Trump47 First Week & Beyond Catch-All

[ChileG]

More and more companies are going back to working in office because of a lack of production.

because the employees have done nothing but go to yoga classes and do nothing all day for five years? And those same employees become productive once in the office?
I know companies are sending people back to the office. I’m mocking the idea that those same employees (if they even exist) have done zero since 2020 and then come into the office and transform into worthwhile employees.

And you’re missing the main point. The way Trump/Musk is going about this is really dumb. They are incentivizing the best people to quit. If you want to be more productive and efficient you fire the unproductive ones, and keep the good employees. At best, what they are proposing is like pulling names out of a hat. At worst, they are pushing the best employees out of the door.

 

[ZenMode]

Boy you are just a sucker for obvious propaganda aren't you?

Well, the company I work for gradually went back to working almost entirely in-office and turned working from home as a reward for top performers.

I have friends that work at two local companies, both of which are nationally known, that I've talked to about how they were approaching getting back into the office.

The building I work in has two floors leased by Amazon. A noticeable portion of their employees are back in the office, and several of our clients have expressed a desire to get their employees at least partially back in the office.

 

[ZenMode]

No they aren't. The only reason they are doing it is simply because of control.

So, you say they aren't and then immediately acknowledge that they are and you know why?

Yes, it is about control. Controlling how your employees are spending their time when they are on the clock to ensure that they are not distracted.

 

[ZenMode]

because the employees have done nothing but go to yoga classes and do nothing all day for five years? And those same employees become productive once in the office?
I know companies are sending people back to the office. I’m mocking the idea that those same employees (if they even exist) have done zero since 2020 and then come into the office and transform into worthwhile employees.

And you’re missing the main point. The way Trump/Musk is going about this is really dumb. They are incentivizing the best people to quit. If you want to be more productive and efficient you fire the unproductive ones, and keep the good employees. At best, what they are proposing is like pulling names out of a hat. At worst, they are pushing the best employees out of the door.

It's probably safe to say that there are no employees who have done literally zero. There's no doubt that having people in the office, and free from distractions improves the performance of many, but I doubt there are any who have actually done zero work.

 

[rodoheel]

Well, the company I work for gradually went back to working almost entirely in-office and turned working from home as a reward for top performers.

I have friends that work at two local companies, both of which are nationally known, that I've talked to about how they were approaching getting back into the office.

The building I work in has two floors leased by Amazon. A noticeable portion of their employees are back in the office, and several of our clients have expressed a desire to get their employees at least partially back in the office.

None of that remotely supports as true the idea that lack of productivity is driving RTW or that RTW improves productivity.

 

[ZenMode]

An Update On Return To Office Policies As We Enter 2025

In late 2024, top corporations like Amazon, Dell, and The Washington Post made headlines with strict office return mandates, leaving millions wondering: is workplace flexibility about to vanish?

While these business giants demand five-day office weeks and government agencies contemplate full returns following Trump’s victory, smaller companies continue championing remote options. This tension between corporate control and worker autonomy sets the stage for 2025's biggest question regarding flexible work. Will companies successfully enforce these mandates, or will employees kick hard against these office policies yet again and force a change? The answer lies in emerging trends, employee responses, and the outcomes of these high-profile shifts industrywide.

..............

According to the Q4 Flex Index Report, the final quarter of 2024 reveals a clear shift in how US companies view office work. Structured hybrid models, where employees follow set office schedules, now dominate at 43% of organizations — more than double the rate from early 2023 (20%). Several major companies have made headlines with their five-day office mandates, signaling potential changes ahead.

What's striking is the decline of fully flexible arrangements. Once seen as the future of work, completely flexible policies exist within only 25% of companies, down from 31% in Q1 2023.

Most companies choosing structured hybrid schedules aren't aiming for specific workdays. Instead, 79% set minimum weekly office hours, giving teams some control over when they come in. This compromise between structure and flexibility might explain why hybrid models continue gaining ground while both fully remote and full-time office policies lose favor.

