Company demands remote employees return to office 3 days a week, provides tiny space with malfunctioning Wi-Fi: 'It's chaos with barely any privacy'

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Ally Perry • Writer and Editor
Jan 29, 2026 9:00 AM EST

Many companies are turning away from the working-from-home revolution.

At the start of this decade, when anyone in an office job had no other choice, it really seemed like we were onto something, with a realization in the working world that a lot of jobs could be done pretty much anywhere if the roles were filled by the right kind of employee. A growing number of people got to make their workplace wherever home was, cutting out that pesky commute and allowing them more freedom than the 40 hour work week had ever given them before. Running a quick errand without eating into a lunch break or turning the camera off in the Teams meeting and staying in pajamas all day were suddenly possible.

However, after the necessity of remote work went away, a lot of managers decided that they would rather keep workers under the watchful eye of a centralized office, and those who rented out said offices were eager to make money from them again. Hybrid and WFH roles still exist, of course, but many who worked remotely previously have found that their workplace wants them working where they can keep an eye on them. It is a (kind of) return to tradition.

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  • a male and female colleague perch on the end of a table in a meeting room while holding papers and talking to another female colleague who is stood up, with two male colleagues sat at the table working behind them
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • In this story, an employee expressed his frustrations when the job at which he had been remote for the past three years suddenly announced that they were expecting all those working from home to be hybrid, and work in the office three days a week. 

    The issue was that they had downsized their office space when they had more remote workers, and there was not enough space for everybody. They proposed a ‘hot desk' system where employees reserved desks through an app to try to alleviate the pressure.

    However, when the employee went to the office to see what the setup was like, he was horrified to find that it was cramped and barely functioning. He did not feel that these were acceptable conditions to work in, and neither did his team leader. He looked for advice on how to navigate the situation.

  • Company is forcing return to office but the space isn’t even set up for the number of people they’re bringing back

    We've been remote for almost three years and leadership just announced mandatory RTO three days a week starting next month.
    via BrightPrice7698
  • The problem is they downsized our office space during the pandemic and now there aren't enough desks for everyone who's being forced back.
    via BrightPrice7698
  • Their solution is "hot desking" where we have to reserve a workspace through some app and can't have assigned spots anymore.
    via BrightPrice7698
  • So not only are we losing remote flexibility but we're also losing any sense of having our own space at the office.
    via BrightPrice7698
  • I went in last week to check out the setup and it's chaos. The desks are crammed together with barely any privacy, there's like two small conference rooms for the entire floor, and the wifi was struggling with just the few people who were there that day.
    via BrightPrice7698
  • male and female colleagues perch on the end of the table in a meeting room, holding papers and talking. Other colleagues sit at the table behind them
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • Our team lead is furious because she's been trying to hire senior talent and everyone she's talked to has specifically asked about remote options.
    via BrightPrice7698
  • Now she has to go back and tell candidates it's mandatory in- office which is going to kill our recruiting.
    via BrightPrice7698
  • I even looked at modular office furniture pricing on alibaba out of curiosity after seeing how cheap their current setup looks and realized they probably went budget on everything just to cram more bodies in.
    via BrightPrice7698
  • The whole thing feels like management trying to justify the office lease rather than actually caring about productivity or employee satisfaction.
    via BrightPrice7698
  • Anyone else dealing with terribly planned office spaces after RTO mandates?
    via BrightPrice7698
  • a male and female colleague pictured through the glass wall of a meeting room perched on a table discussing something with other colleagues sat behind them
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • otter_759 They're banking on a lot of people resigning
    via otter_759
  • Blue_Etalon Hot desking is without a doubt the best way to demotivate people to invest themselves in a company. I do not have a single personal item in my workspace. No photos, no coffee cups, no posters. I bring my laptop in, find a place with a monitor to plug in and do my 50% in office time. They have all these events to try to create team building and whatnot. I never participate in them.
    via Blue_Etalon
  • tnmoo Everyone should be back in the office and show how unprofessional and unproductive it is... even make appointments with clients at the office during one of the VP's visits, be sure to introduce the VP to the client.
    via tnmoo
  • HiroProtagonist66 Al slop. I read this exact post a few weeks ago.
    via HiroProtagonist66
  • SmallHeath555 hot desking is the trade off for keeping some WFH days. It sucks in every single way but if you get to keep 2 days at home you should deal with it. Tips for making it more bearable - Get a good work bag that fits your stuff and doesn't kill your back Ask them if desks have docking stations so you don't need to bring your own peripherals If you like a certain kind of mouse or keyboard, get it and bring it. Ask for a good noise cancelling head set or get one yourself. Go out at lunch
    via SmallHealth555
  • spookipooki It's not about justifying the lease. Cities give employers tax breaks for having a certain amount of employees bringing "commerce" into the city. They don't seem to take into account that we spend all that "commerce" money on gas. We go there to work not shop.
    via spookipooki
  • queen_elvis They want/expect people to quit. Ideally better-paid people.
    via queen_elvis
  • YupltWasMeMate We had this some years ago. The company tried to bring back full time RTO. New hires were meant to sign up to it. We were getting through all the interviews and to the sign here stage and 100% of our potential new hires just walked. I'm still coming in one day a week. Somehow haven't fired me.
    via YupItWasMeMate
  • HAL9000DAISY Honestly, even before COVID, my company was moving to hotdesking.
    via HAL9000DAISY
  • rrrx3 Your company is likely struggling and this is their way of getting people to quit without officially pursuing layoffs. Read between the lines.
    via rrrx3

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