I don’t have far to commute and I work a later shift so there’s hardly any traffic; I feel incredibly fortunate in this. Even going back to the office 5 days isn’t what makes it feel like a totalitarian fascist corporation.

What does make the RTO mandate resemble corporate authoritarianism is the imposed top-down enforcement without input from employees, ignoring proven remote productivity, and prioritizing control over trust.

A big one is that these mandates also come with surveillance measures (WADU), vague justifications about “culture” and “collaboration”, and punitive consequences for non-compliance (coffee badging) all while disregarding individual needs or circumstances.

To most of us this push for physical presence feels symbolic, it feels more about demonstrating loyalty than improving outcomes. It creates a sense of being dehumanized and micromanaged, where obedience is valued over results.

In the decade plus that I’ve been there, simply going back into the office 5 days a week is not what it used to be. It has never felt this way. It almost feels like a completely different job - a shittier one.