For nearly two years almost all Americans were working from home. One thing the pandemic has shown us is that we don’t need to be in a physical office to do our jobs. Productivity was through the roof and people were happier, at least about this aspect of their work. CEOs repeatedly advertised that they were up and running at full strength with Zoom or Teams meetings. Better yet companies were saving money on utilities and “office perks”. As much as I miss the stale supermarket cakes, this is better for everyone.
Before the Pandemic changed things most companies outright said people must be in the office, but it is different now … or is it? As of late there has been a huge push to get people back in a physical location. So, why do companies want you back in the office? Companies want you back in the office for at least two reasons A) Control B) To use you as a commodity for society.
You may have thought that your job was to produce X and get Y in return. I provide a requested service or duty and they pay me for this work. It seems straight forward on paper until you realize that the motivations of companies (or more accurately the people that are layered into them) are completely different. Companies are not content with just obtaining what value you provide; they need to be involved in every aspect of your life.
Control
One of the primary reasons companies want you back in the office is so you can be micromanaged. To be fair in these examples it probably isn’t always the board of directors that is calling for this, rather the overbearing middle managers. They realize their job has no value, in order to look important they need someone to boss around. It is not what you produce that interests them, it is what they see you doing.
You might say “they are the boss, and you are the employee, do what your told!” That logic is flawed. Yes, they are the boss, but their job is to manage productive employees, that is what the company pays THEM for. If their own power trip is making you less productive, they are failing.
You would think it is the outcome that matters, and it should. If productivity does not fall if your working from home, then maybe the question is: Do we need the manager? Work, especially in an office, comes in waves. You are deadly busy some time periods and others you are updating spreadsheets. It needs to be that way; we can’t operate at 150% for 60 hours a week.
Managers want to control you and create busy work when they feel you are “slow”. Another useless meeting, a presentation that no one reads, etc. This gets in the way of real problems that need to be solved. When home you may be trying to streamline your work or take a walk after figuring out a tough problem. Not when you are in the office, you are treated like a cow to be repeatedly milked. Who cares about the number of distractions you face in the office or the fact that you cannot concentrate on actual work… there are useless meetings to be had, aren’t there?
You are more than an Employee
In a greater sense companies want to control every aspect of your life. How you dress, what you say and especially how you think. Most HR departments are nothing more than left wing think tanks. You better get in line with this way of thinking or else lose your livelihood.
It is a lot easier to put someone in a diversity seminar if they are in the office. Conversations are not any deeper than the weather, for fear of saying the wrong thing. From the moment you swipe in until the moment you leave your thoughts are being controlled. Does what you wear or your personal beliefs make you more or less productive, well no, but that’s not the point. In fact, trying to force feed you the “right” way to think actually takes you away from work and makes the company less money. Unimportant, companies want you back in the office in order to have an army of lemmings just like them.
Personal example, we were told outright that free speech only applies to the government. If you question whether a Trans woman is really a woman, they can fire you (even on your personal Facebook account). Sure they can legally, but how does that help the shareholders? One again Irrelevant, companies do more than make money for those pesky investors, they are the voice box for the woke. And you must be as well.
People like this can’t control you effectively if you are working from home. Not every conversation can be monitored and they can’t check if you have your pronoun card handy. Companies want you back in the office because you are more than an employee to them, you are their source of power. It is hard to justify their place in the organization and their own self-worth if you aren’t there to answer their demands.
You are a Resource for Society
Worse than these individual bosses trying to rule your life are the elites, whether it is the company heads, or politicians, people claim you “owe” something to society for simply having a job. If you aren’t working from the office, you aren’t eating lunch out, needing a dry cleaner or, worst of all, there is no need for all that real estate. So what, you have to sit in traffic for an hour, at least the gas companies are getting money. In the grand scheme of things we are nothing more than a piggybank to keep these companies running.
Don’t believe me? Here is an old, but relevant article calling for a 5% tax on remote workers. Since you save money on clothes and gas you are “privileged”. You are never allowed to get a benefit without someone trying to milk you for it. It is as these people just sit perched and wait for any little advantaged gained. Apparently, you should have to sit in traffic for hours a week for the good of society. Therefore companies want you back in the office so you stay part of the machine.
Who says I am responsible for propping up the economy? I work, perform a duty and get paid for it. Besides the output I produce I do not owe anyone a thing. Not the tax collector, the owner of commercial property, local restaurants (or more likely fast food) and especially not the cities.
It amazes me how these politicians are dying to force people back into this unnecessary situation. They are so desperate for tax revenue (so they can buy votes) they are willing to sacrifice your time, money, and mental health. Most of these people are so called environmentalist yet are willing to put tens of thousands of more cars on the road for their own selfish goals. Once again you are a cow to be milked and they care only about their own power.
Conclusion: Why Companies Want You Back in The Office
Maybe I have been on my soap box a little too long. As of now the spread of Omicron has slowed all this “return to office” crap (although there are rumblings once again). Do not think it is going away forever. The powers that be need you under their boot to feel superior. The elites need your money, the less money and time you have the easier you are to control. As of now the workers are revolting, once the economy turns and the virus is ignored companies will be putting you under their boot once again.