return to office – Live Laugh Love Do http://livelaughlovedo.com A Super Fun Site Tue, 30 Sep 2025 17:43:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9 Quarter of bosses admit return-to-office mandates were meant to make staff quit http://livelaughlovedo.com/quarter-of-bosses-admit-return-to-office-mandates-were-meant-to-make-staff-quit/ http://livelaughlovedo.com/quarter-of-bosses-admit-return-to-office-mandates-were-meant-to-make-staff-quit/#respond Tue, 30 Sep 2025 17:43:42 +0000 http://livelaughlovedo.com/2025/09/30/quarter-of-bosses-admit-return-to-office-mandates-were-meant-to-make-staff-quit/ [ad_1]

Bosses have spent the better part of two years summoning their employees back to the office, making remote-loving workers “quiet quit” in protest, while others have threatened to quit for real. But that’s secretly what a significant chunk of CEOs were hoping for.

According to research from BambooHR, a survey of more than 1,500 U.S. managers found a quarter of C-suite executives hoped for some voluntary turnover among workers after implementing an RTO policy. 

Meanwhile, one in five HR professionals admitted their in-office policy was meant to make staff quit.

It’s why the report concludes what many workers have long suspected: that “RTO mandates are layoffs in disguise”.

Return-to-office mandates haven’t gone as hoped

It’s no secret that rigid in-office policies haven’t landed well with workers. Amazon is perhaps the most documented example of how ugly the RTO battle can get.

Around 30,000 employees signed a petition protesting the company’s in-office mandate, and more than 1,800 pledged to walk out from their jobs to take a stand. When the tech giant eventually demanded workers show face in the office five days a week, numerous staffers told Fortune they were immediately updating their LinkedIn profiles and “rage applying” for new jobs. “Honestly, I’ve lost so much trust in Amazon leadership at this point,” one person said.

Research has shown 99% of companies with RTO mandates have seen a drop in engagement.

Meanwhile, separate data shows that nearly half of companies with return-to-office mandates witnessed a higher level of employee attrition than they had anticipated, and 29% of companies enforcing office returns are struggling with recruitment. 

Even BambooHR’s research has highlighted that nearly a third of workers would consider leaving their positions if forced to return to their company’s vertical towers.

But in reality, many workers aren’t following through with such threats—and fewer are quitting than bosses had hoped.

Nearly 40% of all managers in the survey said they believe their organization did layoffs because not enough workers quit in response to their company’s RTO mandate.

A version of this story originally published on Fortune.com on July 24, 2024.

More on RTO mandates:

  • ‘Hushed hybrid’: Even as RTO mandates grow, workers still aren’t fully showing up to the office—a sign managers are too burnt out to enforce policies
  • Robinhood CEO admits his RTO call was wrong and now says execs must be in the office 5 days a week: ‘Your manager is going through more pain than you’
  • More than 60% of workers have considered changing jobs due to rigid RTO policies and would take a pay cut for better flexible work options
Fortune Global Forum returns Oct. 26–27, 2025 in Riyadh. CEOs and global leaders will gather for a dynamic, invitation-only event shaping the future of business. Apply for an invitation.

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]]> http://livelaughlovedo.com/quarter-of-bosses-admit-return-to-office-mandates-were-meant-to-make-staff-quit/feed/ 0 #605: Q&A: My Boss Said Return to Office. So I’m Quitting. http://livelaughlovedo.com/605-qa-my-boss-said-return-to-office-so-im-quitting/ http://livelaughlovedo.com/605-qa-my-boss-said-return-to-office-so-im-quitting/#respond Mon, 09 Jun 2025 08:03:48 +0000 http://livelaughlovedo.com/2025/06/09/605-qa-my-boss-said-return-to-office-so-im-quitting/ [ad_1]

Photo of Paula Pant crouching down in the middle of woodsIn light of recent federal mandates to return to the office, Pedro is having a hard time giving up on his fully remote lifestyle. Is there a creative solution to his dilemma?

An anonymous caller is excited to move abroad permanently. How should she structure her investments to support her international lifestyle while maintaining a home base in the US?

Former financial planner Joe Saul-Sehy and I tackle these questions in today’s episode.

Enjoy!

P.S. Got a question? Leave it here.

_______

Pedro asks (at 01:55 minutes): How can I find a fully remote job as a computer programmer so I can return to a location-independent lifestyle with my family? I’m a federal employee and I’ve been called back to the office. But it feels like I’m losing something deeply important.

During the pandemic, my job went fully remote, and I spent a year traveling the country in an RV with my partner and two kids. We visited 35 national parks and it was the most meaningful experience of my life. That time reshaped how I view my priorities, family life, and future goals.

I homeschool my kids, and I want them to stay connected—to each other, to us, and to the world around them. We’re all on board with a nomadic lifestyle, and eventually, we’d love to travel overseas again.

The challenge is that I’m struggling to find a fully remote job. I’m a computer programmer with more than a decade of experience, so the work can be done remotely. I’ve been applying and submitting resumes, but beyond that, I’m not sure what to do.

I’ve read that while interest in remote work is high, many companies are reversing course and bringing people back to the office. So what’s the best strategy to break into a truly remote role right now? Do you have any advice, especially from your own freelancing and travel journey?

Anonymous asks (at 24:54 minutes):    What’s the best way to invest a $500,000 windfall if I’m planning to leave the U.S. and live abroad full-time?

I just sold my primary residence, which I owned outright, and I’ll be walking away with half a million dollars. I also have $50,000 in a taxable brokerage account, and I receive $1,400 a month in Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).

I can’t work due to an autoimmune disease that flares up unpredictably—but interestingly, when I’m outside the U.S., I seldom have flare-ups. My doctors think it might be environmental. So I’m leaning fully into this lifestyle change.

I’ve sold everything I own except for one small storage unit. I’ve lived all over—Europe, South America, Asia—and I speak four languages, so I’m very comfortable abroad. I live simply, well below my means, and I prioritize experiences and creativity over material things.

Eventually, I’d like to establish residency in another country. I know I’ll need to show proof of income for that, so I’m considering dividend-paying ETFs or stocks as a way to generate passive income. I also have a virtual U.S. address and plan to keep my citizenship.

So, with all that in mind: How should I invest this money to support a long-term, low-cost, international lifestyle? Are there any specific considerations I should be aware of—either because I’m on SSDI or because I’ll be managing my investments while living overseas?

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