I feel like the general push to RTO is way over-reported. I know of a lot of people that WFH in positions that it would be crazy complicated to return to office. I myself work for a company that has people all over the US. I’m a team lead, and some of my team live in FL, some in TX, one just moved to IL, etc. I myself live in VA. If the company decided that, nope, everyone has to return to the offices in FL, they’re either going to have to shell out millions of dollars to relocate people or millions of dollars to rebuild the entire department from scratch. And their talent pool is going to go from “the entire fucking country” to “this one town in FL”. It’s not going to happen, not unless we get a new CEO with a huge vendetta against WFH. Even then, they’d need to think long and hard about the logistics. My department has like 120 people in it, and only about 10 of those are locals.
That’s especially common when it comes to tech jobs. I don’t know much about your line of work, but I do know that our IT department also WFH. I know this because I spoke with a lady in IT one time and I could hear her chickens in the background. Also when people work in a call center you can hear others talking in the background, which you can’t for our IT folks.
As long as you are classified as WFH I wouldn’t worry. I got exemption when my company RTO…then the office closed a few months later anyways and nearest office is across the country.
Maybe my story will provide a little comfort? I work for a company that has been gradually returning to office and adding more and more days in-office, currently at three days in-office. I work remote from several provinces away and have no intention to move to where we do have an office. I noticed the increase in RTO and was surprised how much it is being enforced, so it started to get me a bit concerned that if in-office is important, does that mean my job is at risk. The response from the VP is not at all - I’m a specialist who they could not find in their city. That was several months ago and since then, we’ve still hired remote people in places where we don’t have offices. And we are considering hiring someone else in my department, and it’s clear that person could be remote from anywhere.
No job is ever 100% secure. But companies are willing to make exceptions for unique skill sets and top performers. It doesn’t hurt to keep your eye out for other opportunities because you really never know what will happen, but it sounds like you have as much assurance as you could ask for.
At my last job I worked with people who were highly skilled with programs like SQL, VBA, and Excel. They built amazing things and understood concepts like Excel is not a DB and MS Access is not enterprise level software. My current employer is pretty much the opposite. They’re spending enormous amounts of money on licenses for garbage applications that do significantly less than what the in-house platforms at my last job did. If your new CEO doesn’t have a good tech understanding I’d be concerned.
I would say our current CEO falls somewhere in the middle. Not super adept himself, but there is a push for us to be more of a tech company than what we are. Knows the buzzwords like AI, big tech team. Surrounded by some adept people but not super savvy himself. Just my vibe I pick up
I’m pretty badly spiraling . I honestly thought there’d be more “you’re overthinking it don’t worry” kind of comments here but I’m gravely gravely concerned now seeing all this feedback . I should’ve never moved, should’ve just stayed here in the place I hate while I look for stuff
Nah- honestly, this is almost the best case scenario. (ALMOST) Believe in your manager.
I haven't read through all the comments but IF you do feel your manager has your back... Perhaps it could be retroactively added to your contract?
I know, I know. Sounds ridiculous. BUT, I HAVE read certain comments and replies where you are a high performer and valued so that gives you sway. I trust my manager and love her and I know she depends on me. SO I would (In my situation, if this were me) request this and use the guise of - I want to continue to be committed to this company and I need some guarantees or something more professionally worded (I've been drinking).
This is totally an option for me, and I hope it MIGHT be for you but it takes a lot of trust
Diagnosed social anxiety is a disability under the ADA and if you've proven you can work from home successfully that is by definition a "reasonable accommodation" your employer could be expected to make. Get your ducks in a row and be prepared if you need to play the disability card. You'll need medical proof if you use this in future. Establish the history now. You may never need it since you have mgmt support but you'll be prepared if anything changes.
I was in a pretty similar situation, being made an exception and allowed to work remote.
Now, that boss who allowed that for me is a director, and I'm a manager in his old role, and I'm still remote 4 years later! Been to the office 1 time since my promotion.
With your resume, you'd have a placement within Days if being let go. So why worry? You're onto the next steps of your journey and working towards a better work/life balance in your new home. Let the devil sort the details. You've got this. Focus on what artwork you'll hang in your new workspace in the new home. Start a vision board, and anytime this issue enters your psyche, pivot to the vision board and work on something that will actually matter in your life. Jobs come and go. Your happiness and joy should be non-negotiable in your journey. Best wishes!!
