Company executives begged employees to turn their homes into workspaces when Covid hit, peppered with “We’re all in this together” and “This is a permanent solution, work from wherever you want,” employees agreed.

And lo and behold, we collectively learned people could be super productive when they didn’t have to commute. WFH gave them more time with their families, the option to have pets, bandwidth for health-boosting activities, and more.

Yes, there were bad apples, but overwhelmingly the data showed working from home was good for companies’ profitability and other metrics.

Then things shifted. The RTO mandates began to flow like molten lava. And coincidentally (ha ha, not really) initiatives that support families (new-parent leave, vacation time, healthcare benefits including reimbursements for IVF and surrogacy) fell under the steamroller driven by unchecked egomaniacs.

You think I’m wrong? I’m not… here’s more by Adam Grant, Marissa Shandell and Courtney Elliott in The New York Times (gift link) showing the real drivers behind RTO are not increased productivity and profits. They’re narcissistic egos needing in-person attention from their captive audiences, oh, I mean employees.

I’m so looking forward to a return to qualified, mentally well people running things again. For now, stay alert for opportunities to drive incremental change around you. Every little bit helps.