RTO or OTR?

Admittedly, I was personally disappointed when my boss told me of the imminent Return to Office mandate. Like so many, I was professionally thriving in and personally grateful for the hybrid work environment I had been enjoying since being hired to this team. The company I had worked for just before this one was 100% remote and I had grown to miss the opportunity to engage in person with my teammates regularly. One of the reasons I joined this specific team was the opportunity to enjoy a day in the office with teammates weekly. I say a day weekly because the cost of commuting to the office is a three-hour round trip, so any more would be a deal breaker for me. So when the mandate included the requirement to make the commute four times a week, I knew my days were numbered.

I am a firm believer that when it comes to building high-performing teams, physical proximity matters. That is not to say that a team must be side by side with one another to be great, but even strong teams become stronger when physical proximity to each other is a priority. While virtual meetings served as a lifeline during the pandemic, they couldn’t replicate the organic interactions and spontaneous brainstorming sessions I have long enjoyed within office walls. There is something to be said for the serendipity, impromptu discussions, cross-pollination of ideas, and cultivating relationships beyond screens that physical presence affords us. So I most certainly understand Return to Office from a business decision perspective. As a leader, I was among the first to support the idea, conceptually even without any semblance of a thoughtful implementation plan. As an individual, I was skeptical as to my willingness/ability to comply, but I wasn’t going to throw in the cards just yet.

I attempted to find creative ways to comply with the direction given, but it became increasingly clear that creative compliance was not an option. Could I work out of an office closer to my home than the one I was formally assigned? Could I get a reprieve from the four-times-a-week requirement? Could I become a true remote worker? No. No. And No. So, I shifted gears to see how I might be able to make it work without significantly impacting my relationships, physical and mental health, wallet, and personal fulfillment outside of work. There were a lot of conversations about moving closer to work, renting a room on my dime during the week, or even living in an RV in the parking lot. If my employer was not going to accommodate me and my commute, I figured I better think deeply about making the necessary sacrifices so I could meet expectations. So I did. And I ultimately decided that for me there would be no Return to Office (RTO). Instead, I would flip those letters around and approach this as an Opportunity to Reboot (OTR).

I have given very little thought as to what the next chapter will be. It could be an unstructured “gap year”, a well-framed sabbatical, the beginning of building out a new business with people I value, or another job that doesn’t include such a crazy commute.

While my teammates begin scurrying into the office and managers begin focusing on badge swipes as a metric of performance, I’m excited to reboot, reimagine, and redesign my life. Our lives are filled with decisions and each decision informs the next. I did not like the future I began to see as I visualized a life that prioritized preserving my paycheck and blind compliance. I may lack focus at the moment, but I am confident that clarity will come quickly provided I remain committed to the people, experiences, and aspects of life I value most.

• Do you prefer remote, in-office, or hybrid work environments most?
• How much are you willing to sacrifice to preserve your current paycheck?
• How much time are you willing to spend commuting to the office?