New Delhi: As more and more companies are reversing the work from home trend following the onslaught of Covid-19, some employees are finding it difficult to return to the office. Felicia, a 53-year-old administrator in Arizona, made the difficult choice to leave her position rather than return to work full-time. Despite making six figures, she desires flexibility and independence ahead of financial security.
According to Business Insider, Felicia believed that she “doesn’t need to be in the office” to perform her responsibilities, and the idea of going back to a traditional workplace is inappropriate. ,Also read: 14th installment of PM-KISAN is coming on this date? View a step-by-step guide to apply,
Felicia’s office has been using a blended approach for the past 18 months, allowing her to maintain a healthy work-life balance by working from home three days a week and in the office the other two days. ,Also Read: AI Artist Draws Bill Gates, Musk, Zuckerberg, Other Billionaires As World’s Poorest—See How They Look,
Felicia claims she was more effective and could focus better during her remote workdays without interruptions and distractions.
However, Felicia felt she had no choice but to resign when her employer requested her to return to the office full-time. She looked forward to her office days with her co-workers and cherished the peaceful concentration of working from home.
According to Business Insider, Felicia has noticed that in-person gossip has turned into a distraction with her return to a full-time office job, and she feels like she’s seeing less of her team.
When stuck in traffic and feeling frustrated about being stuck while attending a meeting, she realized it was time to quit her job. She questioned whether the commute was necessary and how it was affecting her health.
Some managers still display “productivity phobia,” the concern that remote workers aren’t working as hard as in-office despite the trend towards efficiency and cost-cutting.
Felicia claims that supervisors at her former employer had the misconception that hybrid employees were less productive than their in-office counterparts. She and her co-workers, who also worked remotely, found they could complete most of their tasks without interruptions or distractions.
Felicia noticed that some of her co-workers were leaving for fully remote or hybrid positions, despite the fact that she was finding success in the hybrid model, which brought her former work-life balance back.
She continued by saying that strict requirements to return to work can have a negative impact on productivity and drive some employees away, even if they are happy with their jobs.
In Felicia’s opinion, this may be especially true for those who prefer remote or hybrid work settings. According to him, if employers impose stricter return-to-office requirements, these employees may eventually leave the company, regardless of how satisfied they are with their jobs.