Employee forced by boss to work from the office despite being on video calls the entire time: 'She really wants me to sit in the office for 8 hours'

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Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Jan 26, 2025 12:00 PM EST

There really is nothing sillier than being forced to do a job from a cubicle that could be done from—well, anywhere… including the relative comfort of your own home. Yet, there you are, chained to a desk just so your boss can watch you work with a weary eye, completely oblivious to the irony that they and their micromanaging the biggest waste of company time. 

Nothing stifles productivity and creativity like enduring the performative social experience that is working in the office. Uncomfortable small talk, wearing even more uncomfortable clothing, with echoing bathroom spaces that broadcast the activity of their inhabitants to the rest of the office. All while pretending to work and be focused but getting less work actually done than you would have at home. 

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    Cheezburger Image 10459237632
    via Toa Heftiba

  • That's what this worker was facing when their workplace implemented a return to office strategy, demanding that workers who had been enjoying flexibility the past few years—and were even likely hired with that flexibility—return to the office for eight hours a day.

    All of this will probably lead their boss to wonder why the productivity of their team suddenly and “mysteriously” dropped. See the worker's account of events below and the discussion that it sparked in this popular online workplace community.

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    "Boss wants me in-person 8 hours a day to conduct Teams meetings in a cubicle"

    Just got told that it's mandatory that I return in-person to the office Tuesday through Thursday and that I MUST be there in person for 9 hours. Mind you, 95% of my meetings are on Teams and all my work is done on a laptop. Boss gave me three options for my business hours.
    via Boss_Bitch_Werk
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    A) 8am-4pm B) 9am-5pm C) 10am- 6pm The first option is off the table as I drop my school age kids at school promptly at 8 AM. I also ride public transport to work which takes an hour so the earliest I could really be there is 10AM. Mind you, I have three important meetings that start before 10AM including some at 7AM due to the global nature of work. I rarely have meetings after 2PM.
    via Boss_Bitch_Werk
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    Guess this means I'm excused from all these morning meetings now as she wants my cheeks in an office seat to work. No more meetings on the go and being flexible to other's needs. Thanks boss! I don't mind coming to the office and getting some face time with people. What I do mind is the inability to allow any sort of flexibility given that I'm not an hourly employee who tracks time. She really wants me to sit in the office for 8 hours and work like I don't have kids or take meetings on the go on
    via Boss_Bitch_Werk
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    Tactical... • 2h ago Edited 2h ago • Just don't go in and continue doing your work at home when your laptop until they fire you or they say something. Clearly the boss is a control freak a hle
    via Boss_Bitch_Werk
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    maydayvoter11 · 2h ago Sounds like the manager likes flexing on the employees.
    via Boss_Bitch_Werk
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    APeacefulPlace • 2h ago Tell him you have a 4th option: quitting.
    via Boss_Bitch_Werk
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    themobiledeceased 18h ago • "Yeah, that's just not going to work with my childcare and my transportation options. Your move."
    via Boss_Bitch_Werk
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    jdscott0111 . 16h ago What does your job description say about WFH? Are others being held to the same, new standard? Are you being treated differently or singled out in any way? Are you a protected party (race, gender, etc)? With the right answers, HR will be scared shitless of a lawsuit, which you might have grounds for. It's up to you how to handle this. Most lawyers will consult for free. A good HR will yank your boss's chain super hard.
    via Boss_Bitch_Werk
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    Source: me, who works in senior leadership, has had many conversations with HR, and have had to yank plenty of "too big for their britches" manager chains over the years (and even replaced several with who they ended up targeting).
    via Boss_Bitch_Werk
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    tarnishau14 . 9h ago Don't forget to lock that company phone in your desk before you leave
    via Boss_Bitch_Werk
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    Jaedos 15h ago . Time to renegotiate your salary then. RTO comes with a whole lot of added expenses and time dedication that you previously didn't need to be compensated for.
    via Boss_Bitch_Werk
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    Xynrae 15h ago • If people were allowed to do jobs as best for them, the entire society would run so much better, and business would improve. But they don't care about product, or clients, or employees.
    via Boss_Bitch_Werk

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workplace discussion employment issues antiwork workplace-stories jobs employee employment-discussion job work employees overworked-employees workplace Horrible Bosses employment in the workplace
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