Notably, when companies require office time, they average around three days. It's rare to find policies demanding just one or four days — only 5% of US firms take these approaches.

An Update On Return To Office Policies As We Enter 2025

Once seen as the future of work, completely flexible policies exist within only 25% of companies, down from 31% in Q1 2023.

www.forbes.com

 

[ZenMode]

None of that remotely supports as true the idea that lack of productivity is driving RTW or that RTW improves productivity.

Actually, that's exactly why we did it. Most people are more productive, especially on the sales side where it's easy to track call and revenue data, when they are free from distractions.

 

[farce©]

Who is running the government?

The authors of Project 2025

 

[Carolina Fever]

So, you say they aren't and then immediately acknowledge that they are and you know why?

Yes, it is about control. Controlling how your employees are spending their time when they are on the clock to ensure that they are not distracted.

I'm saying it has nothing to do with a decrease in productivity. It's because management wants to have a sense of control and power over their employees, and a reason to have the management in the first place. The majority of employees are just fine doing their job at home without a need for a supervisor. Management just wants a reason to have managers.

 

[nycfan]

EPA fires science advisers​

The move echoes an approach taken under former President Joe Biden.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/01/28/epa-fires-science-advisers-00201156

“
Acting EPA Administrator James Payne has ousted all members of two of the agency’s most influential science advisory panels, giving President Donald Trump’s administration the opportunity to reshape them with its own appointees.

In an obliquely worded email sent late Tuesday afternoon, Payne said a decision had been made to “reset” the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee and Science Advisory Board “to ensure that the agency receives scientific advice consistent with its legal obligations to advance our core mission.”

The CASAC provides independent expertise to EPA staff during statutorily required reviews of ambient air quality standards for lead, ozone and four other pollutants; the SAB offers scientific and technical advice on a range of issues.

Payne’s use of the word “reset” echoes language used by then-EPA Administrator Michael Regan, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, when he similarly fired members of both panels in 2021. At the time, EPA said the dismissals were needed to “reverse deficiencies” that took place during Trump’s first term. …”

 

[Unc12003]

It's probably safe to say that there are no employees who have done literally zero. There's no doubt that having people in the office, and free from distractions improves the performance of many, but I doubt there are any who have actually done zero work.

But the workplace isn’t full of distractions….
I’ve been remote since Covid and have far less distractions at home than in the office. When I was in an office(across multiple jobs) I’d have coworkers coming to chit chat for long periods of time constantly throughout the day. And while that’s great for making friends at work it isn’t really productive. That doesn’t exist working at home.

The return to office mandates are nothing more than a way to fire people without having to pay them severance because you’re hoping they’ll quit.

I was hired in my current job fully remote. If my company now tried to make me go in several days per week I don’t see why I would look at that as anything but a paycut and why would I stand for that?

 

[Enigma94]

Requiring employees to come to the office is not about productivity. Multiple studies have shown productivity has not suffered since WFH became popular and you can see it in the efficiency of the economy overall. We haven't skipped a beat in the last 5 years. Requiring people to come in to the office also ignores the extremely unproductive time commuting. There are reasons to require people to come to the office - mostly it's about company culture, training and spurring more interactions. But make no mistake, people are getting their work done from home and anyone who says they aren't is an idiot or has an agenda.

 

[aGDevil2k]

An Update On Return To Office Policies As We Enter 2025

In late 2024, top corporations like Amazon, Dell, and The Washington Post made headlines with strict office return mandates, leaving millions wondering: is workplace flexibility about to vanish?

While these business giants demand five-day office weeks and government agencies contemplate full returns following Trump’s victory, smaller companies continue championing remote options. This tension between corporate control and worker autonomy sets the stage for 2025's biggest question regarding flexible work. Will companies successfully enforce these mandates, or will employees kick hard against these office policies yet again and force a change? The answer lies in emerging trends, employee responses, and the outcomes of these high-profile shifts industrywide.

..............

