It’s incredible how incompetent so many managers are when it comes to doing what makes sense vs optics. At my company (and this is very common), they haven’t actually thought through the problem and how work has evolved. They’re acting like dumb bureaucrats just managing optics. Weak people with no vision. For example:

1) Since Covid we now have meetings very early morning and late evening, typically on Monday’s and Tuesday to accommodate our international cross functional teams. How does this work? I’m supposed to be in a late nite meeting and then be in the office at 9am. Uh, no.
2) Covid has also expanded the practice of hiring the best people wherever they are. So why exactly do I need to go in the office? What’s the point? And is this fair to the people who are in a remote location? And the people who aren’t?

3) many people in the company have similar patterns…international meetings on mon and tue, sometimes wed morning. And then focus on work the rest of the week. Would it not make sense having Thursdays for the day when people come into the office to have coordination meetings like project launches (that benefit from in person) and then have lunch with your colleges day. And Mon-Wed can be international day.

I could easily add more to this list. But the salient point is that we’ve discussed many times how this would make sense, but it’s not sticking as a concept because bad managers simply find it easier to stay with the old paradigm rather than put in a little work in and think through innovation, plan it and measure results and tweak the process.

I’m lucky in that I have a rare skill that allows me to remain 99% remote. But it really annoys me that in general, management can be so bad and doing anything that makes sense.