‘I can’t stand it': Hybrid employee complains about going into the office 1 day a week, leading to a discussion about working from home

Author image for Eleonora Bader
Eleonora Bader
Apr 14, 2024 12:00 PM EDT

When the hybrid model of working was first introduced, people discovered a new way of living. Suddenly you could do what you had been doing from your dark, grey cubicle at work, from the comfort of your home. You didn't need to take a 1-hour commute, which saved you time, energy, and actually gave you more time to work. But over time, companies have been snatching employees up and dragging them back to full-time… or have they? You tell me.

One person took to Reddit and complained about working 1 day a week from home. I rolled my eyes, thinking how lucky this person was. How on earth could you complain about going 1 day a week to work? When they described their commute, I rolled my eyes again. Boo hoo, half an hour. Seriously, you've got it good, pal. But then some people actually made some pretty good points in the comments. Check out the entire story below, and then read about entertaining bosses told by employees who had had enough.

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  • 01
    "I need to go to the office 1 day a week, it's so unfair!"
    via Canva
  • 02
    Hybrid is getting draining Hi all, as the title says I'm starting to find hybrid work quite draining.
    via u/GxdVegeta
  • 03
    So this is my first ever full time job which I've been working at for just over a year now, and figured working 4 days at home and 1 day in the office would be quite chill. And it was at first, because I found out that the office day was more of a 'we'll only go to the office if required' as I work in marketing we need to do the odd video shoot, etc. Fast forward to about 7-8 months ago my manager preferred it that we all attend the office once a week, just for the sake of it. Initially I just g
    via u/GxdVegeta
  • 04
    Firstly it's the thought that I have an upcoming office day in a couple days, then it's the loss of free time as I have to sleep early, waking up an extra couple hours early, cost of transport, the 30 minute drive there, getting drained from the constant talking (low social battery as an introvert), then the feeling of knowing I can do the exact same work from home kicks in, then the 1 hour journey back, and then feeling shattered once I'm home.
    via u/GxdVegeta
  • 05
    I can appreciate some work more than just 1 day in the office which I'm more fortunate in but it's genuinely taking that much of a toll I'm not motivated anymore to work. I have discussed with my manager (only a few of these reasons of course) and they're adamant we need to come in once a week, so I'm looking for advice/tips here really. I'm fairly close to a promotion and generally speaking I enjoy the work, which is why I'm caught in 2 minds of do I apply for another job or is there anything I
    via u/GxdVegeta
  • 06
    External2222 · 1 day ago So, I want to say that like everyone else, I'm biased based on my own life experience (and as it pertains to this thread, most of my career was well before remote work was really a "thing" at all for most people). Right now I'm hybrid (usually in office 4 days but sometimes 3). My type of work really isn't well suited to full time remote anyway, and based on my history, I am s00000000000 incredibly grateful for my one or two days working from home. Like, sometimes I stil
    via u/External2222
  • 07
    Anyway, from that perspective........ If you were a friend of mine in real life and we were talking about this over a few beers..... I would say, "Oh my God, dude! Suck it up! It's FOUR freaking days a month!!!!" Does it suck for you to go in? Yep. Is it arguably a waste of time? Yep. Does life have tons and tons of s that we have to do we can't stand but is really no issue in the bigger picture? Yep. Anyway, that's my two cents. 266 Reply Share ...
    via u/External2222
  • 08
    ABO Miserable_Ad_2293 1 day ago · edited 1 day ago Yes!!! We used to do that it five days a week. And I can still recall all of the PTO I once used for snow days, repair techs coming to the house, not completely sick but unwell enough to not leave the house, etc. And the now added bonus of completing some housework during my WFH lunch hour, which frees up my weekend. And how I can throw a load of laundry in the wash before it builds up piles like it once did. Or toss dinner in the crockpot oppos
    via u/Miserable_Ad_2293
  • 09
    I remember about 15 years ago when "telework" was a pilot at my work. One day a week. To even be eligible you had to be in great standing with your performance. And it was literally expected that you'd produce more on your telework day. (10%) And a tracking of your time was required when you logged off. It was such a hassle that I wasn't interested. But now folks get cranky about going in one day a week. And sometimes I can see their perspective. But I fully remember how it once was. And it was
    via u/Miserable_Ad_2293
  • 10
    I'm still in disbelief that I'm presently WFH. I once assumed it would be yanked across the board when the p mic ended. But thankfully, here we are. And sometimes I just have to pinch myself. Edit: In the last year, I average 2.5 office days a week. But I have decent flexibility re: what days. 50 Reply Share ...