According to the Q4 Flex Index Report, the final quarter of 2024 reveals a clear shift in how US companies view office work. Structured hybrid models, where employees follow set office schedules, now dominate at 43% of organizations — more than double the rate from early 2023 (20%). Several major companies have made headlines with their five-day office mandates, signaling potential changes ahead.

What's striking is the decline of fully flexible arrangements. Once seen as the future of work, completely flexible policies exist within only 25% of companies, down from 31% in Q1 2023.

Most companies choosing structured hybrid schedules aren't aiming for specific workdays. Instead, 79% set minimum weekly office hours, giving teams some control over when they come in. This compromise between structure and flexibility might explain why hybrid models continue gaining ground while both fully remote and full-time office policies lose favor.

Notably, when companies require office time, they average around three days. It's rare to find policies demanding just one or four days — only 5% of US firms take these approaches.

An Update On Return To Office Policies As We Enter 2025

Once seen as the future of work, completely flexible policies exist within only 25% of companies, down from 31% in Q1 2023.

www.forbes.com

It's such a massive advantage for small companies. So glad I left bigger corporations 12 years ago.

In tech, it feels really, really rare to find a smaller company (under say 1,000 people) that has any in-office requirements

 

[aGDevil2k]

Requiring employees to come to the office is not about productivity. Multiple studies have shown productivity has not suffered since WFH became popular and you can see it in the efficiency of the economy overall. We haven't skipped a beat in the last 5 years. Requiring people to come in to the office also ignores the extremely unproductive time commuting. There are reasons to require people to come to the office - mostly it's about company culture, training and spurring more interactions. But make no mistake, people are getting their work done from home and anyone who says they aren't is an idiot or has an agenda.

As we get in the last half of this decade, 5-10 years since Covid and the realization for many archaic companies that WFH makes sense and is cheaper, watch to see what happens as leased office terms come up for renewal.

THAT will be the pivotal moment...right now many like to enforce it 100% because they are paying for the office space. When they get the chance to decide to waste millions on that renewal or not? Yeah that's gonna be interesting

 

[DiehardHeelFan]

Actually, that's exactly why we did it. Most people are more productive, especially on the sales side where it's easy to track call and revenue data, when they are free from distractions.

There are many studies that show that remote work is more productive and employees are happier, whether this means 5 days a week or a hybrid schedule. I posted several on this thread earlier which I can see have been ignored. Many companies are having people return to the office due to corporate leases going unused and believe some get tax breaks for having employees in the office because it stimulates the local economy (e.g. restaurants, paying to park, etc). Most people I’ve spoken with on this find work at the office more distracting than at home. The noise and conversations around the open “collaborative” floor plan makes it hard to work. And most find themselves on Skype/WebEx calls all day because most corporations are global now so the people you need to have meetings are in another state or Europe or Latin America or Asia. So you go to the office and do the exact same thing you do at home. Except you have 5 other people doing the same thing so now you have all of these people on different calls and you have to work to concentrate on yours. Try as hard as you want to say that people are more productive in the office but it’s not true. It’s just not. Just because you put syrup on a hamburger doesn’t make it pancakes.

 

[Enigma94]

As we get in the last half of this decade, 5-10 years since Covid and the realization for many archaic companies that WFH makes sense and is cheaper, watch to see what happens as leased office terms come up for renewal.

THAT will be the pivotal moment...right now many like to enforce it 100% because they are paying for the office space. When they get the chance to decide to waste millions on that renewal or not? Yeah that's gonna be interesting

I work in CRE and my company owns some Class A office buildings. Your assessment lines up with what I have been seeing. Most companies are keeping some office space but downsizing and if they require people to come in they are typically staggering it so it becomes a hybrid model. Home 3 days / Office 2 days or some kind of combination like that. We're designing our offices with co-working space to accommodate this.

 

[rodoheel]

Most people are more productive, especially on the sales side where it's easy to track call and revenue data, when they are free from distractions.

