Anna Lapworth’s Post

Key takeaway from https://lnkd.in/gDX5UrEV: Remote work boosts productivity: Statistics show that remote workers are 35% to 40% more productive compared to their office counterparts. The flexibility and reduced distractions of remote work contribute to increased productivity.

Here is the problem. Making business decisions the push against progress and culture is a battle few historically win. Business has evolved. It was already evolving before the pandemic and that just accelerated things. There are situations and industries that RTO makes sense and there are those that don't and there are some where it is hybrid and comes down to preference from the employer and employees. For the ones in the middle where it is preference I think you will find people seeing it as a benefit and that will impact their decisions to work with a company just like other benefits. Ordering people back to the office doesn't scream a great employee experience to me. All choices employers make have an effect on company culture and the perception of the company from the public and potential job seekers. Do you think you can put that genie back in the bottle? What do you think about RTO (Return To Office) and the #FutureOfWork?

Remote work disappeared for a large portion of tech workers during the Great Recession. It came back when the labor market tightened up again. There was a similar dynamic with the burgeoning hybrid work opportunities during the dot com boom. Remote is always going to be a great recruitment tool. It's always going to give employers the option to hire the best talent regardless of where that talent lives. It will always be clawed back when they can, because ultimately social control is every bit as important as profit to most of these companies. It's more important for some of them. To quote many fictional stories over recent decades: All of this happened before and it will all happen again.

I’ve seen two posts, just today, capitalising on the RTO announcements from Amazon. They’re targeting candidates who value remote work but work at companies who’ve since pulled the ‘switch’ after setting the ‘bait’ during 2020-2022. While this is an interesting recruiting tactic, I would remind people to be cautious putting your trust in any company to not change their tune when it comes to remote work. An easy way to know if an employer is genuine about this is to find out if they were remote friendly before COVID. If so, probably less likely they will fleece you in the future. If they went remote during covid? Proceed with caution. Tech recruiting is high stakes, and sometimes cut throat. Companies care very little about changing the terms of your contract when it benefits them. Never forget that.

Amazon's purge of remote work is a classic example of out-of-touch executives pretending to do work by making grandiose decisions for the sake of it. 5 day return to office is absolutely brutal, especially for a frugal company like Amazon that is known for being notoriously stingy with office amenities. This policy is actually hard enforced by the system. There is a code package that tracks employee badge swipes. This means that Amazon's tech leadership literally forced their engineers to write code that would make the lives of their fellow engineers worse. Fittingly, Amazonians are responding to this fake executive work with fake IC work of their own, doing the bare minimum to meet these requirements. I have never seen an institution work so hard to waste everyone's time for no good reason. You couldn't make up a sadder story even if you tried. Unfortunately, Amazon has a ton of prestige as a FAANG company and the market sucks, so it can easily get away with this. I'm sure most of their engineers will stay. Fortunately, there are a lot of top-notch, up-and-coming tech companies who need to treat their engineers well to hire talent. Learn how to find a remote role at those companies with my in-depth guide here: https://lnkd.in/g4WTbcDv #techcareergrowth #amazon #remotework #softwareengineering #interviewtips

Is RTO Really the Bane of Our Existence? It’s funny how a few years ago, going into the office was the "cool" thing, and now it feels like we should avoid at all costs. Don’t get me wrong—#remotework has its perks, but there’s something about in-person interactions that Zoom just doesn’t quite replace. Think about it: How easy is it to pop into someone’s office, grab a marker, and brainstorm on a whiteboard? No lag, no mute button mess-ups, just real-time #collaboration. And while virtual meetings are great, nothing beats those impromptu hallway chats where some of the best ideas happen. And here’s something I’ve been thinking about lately—when was the last time you had lunch with a coworker? Some of my closest friendships started over coffee breaks and casual lunches. Since we all went remote, I haven’t been able to grab a burger or hang out at the park with my teammate from Argentina (or India, for that matter). But, What About Relationships in Remote Work? Sure, #remotework gives us flexibility and the ability to work with people all over the world. But how do we build those same strong, genuine relationships without those in-person moments? We can’t exactly have a virtual BBQ, right? So, I’m curious—how are you keeping relationships strong with your coworkers while working from home? Got any tips on staying connected and building #camaraderie remotely? Would love to hear your thoughts!

Vying for centralized control of the working economy is the real motivation behind such policies. #RemoteWork allows for the creation of decentralized economies & gives a chance to restore the family unit. Remote workers should continue to resist & strive to build stronger communities around themselves. #RTO

We’d rather want the companies to focus on frugal ways to resume remote roles unless they’ve operational dependency. The companies as big as Amazon corporate will generate devastating amounts of carbon foot print going WFO, 10 such companies of similar work force sizing will push the environment to come up with another rainforest requirement as big as Amazon (The jungle) housing 400 Billion trees! The logistical and supply chain requirements for all this workforce going WFO is such a waste of direct and indirect resources. An average of 10 trees per year are required for each office going individual with direct emissions, with indirect impact from supply chain a directional math of 1:4:12 India 1 vs India 2 vs India 3 we’d require ~150 trees per year. Unless the corporate gaints come up with some mandatory green drives to plant a tree every day, it’s absolute nightmare for the planet, and for what? Poor management on productivity or government pressure to increase dependent sector jobs. In the GenAi age, going back to industrial age workforce management practices seem silly, pandemic was a hope for new age revolution but sad to see we succumbing to capitalist framework, yet again! #workfromoffice #amazon #environment #carbonemission

🌐 Google is Embracing Remote Work, But Not in the US 🌐 Google's recent decision to cut hundreds of jobs and relocate roles to lower-cost labor countries has sparked important discussions about the future of remote work. Despite the tech industry's staggering earnings and soaring stock prices, the benefits haven't necessarily trickled down to its workforce. As companies wield more power over remote work arrangements, particularly amid economic uncertainties for the lower and middle class, the landscape for job seekers and employees may be shifting. If you've been holding out for fully remote work opportunities or have been selective about job offers, the options may be dwindling. Additionally, the notion that remote workers are often "out of sight, out of mind" is concerning, potentially making them more vulnerable to layoffs when companies make cuts. While Google's decision to move roles overseas isn't new, it underscores a broader trend of outsourcing and cost-saving measures in the corporate world. As companies strive to boost revenue margins, it's crucial to keep an eye on how these shifts impact workers and the overall job market. Read more about Google's decision: Link to CNBC article #RemoteWork #TechIndustry #JobMarketTrends #EconomicShifts #Google #WorkforceManagement