    via u/Miserable_Ad_2293
  • 11
    External2222 1 day ago I know it's definitely not everybody, and Reddit isn't exactly a true cross-cut of society at large..... but I do have this sense that there is a shift going on with a lot of people. It's like working from home went from something cool to something that is an absolute requirement to something..... well, something else. I'm not sure I have the vocabulary to describe it but it's almost like a lot (a LOT) of people are having a modified form of agoraphobia (at least when it c
    via u/External2222
  • 12
    I'm usually at work in person but my office is essentially adjacent to a construction site. For this comparison I view the people that have to go into the office "once in a while" like me having to go to my main office. I don't like it. Quite frankly it sucks. But it's not a big deal. Certainly not worth whining about or near dreading. I'm not specifically aiming this at OP because there are a lot of threads like this
    via u/External2222
  • 13
    but going into an office a few days a month should NOT cause near-debilitating anxiety. That shouldn't be normal but it's sort of starting to seem that way for, in my opinion, way too many people. I don't think it's laziness (although that may be part of it). It's something else that I don't know how to describe. 13 Reply Share
    via u/External2222
  • 14
    Rube18 1 day ago If you're newer to the work force I can get your perspective, but keep in mind, up until just four years ago the vast majority of jobs were 5 days of week in the office with no work from home. I did that for about 6 years until I moved because my wife took a better job elsewhere. My group didn't want to lose me so they got me approved as a home based employee and I've been WFH ever since. I love WFH and would struggle to go back into the office after years of not going in so I d
    via u/Rube18
  • 15
    However, you have to understand that most people working have worked the majority of their career in an office setting so it's difficult to relate to someone who never had to deal with that complaining about going in one day a week. Compared to the old normal, 1 day of the week going into the office is a cake walk. 93 Reply Share
    via u/Rube18
  • 16
    Active-Vegetable2313 · 1 day ago stopped reading after "this is my first full time job" 56 Reply Share Ryanhussain14. 17 hr. ago I'm always amazed at how cushy some Redditor's lives are and they still complain. Brother, many people go to work five days a week in physically demanding jobs, you can handle one day in an office I promise you. 14 Reply Share
    via u/Active-Vegetable2313, u/Ryanhussain
  • 17
    dtbuffalo 1 day ago I wfh 5 days a week and can't imagine RTO even for one. My friend has to do hybrid 3 days a week minimum but he also makes a lot more than me. I try to justify doing what he does for the pay and it's hard. I stay wfh and make significantly less than I could but get to wake up in my boxers and sign on its so hard to change or think about changing since I've been fully remote for many years pre c I and no initiative for us to RTO. 47 Reply Share ozzythegrouch ⚫ 1 day ago Facts!
    via u/dtbuffalo, u/ozzythegrouch
  • 18
    jalfredosauce 1 day ago An important thing nobody seems to mention is that work was different in 2019 than it is now. In the pre- were with my people in a conference room connected to other conference rooms around the country. This is an anecdote, but it f2f interaction was definitely the norm. Now, everything is completely atomized. If I drive into work, I sit on Teams all day doing precisely what I would do remotely. demic office, 60% of my meetings C₁ > scattered teams throughout the country,
    via u/jalfredosauce
  • 19
    I used to love physically going into work every day, and now I loathe the two days per week in the office. For the record, I didn't change-- the job did. 17 Reply Share Baseballmom2014. 19 hr. ago This. I find no value in RTO if I'm going to have to reserve a hotel cube to sit on Zoom calls the entire day. 13 Reply Share
    via u/Baseballmom2014
  • 20
    ohallright7 1 day ago Advice and tips: find a "mentor" literally any more senior worker that you like talking to, try to have lunch with them or have an in person meeting. If that's a no go then try to do team lunches for every in person day. The person/people you hit up don't need to be the same person, just pick a new person and talk to them. Being in the office has a benefit especially for junior staff. IMO being in the office is NOT for productivity it IS for mentoring, professional socializ
    via u/ohallright7
  • 21
    I too am an introvert who has advocated for remote work for the last 10yrs, in my last role I would go into the office on days I had mentoring meetings, lunches, or team events. That said, when my last role announced mandatory rto (and a bunch of micromanagement updates) I found that it was time for me to get a new job... Best of luck! 13 Reply Share
    via u/ohallright7

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