Do you have a source for that, other than anecdotally? The BLS study I posted earlier in the thread does not agree:

The rise in remote work since the pandemic and its impact on productivity

The COVID-19 pandemic brought about dramatic changes in the work environment. Although 6.5 percent of workers in the private business sector worked primarily from home in 2019, the pandemic was the start of a massive experiment in full-time remote work for most workers and firms. People often...

www.bls.gov

 

[rodoheel]

An Update On Return To Office Policies As We Enter 2025

In late 2024, top corporations like Amazon, Dell, and The Washington Post made headlines with strict office return mandates, leaving millions wondering: is workplace flexibility about to vanish?

While these business giants demand five-day office weeks and government agencies contemplate full returns following Trump’s victory, smaller companies continue championing remote options. This tension between corporate control and worker autonomy sets the stage for 2025's biggest question regarding flexible work. Will companies successfully enforce these mandates, or will employees kick hard against these office policies yet again and force a change? The answer lies in emerging trends, employee responses, and the outcomes of these high-profile shifts industrywide.

..............

According to the Q4 Flex Index Report, the final quarter of 2024 reveals a clear shift in how US companies view office work. Structured hybrid models, where employees follow set office schedules, now dominate at 43% of organizations — more than double the rate from early 2023 (20%). Several major companies have made headlines with their five-day office mandates, signaling potential changes ahead.

What's striking is the decline of fully flexible arrangements. Once seen as the future of work, completely flexible policies exist within only 25% of companies, down from 31% in Q1 2023.

Most companies choosing structured hybrid schedules aren't aiming for specific workdays. Instead, 79% set minimum weekly office hours, giving teams some control over when they come in. This compromise between structure and flexibility might explain why hybrid models continue gaining ground while both fully remote and full-time office policies lose favor.

Notably, when companies require office time, they average around three days. It's rare to find policies demanding just one or four days — only 5% of US firms take these approaches.

An Update On Return To Office Policies As We Enter 2025

Once seen as the future of work, completely flexible policies exist within only 25% of companies, down from 31% in Q1 2023.

www.forbes.com

So, an article that (1) proves that the most popular model at the moment is a hybrid work model (not the 5-day, in-office mandate that Musk is championing), and (2) doesn't say anything about a full-time RTW mandate increasing productivity.

 

[Healing]

There are many studies that show that remote work is more productive and employees are happier, whether this means 5 days a week or a hybrid schedule. I posted several on this thread earlier which I can see have been ignored. Many companies are having people return to the office due to corporate leases going unused and believe some get tax breaks for having employees in the office because it stimulates the local economy (e.g. restaurants, paying to park, etc). Most people I’ve spoken with on this find work at the office more distracting than at home. The noise and conversations around the open “collaborative” floor plan makes it hard to work. And most find themselves on Skype/WebEx calls all day because most corporations are global now so the people you need to have meetings are in another state or Europe or Latin America or Asia. So you go to the office and do the exact same thing you do at home. Except you have 5 other people doing the same thing so now you have all of these people on different calls and you have to work to concentrate on yours. Try as hard as you want to say that people are more productive in the office but it’s not true. It’s just not. Just because you put syrup on a hamburger doesn’t make it pancakes.

Folks with agendas see no data other than the meager equivocal data that supports their bosiding.

This article from notoriously communist snowflakey soy-boy yoga loving Forbes ... tldr: WFH is consistently more productive (including call center employees) but managers' get up in their feels and "think" employees are less productive.

Workers Are Less Productive Working Remotely (At Least That’s What Their Bosses Think)

Workers with full schedule flexibility report 29% higher productivity and 53% greater ability to focus than workers with no ability to shift their schedule, according to a just-announced report from Future Forum. So why do bosses not trust employees to be productive when working out of the office?

www.forbes.com

 

[CFordUNC]

I can only assume that the people who have their asses so chapped about people being able to work remotely are simply jealous losers. I can’t think of any other reasonable explanation to give a shit about where and how someone else does their job. Come to think of it, the people who give a shit about how and where other people do their jobs, are the exact same people who give a shit about other people’s genitals or sexual interests. Weird ass motherfuckers who need to get a life.