'Management has Zoom background of their office to pretend they're at the office': Employee calls out hypocritical bosses after enforcing return to office

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Nov 5, 2023 8:00 AM EST

There is nothing more eye-roll-inducing than confirming your suspicions that your boss does not follow the same rules you are expected to follow. It's like when you're in school and you're expected to complete the math test without a calculator. Then, later that day, you see your math teacher grading the same test with a calculator right by her side. If authority figures are unable to lead by example and to live up to the same set of expectations they enforce onto others, then they shouldn't be authority figures at all. Of course, as it relates to adulthood, this phenomenon manifests itself most obviously in the workplace.

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    via Compare Fibre

  • This thread was posted to Reddit's r/WFH subreddit by u/DoctorProfessorConor, an employee who recently endured their company's return to office process. When logging onto their weekly team meeting, they noticed that senior management's hands kept glitching when they raised them to speak. Despite appearances, it turns out they were not in their respective offices. They took a picture of their offices and used them as Zoom backgrounds while working from who knows where. Not only does this failed trick expose the hypocrisy of senior management, but also there is no question that they knew what they were doing was wrong. Otherwise, they wouldn't have tried to cover it up in the first place.

    Keep scrolling below for the full story and for the best reactions in the comments section. For more content like this, check out this post about an employee who got their HR representative fired.

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    r/WFH Posted by u/DoctorProfessor Conor 21 hours ago 2 After RTO, senior management has zoom background of their office to pretend they're at the office
    via u/DoctorProfessorConor
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    In our monthly team sync on Monday I spotted that one of our regional directors fingers were disappearing when they raised their hands to talk and noticed that their background was actually just a screen grab of their work office they were using as a filter. I have no idea where they really were Imao
    via u/DoctorProfessorConor
  • 04
    Greenfire32 20 hr. ago It doesn't matter where they really were. They weren't there. While mandating that YOU should be. Peak hypocrisy. If their job can be done remotely, so can yours. I'd walk and tell them why. 544 Reply Share
    via u/DoctorProfessorConor
  • 05
    Dusty Jetstream 15 hr. ago Well OP may have what are known as "bills" and need the job. 194 Reply Share
    via u/DoctorProfessorConor
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    high-and-seek 20 hr. ago You should change your background to statistics and math backing up why RTO is bull and costs you the employee more money 270 Reply Share
    via u/DoctorProfessorConor
  • 07
    BNabs23 20 hr. ago I'm afraid to tell you, companies do not care what costs the employee money 164 Reply Share
    via u/DoctorProfessorConor
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    2HDFloppyDisk - 20 hr. ago The ol commute to the office so you can do zoom calls all day routine. Gotta love it. 210 Reply Share
    via u/DoctorProfessorConor
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    TheKrakIan 18 hr. ago It's what happens at my job. Teams meetings all day even though everyone is in the office. Saddest ✪ ever.
    via u/DoctorProfessorConor
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    AntiqueSunrise 19 hr. ago Should have taken the meeting from his office.
    via u/DoctorProfessorConor
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    bulldog_blues · 18 hr. ago If not for the hypocrisy that would be amusing. Not quite on the same level OP, but we had a similar issue with senior managers demanding 'be in the office on xyz days'... and then would dial in from home on those same days. Inevitably with some conjured up reason why they can't go into office that time... and the next...
    via u/DoctorProfessorConor
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    face_eater_5000 - 20 hr. ago If they had any brains at all they would have invested $100 into a decent green screen for their home office
    via u/DoctorProfessorConor
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    cbelt3 17 hr. ago. edited just now I'm WFH and I took a photo of my old cube before I moved out it it. It's my background some times... I even left it my usual messy "lived in " look.
    via u/DoctorProfessorConor
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    Atty_for_hire 19 hr. ago . I know a leader of the a department that does this. It's a bit odd as it's obvious to anyone paying attention at all.
    via u/DoctorProfessorConor
  • 15
    saul2015 17 hr. ago do the same thing and call them out on it if they say anything
    via u/DoctorProfessorConor
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    DoctorProfessorConor OP · 17 hr. ago Someone worked from home unplanned one day and the CEO spotted his house background in a meeting and fired him on the spot. I'm not trying that lol
    via u/DoctorProfessorConor
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    saul2015 lol no he didn't that sounds 17 hr. ago comical, do you work for Evil Corp?
    via u/DoctorProfessorConor
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    DoctorProfessorC onor OP 17 hr. ago I swear to god dude, that's what the CEO told people after the fact Also yes I do
    via u/DoctorProfessorConor
  • 19
    kenji998 15 hr. ago Bring up in the next meeting that you stopped by their desk to ask them a question and they weren't there.
    via u/DoctorProfessorConor

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workplace-stories work stories toxic-workplace job work reddit thread Reddit company job interview interview toxic-work-environment
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