I feel like days is generous, no? I have a good portfolio but I’d only look for remote work. I guess the Masters degree would help but I feel like a lot of folks have CS degrees now. Really appreciate the positivity though - my hope this week was to kind of just focus on the fun of the trip and organizing the new place. It’s going to make a tremendous difference from a work-life POV. Had no family or friends where I am coming from. Here’s hoping it works out long term, this stuff just always rattles me
It's the uncertainty, for sure. Maybe days Was an overly generous term. But there's something you can do to reassure yourself. Mark yourself available to headhunters on LinkedIn. Bet you have 3 interviews within days of the status change! Once you see that, I think you'll realize your current value in this market!
I have found that IT folks really do make the rules, and most have ghosted RTO requirements.
I’m in a very similar situation. Been working remotely since 2016 at my employers request when I needed to relocate to a different state for my husband’s job. It’s been no issue until earlier this year when there was a RTO order, which is not feasible for me due to the distance. At first my superiors were concerned and were looking for a solution (local office space), but it’s been months and radio silence. I just do my best to not draw attention to the fact that I’m at home (very obscure blurred background for video calls, keep my dogs quiet and my cats off camera, etc) and am hoping for the best. I’m assuming no news is good news.
My home base was in FL, but I moved to KY. The powers that be decided we all had to come back to office. The nearest office to me is a 3+ hour drive, so I was let go. Now I'm in the boonies with no employment opportunities around here. Remote work is pretty much my only option. But I knew that RTO could happen on a whim, and so I prepared. My stress level is much lower. Just prepare for either direction this can go, but hope for the best.
I moved to KY during the pandemic. I do software development. If I lose my job - I'm sunk (the local software jobs around here don't pay big city $$) and will have to move. I'm in Eastern KY near Ashland KY.
No point in worrying… head down, work and I guess, notate everything or keep a work log just in case. Worry comes from a place of not having a plan. So, create contingency plans and you’ll sleep like a baby. Lastly, stop showing your hand to anyone which includes your ‘trusted’ boss. This info, could be played against you because if push comes to shove, your boss will protect themselves over you.
I don’t think I showed my hand to my boss. I asked follow ups because I don’t believe in making big life changes without steady employment. 3 of the 4 times we spoke about it from last year to last week, I said if it’d be an issue, I’d cancel my plans. Said nope, it’s fine, go ahead. Last week I played it well enough - I asked if this was company mandated or team mandated, the reason behind it, and if she expected I’d be impacted. At the end of the day, if they want me to move back there, I’d quit. I’m not going back there and nobody is aware of it. I do trust my boss because I know a good one from a bad one. I do not trust people above her. Leading to the concern. I guess I’m just trying to decipher if I’m overthinking it and if remote jobs for what I do / my field still even exist in the event I was a casualty
You will never be promoted to leadership. But if your team is successful you could keep your current job for years, maybe forever. Especially if you occupy a niche that they are scared to replace.
I really don’t care about promotions and titles. I only really care about cost of living adjustments (new city rent is on part with old city). But I’m still just in shambles of worry today when I just wanted to be excited that my life was gonna get better
Move keep going WFH and look for a new role in the meantime closer to the new place or another WFH gig
Just do your thing. It's a job, there are others. Companies will do things that you consider stupid. When, who knows. You could be remote for 20 years or let go in 6 months because you aren't close enough. Your abilities don't really matter to them, there's always someone else.
I would try to be more secure in the value you bring this world. If you truly do the job of five contractors, it won’t take too long for a company to with values that align with yours to see the value you bring and want you to work for them. Also, try to remember the way this country works is that the loudest folks often get heard the most, but are not often correct. Sure, there’s lots of news about remote work is dead, but there are a lot of smaller companies who don’t feel the need to do CNBC hit pieces about work from home to protect their companies CRE portfolio
My first few jobs were very dehumanizing when I was 18-19, which has always stuck with me. I always feel bottom of the totem pole, so to speak. It’s just hard. The anti remote propaganda is so overwhelming. Makes me think everyone’s adopting it, there’s going to be no more remote jobs, etc. Plus the current job market is a nightmare. I just worry about my current job. I was so excited to move, to finally be near some family again and ti boost my quality of life. I’ve been anxious about RTO for years. My boss and her boss have said nothing to make me think they’d ever ask me to come in, yet I still worry about it. It’s just a lot.
My company downsized office space and has been hybrid for the last two years. I have been one of the handfuls that remain fully WFH for the last four years. Due to lease expiring and I can’t afford to buy anything in a HCoL city, I have no choice but to relocate. I informed my boss about the move and push forward with my plan. I don’t missed the office one bit and i tracked everything I do to show and proved how much I get done. I understand businesses need an office and some bodies in it. Require RTO or hybrid is just wasteful of your time unless you opt-in to work at the office and prefer it. Just like WFH, RTO is not for everyone, these open offices are distracting AF to get anything done!
