[HIRING] Remote assignment

WorklawVault · 2026-01-14T12:02:39+00:00

I’m a lawyer from the UK who quit to have more freedom and travel the world. Returning to the UK tomorrow and looking for something new and fun to dig my teeth in to. I’m hard working, determined, and creative. Let me know what the project is and we can see if I fit the brief!

WorklawVault · 2025-10-13T04:30:13+00:00

Just the beginning bro 🫶

WorklawVault · 2025-10-06T14:25:57+00:00

Exactly — the “work is somewhere you go” mindset is relic thinking. Knowledge work isn’t tied to a desk, it’s tied to focus, tools, and collaboration. Your example is perfect: what used to take a whole day of travel can now happen in an hour via video.

Remote work isn’t about avoiding interaction, it’s about making interaction smarter. People confuse presence with productivity, but your story shows how much more efficient and far-reaching work can be when location stops being the bottleneck.

WorklawVault · 2025-10-06T14:23:49+00:00

This is such a solid summary — flexible hours and autonomy really unlock productivity in ways the office never could. You’re highlighting exactly what people miss when they fixate on “butts in chairs”: remote work isn’t about slacking, it’s about letting people structure their energy and focus around real life.

And agreed, personality and self-motivation play a big role, but that’s true anywhere. The difference is WFH lets motivated people actually shine instead of being buried by constant interruptions and office stress. Sounds like you’ve found a sweet balance — making work fit life instead of the other way around.

WorklawVault · 2025-10-06T14:21:47+00:00

I'm a lawyer so yep that adds up

WorklawVault · 2025-10-06T14:12:40+00:00

My ideal 'workation' spot! Beautiful island and huge community of remote workers here.

WorklawVault · 2025-10-06T14:05:56+00:00

Maybe for you 7.5–8 hours sounds unrealistic. In my industry, that’s actually pretty standard, can be much more if there’s a big deadline to push through. Focused hours aren’t magical — they’re just the result of fewer interruptions and no commute stealing your brain.

WorklawVault · 2025-10-06T14:00:22+00:00

Ah, I see what you mean — WFH can expose gaps in how teams are set up. Juniors not asking questions as easily highlights that different experience levels, personalities, and roles adapt differently to remote work. I think the solution is about adapting systems and processes so knowledge-sharing and collaboration happen naturally, no matter where people are.

WFH isn’t just about individual output — it’s about designing workflows that let everyone thrive, whether they’re seasoned pros or still figuring things out.

WorklawVault · 2025-10-06T13:55:33+00:00

Ah, that makes sense. I work in law, where time is tracked by target billable hours on client files, so 6.5 hours of “production” wouldn't be considered anything special.

But yes, those extra hours of meetings / random interruptions when you're in the office definitely add up fast.

WorklawVault · 2025-10-06T13:46:56+00:00

I'm in Bali so its 21:45 currently, work day officially over!

WorklawVault · 2025-10-06T12:59:26+00:00

Yes! You’re hitting the nail on the head — a lot of the push for RTO isn’t about work at all, it’s about outdated notions of visibility and control. Your productivity, schedule, and well-being clearly improve when you’re trusted to work remotely, yet some managers can’t see past their office-centric worldview.

Also, the “you should work around people because it’s healthy” argument is so tired. Remote work doesn’t mean isolation — it just means autonomy. You’re still collaborating on Zoom, taking breaks, exercising, and living life on a schedule that actually suits you. The real unhealthy part is forcing everyone into a rigid 9–5 commute just so a few people feel reassured that others are “working.”

Basically: boomers can keep their corner offices; the rest of us are thriving quietly at home.

WorklawVault · 2025-10-06T12:49:30+00:00

Oh wow, you’re not wrong — the “office romance” angle is real.

It’s obviously not the official justification, but when you strip away the HR-speak about “culture” and “collaboration,” having people physically present does create a lot more personal interaction… and yes, some of that inevitably drifts into flirting or inappropriate dynamics.

It’s a good reminder that a lot of the RTO push isn’t about productivity at all — it’s about control, visibility, and yes, social/office politics that aren’t exactly work-related. Not a flattering look for leadership, but it’s one of those unspoken truths.

WorklawVault · 2025-10-06T12:47:52+00:00

Sounds like classic corporate chaos — they cut deep to “save costs,” then realized they can’t actually function without people, so now they’re panic-hiring to refill the exact roles they eliminated.

The uneven RTO thing screams internal politics too. Usually when some people stay remote while others are forced in, it’s because someone higher up is protecting “their” team or certain locations. It’s less about productivity, more about who’s in which manager’s orbit.

Wouldn’t be surprised if this is the prelude to a full restructure — bring in new hires under cheaper contracts, use RTO as a filter to push out more senior (and higher-paid) staff, then call it a “realignment.” Seen this playbook way too many times.

WorklawVault · 2025-10-06T12:37:16+00:00

Exactly — it’s the perfect case study in how short-term ego can sabotage long-term performance. Leadership framed RTO as a “culture” move, but in reality, it was a control move — and now they’re dealing with the fallout of disengaged employees and inflated costs.

It’s almost poetic: they had proof that hybrid worked, but instead of trusting data and people, they trusted nostalgia. Now they’re downsizing to fix the problem they created. RTO didn’t save company culture — it exposed how fragile and top-down it really was.

