STRUCK BY: All's Fair in RTO

Published 30 days ago • 1 min read

Employees have some biiiiigggg feelings about RTO mandates. And as anyone with a kid, or who’s been to therapy, knows - feelings have a way of making themselves known. The latest way those RTO feelings are making themselves known? RTO Revenge, broadly defined as when employees follow the letter of RTO law, but take whatever smallish liberties they can.

People are coming in late, leaving early, and stopping by the office fridge to grab some LaCroix or some snacks on the way out. Others are skipping out at lunchtime to work out. On the AntiWork subreddit, you can find folks brainstorming “subtle acts of resistance” - including spending as much in-office time as possible socializing, bothering their bosses when they look especially busy, and intentionally burning popcorn in the microwave (truly diabolical).

While executives long for the good old days of in-office work, it’s clear that most workers do not. And when RTO mandates have been heavy-handed or poorly communicated, it’s clear that they feel unfair. Moral of the story? When people feel something isn’t fair, they’ll act to make it fair.

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