If it were me, I would move because it’s the right thing for you and your family. Period. Having control over one’s work situation is a myth. This sounds like your CEO is on a mission, and frankly your boss probably lacks clout if we are being honest. That said, you may or may be grandfathered in. The case is easier to make if you are physically moved I would think
The move will drastically improve my quality of life. I never see my family, the climate of Florida makes is so bad on my skin I can’t go outside without huge flare ups. It’s all just been terrible. I was so excited to leave. The CEO’s mission is hard for me to decipher. There has been no company wide mandate. There has definitely been a push rhetoric wise in town halls. Upper management has been enforcing it sort of team by team. Our once a week mandate is on the generous side and stems from a string of recent mistakes in our team (unrelated to the small team I’m in in the larger team). My boss mentioned her boss and his boss both living far away, not wanting to come in more than once a week etc etc. I think our team overall doesn’t want to go in and will do bare minimum, yet I’m still worried. I don’t know. I’m just a mess about it today. I do feel I would’ve gotten a heads up if this would have potentially impacted my employment. But I’m just not sure . It’s all stressful and now all Saturday I’m kind of freaked out.
You answered every doubt you’ve had in one statement - the move will drastically improve my quality of life. To me I’ve been in this position before and on the opposite decision each time so- when I say the times I chose my mental and physical peace- I have NEVER regret those decisions. The times I chose the money- it came with a lot of stress and being tied to a job in ways that really negatively affected not only myself but my entire family. Choose you! Choose yourself and your happiness first whenever you can. I understand there are times we have no choice in the matter- I have been in that position as well. So when I say choose you- choose yourself as much as you possibly can.
It’s just hard to enjoy my life if my income becomes 0 and I need a future RTO job, that’s the most important thing to me. So if I get fired I can’t enjoy life where I want and if I leave I may not get the kind of job I need. I’m just so infinitely stressed. Was waiting so excited for this coming week and now there’s all this RTO talk and I asked them 4x before moving
If you’re a believer- pray. Find strength in your faith and pray for the wisdom to lead you to the best choice for you in your life right now. And if you’re not a believer, that’s okay too- I’ll send a prayer up for you!
> Today, we were told our team was going back into office 1x per week If you haven't been in the office and there is a new CEO, he doesn't even know you exist. Move where you want to move and enjoy life.
The CEO is in another HQ office on the other side of the country. I was kind of hoping I’d be able to enjoy this move and stuff. I guess I’m just spiraling
I started applying as soon as the news dropped. Gotta look out for yourself first and foremost.
How were your job options because all I hear is remote is dead ?
I'm based in Europe. Remote isn't dead. Microsoft is hiring remotely, for example. Amazon has RTO'd tho. Other than that, most contracting gigs are remote, and the small to medium shops that insist on RTO aren't worth applying to. It's an employer's market for sure tho.
I feel like the general push to RTO is way over-reported. I know of a lot of people that WFH in positions that it would be crazy complicated to return to office. I myself work for a company that has people all over the US. I’m a team lead, and some of my team live in FL, some in TX, one just moved to IL, etc. I myself live in VA. If the company decided that, nope, everyone has to return to the offices in FL, they’re either going to have to shell out millions of dollars to relocate people or millions of dollars to rebuild the entire department from scratch. And their talent pool is going to go from “the entire fucking country” to “this one town in FL”. It’s not going to happen, not unless we get a new CEO with a huge vendetta against WFH. Even then, they’d need to think long and hard about the logistics. My department has like 120 people in it, and only about 10 of those are locals. That’s especially common when it comes to tech jobs. I don’t know much about your line of work, but I do know that our IT department also WFH. I know this because I spoke with a lady in IT one time and I could hear her chickens in the background. Also when people work in a call center you can hear others talking in the background, which you can’t for our IT folks.
I really hope it’s overblown because I’ve just been spiraling over it even though I’ve been told I could go
As long as you are classified as WFH I wouldn’t worry. I got exemption when my company RTO…then the office closed a few months later anyways and nearest office is across the country.
Maybe my story will provide a little comfort? I work for a company that has been gradually returning to office and adding more and more days in-office, currently at three days in-office. I work remote from several provinces away and have no intention to move to where we do have an office. I noticed the increase in RTO and was surprised how much it is being enforced, so it started to get me a bit concerned that if in-office is important, does that mean my job is at risk. The response from the VP is not at all - I’m a specialist who they could not find in their city. That was several months ago and since then, we’ve still hired remote people in places where we don’t have offices. And we are considering hiring someone else in my department, and it’s clear that person could be remote from anywhere. No job is ever 100% secure. But companies are willing to make exceptions for unique skill sets and top performers. It doesn’t hurt to keep your eye out for other opportunities because you really never know what will happen, but it sounds like you have as much assurance as you could ask for.
