If your company goes hybrid and you go remote, you’re getting piped

From this op-ed by the CEO of Washingtonian Media:

While remote working is certainly industry- and job-dependent, and the future employment scene will probably be some type of hybrid, the CEOs I have spoken with fear erosion of collaboration, creativity and culture. So although there might be some pains and anxiety going back into the office, the biggest benefit for workers may be simple job security. Remember something every manager knows: The hardest people to let go are the ones you know.

First funny thing: I dated the daughter of the editor of The Washingtonian for 2.5 years. She’s now married to a partner in a law firm, and they have two kids. I am typing a Medium article while wearing gym shorts and a Calgary Flames t-shirt. You decide who won.

I have two concerns about these hybrid plans. The concerns are basically cousins of each other:

• If you work from the office more, you will get promoted more and have more responsibilities.
• If you work from the office less, you will get fired more (quote above).

This is borne out in other places. In the same op-ed above, you have this:

While some employees might like to continue to work from home and pop in only when necessary, that presents executives with a tempting economic option the employees might not like. I estimate that about 20 percent of every office job is outside one’s core responsibilities — “extra.” It involves helping a colleague, mentoring more junior people, celebrating someone’s birthday — things that drive office culture. If the employee is rarely around to participate in those extras, management has a strong incentive to change their status to “contractor.” Instead of receiving a set salary, contractors are paid only for the work they do, either hourly or by appropriate output metrics. That would also mean not having to pay for health care, a 401(k) match and our share of FICA and Medicare taxes — benefits that in my company’s case add up roughly to an extra 15 percent of compensation. Not to mention the potential savings of reduced office space and extras such as bonuses and parking fees.

Right. I know this shit all too well. I’ve actually applied to full-time jobs…