18 Return To Office Horror Stories That Will Make Fully Remote Workers Count Their Lucky Stars

14.

“I was hired as a remote employee for a large bank just as shutdowns began in 2020 due to COVID. Then, in early 2022, that company issued an RTO mandate — if I stayed there, I would’ve had an hour-long commute to an office where no one on my direct team worked. I tried to get an exception to continue working remotely, but when that request was denied, I quit that job — my last day was the day everyone else returned to the office. Then, I was lucky to get hired at a ‘remote first’ company, but nine months after I started there, they mandated RTO three days per week.”

“I’m a single mom with a very inconsistent and unreliable co-parent, so I need to be close to my kids’ school. Because of that, this company thankfully granted an exception. But I fear every day that they’re going to take it away, so I work harder than any of my in-office coworkers, just to try to prove my worth and retain my position.”

—Anonymous, 49, Parker, Co