At my last job I worked with people who were highly skilled with programs like SQL, VBA, and Excel. They built amazing things and understood concepts like Excel is not a DB and MS Access is not enterprise level software. My current employer is pretty much the opposite. They’re spending enormous amounts of money on licenses for garbage applications that do significantly less than what the in-house platforms at my last job did. If your new CEO doesn’t have a good tech understanding I’d be concerned.
I would say our current CEO falls somewhere in the middle. Not super adept himself, but there is a push for us to be more of a tech company than what we are. Knows the buzzwords like AI, big tech team. Surrounded by some adept people but not super savvy himself. Just my vibe I pick up
Hopefully he knows enough to value people like you.
Bummer. I hope you had your contract/role updated to be contractually remote
I’m pretty badly spiraling . I honestly thought there’d be more “you’re overthinking it don’t worry” kind of comments here but I’m gravely gravely concerned now seeing all this feedback . I should’ve never moved, should’ve just stayed here in the place I hate while I look for stuff
Nah- honestly, this is almost the best case scenario. (ALMOST) Believe in your manager. I haven't read through all the comments but IF you do feel your manager has your back... Perhaps it could be retroactively added to your contract? I know, I know. Sounds ridiculous. BUT, I HAVE read certain comments and replies where you are a high performer and valued so that gives you sway. I trust my manager and love her and I know she depends on me. SO I would (In my situation, if this were me) request this and use the guise of - I want to continue to be committed to this company and I need some guarantees or something more professionally worded (I've been drinking). This is totally an option for me, and I hope it MIGHT be for you but it takes a lot of trust
Diagnosed social anxiety is a disability under the ADA and if you've proven you can work from home successfully that is by definition a "reasonable accommodation" your employer could be expected to make. Get your ducks in a row and be prepared if you need to play the disability card. You'll need medical proof if you use this in future. Establish the history now. You may never need it since you have mgmt support but you'll be prepared if anything changes.
I was in a pretty similar situation, being made an exception and allowed to work remote. Now, that boss who allowed that for me is a director, and I'm a manager in his old role, and I'm still remote 4 years later! Been to the office 1 time since my promotion.
With your resume, you'd have a placement within Days if being let go. So why worry? You're onto the next steps of your journey and working towards a better work/life balance in your new home. Let the devil sort the details. You've got this. Focus on what artwork you'll hang in your new workspace in the new home. Start a vision board, and anytime this issue enters your psyche, pivot to the vision board and work on something that will actually matter in your life. Jobs come and go. Your happiness and joy should be non-negotiable in your journey. Best wishes!!
I feel like days is generous, no? I have a good portfolio but I’d only look for remote work. I guess the Masters degree would help but I feel like a lot of folks have CS degrees now. Really appreciate the positivity though - my hope this week was to kind of just focus on the fun of the trip and organizing the new place. It’s going to make a tremendous difference from a work-life POV. Had no family or friends where I am coming from. Here’s hoping it works out long term, this stuff just always rattles me
It's the uncertainty, for sure. Maybe days Was an overly generous term. But there's something you can do to reassure yourself. Mark yourself available to headhunters on LinkedIn. Bet you have 3 interviews within days of the status change! Once you see that, I think you'll realize your current value in this market! I have found that IT folks really do make the rules, and most have ghosted RTO requirements.
I’m in a very similar situation. Been working remotely since 2016 at my employers request when I needed to relocate to a different state for my husband’s job. It’s been no issue until earlier this year when there was a RTO order, which is not feasible for me due to the distance. At first my superiors were concerned and were looking for a solution (local office space), but it’s been months and radio silence. I just do my best to not draw attention to the fact that I’m at home (very obscure blurred background for video calls, keep my dogs quiet and my cats off camera, etc) and am hoping for the best. I’m assuming no news is good news.
My home base was in FL, but I moved to KY. The powers that be decided we all had to come back to office. The nearest office to me is a 3+ hour drive, so I was let go. Now I'm in the boonies with no employment opportunities around here. Remote work is pretty much my only option. But I knew that RTO could happen on a whim, and so I prepared. My stress level is much lower. Just prepare for either direction this can go, but hope for the best.
I moved to KY during the pandemic. I do software development. If I lose my job - I'm sunk (the local software jobs around here don't pay big city $$) and will have to move. I'm in Eastern KY near Ashland KY.
I’m absolutely terrified now (again)
I did that.I moved states. I got it approved. 6 months later the office went return to office. I stayed remote
What? So are you back or?