Human Resources Departments Scrambling to Walk Back on Flexible Work Policies
Your HR department is hoping you completely forgot that email last October stating partial return to work policies involving flexible remote work
So your people/hr team messaged you last October stating that we still don't know exactly what our return to work policy will be, however it will be a lot more flexible including many remote only available positions. Your HR team stated even they did not expect ever to really return to a 5 day in-office work week. Maybe 2 or 3 days.
Your HR team cited many articles including top companies like Microsoft, Facebook and Google offering remote work indefinitely. Your HR team said a hybrid approach will likely be best with teams maybe working two days a week in the office. Many will even be given the opportunity to work remotely going forward!
You're vaccinated! So you're going out, hitting the town. Doing things you remember having so much fun doing like going to walmart and realizing what a cluster everything is so you want to leave as soon as possible and see how much goats are these days and how much it is to maintain a farm. Maybe chickens, are chickens easier to maintain? Hey, if you get goats and chickens you can also get a giant polar bear dog, a Great Pyrenees, they're so cute!
It's May and you see an all hands meeting coming up. You knew this day was coming. Your HR's CYA policy in the new employee handbook has been updated. Much of the office is vaccinated so the new plan is unveiled.
Utilizing their communication degree, your HR department spends an entire hour of your entire company's workforces' time to talk circles around actually providing details of the new return to work policy. You slack your teammates wake me up when they say anything, dear god anything at all. Over the course of an hour of actually paying attention because this is something that you've actually been passionate about. You sus out some details, "hybrid approach" kinda, with maybe WFH wednesdays if your boss approves it!
The people team spin this as literally the most incredible thing ever. New job postings will include this "hybrid approach" as if it's the greatest benefit of all time!