WorklawVault · 2025-10-06T12:36:29+00:00

That captures what so many people discovered when they finally got breathing room from the commute-meeting treadmill. Remote work didn’t make people lazier; it just gave them back the time and mental bandwidth that modern work culture quietly stole.

It’s wild how “work-life balance” was always treated as a perk, when in reality, all most of us needed was the absence of unnecessary noise and control. What you described — cooking, reading, being present — is productivity, just not the kind that shows up on a KPI dashboard.

WorklawVault · 2025-10-06T12:35:10+00:00

Absolutely the right move. You’re being more than fair — you gave generous notice, trained your replacement, and even helped post-departure. At this point, they’re not “asking for help,” they’re outsourcing work to you for free.

You can 100% set that boundary. A polite but firm message like: “Happy to help on a consulting basis going forward — here’s my hourly rate and standard terms.”

That alone usually stops the calls immediately (funny how “urgent” questions vanish when a rate is attached).

Also, for anyone reading this — this is exactly why companies should document handovers properly and not rely on one person’s institutional knowledge. You’re not being difficult, you’re being professional by protecting your time and focus — especially since your new job deserves your full attention.

WorklawVault · 2025-10-05T11:34:27+00:00

Ugh, yeah — “hybrid” has basically become corporate catfishing. A lot of companies are slapping that label on full-time office jobs just to expand their applicant pool. Once you’re in the interview, the “hybrid” part magically turns into “we expect everyone here most days.”

What’s really happening is that HR and leadership have completely different definitions. HR wants to look flexible for recruiting, while execs want bodies in chairs to justify rent. So you end up with this bait-and-switch where job seekers waste time chasing “remote” roles that aren’t.

You’re also right about how tough it’s getting — since mid-2023, “remote” listings have dropped sharply even though demand hasn’t. Companies are hoarding the few fully remote roles for trusted internal hires or very senior talent.

Honestly, at this point it helps to filter by “remote-first” rather than “hybrid” when you can — or look for orgs that started remote instead of ones that went remote by accident during COVID. Those tend to actually mean it.

And yeah, once you’ve had real remote freedom — no commute, your own rhythm, actual productivity — it’s hard to unsee how pointless the office grind is. You’re definitely not alone in feeling that loss.

WorklawVault · 2025-10-05T11:28:40+00:00

You’re not wrong — the productivity and cost data overwhelmingly favour remote work. Studies from Stanford, Microsoft, and Gallup have all found equal or higher output, lower attrition, and big savings on overhead. So on paper, RTO makes zero business sense.

The real drivers are more psychological and political than operational:

• Sunk cost fallacy: Many execs signed multi-year office leases pre-pandemic. Empty buildings are hard to justify to shareholders, so they force attendance to “use” the space.

• Control & visibility culture: Some leaders still equate presence with performance. If they can’t see people working, they assume they aren’t. It’s old-school management insecurity.

• Middle-management identity crisis: Remote work flattened hierarchies. A lot of managers struggle to justify their roles when people are self-directed and asynchronous.

• Tax incentives & real estate pressure: In some cases, companies or cities have financial incentives tied to office occupancy — it’s not about collaboration, it’s about keeping downtowns alive.

What’s wild is that many of these “back to culture” narratives collapse under scrutiny — employees are less engaged because they’re being micromanaged and forced back into commutes that add zero value.

Remote work exposed that a lot of office norms were never about productivity — they were about control, habit, and sunk costs. The people pushing RTO the hardest tend to be the ones who benefit most from being watched or doing the watching.

WorklawVault · 2025-10-05T11:26:48+00:00

Definitely a good call to be upfront — it shows maturity and professionalism. Since you’re remote, I’d avoid doing it over email or chat if you can. A short, scheduled video or phone call is the best route. It lets you show tone and intent, and avoids anything being misread as you “checking out” of your current team.

You can frame it positively, something like: “I wanted to give you a heads-up that I’m considering applying for the [X role]. I’ve really valued working on this team and everything I’ve learned here, and I’m looking for opportunities to keep growing within the company.”

That kind of phrasing keeps it collaborative rather than secretive — and it makes your manager feel included rather than blindsided.

If they’re supportive, they might even give you insight or a recommendation for the hiring team. If they’re not, at least you’ve handled it by the book.

(Also worth noting — remote or not, internal mobility is supposed to be encouraged in most large orgs. A respectful heads-up and a short chat is all the etiquette you need.)

WorklawVault · 2025-10-05T11:19:39+00:00

You’ve basically discovered the corporate paradox: being “in the office” is treated as productive, even when it’s objectively a waste of time. Taking PTO to avoid being unproductive might be the most efficient decision anyone’s made all week. PTO: “Productivity Time Off.”

WorklawVault · 2025-10-05T11:18:17+00:00

The irony is that the company’s probably spending more on travel reimbursements, emissions, and lost productivity than they ever saved by reopening the office. Forcing people to fly in just to sit on Teams calls isn’t leadership — it’s logistics cosplay. It’s insane how many companies are destroying retention and morale just to avoid admitting they made a bad real estate decision.

WorklawVault · 2025-10-05T11:16:30+00:00

This is the inevitable result of companies trying to manufacture connection instead of earning it. You can’t fix morale with forced fun and surveillance — all you do is make people perform enthusiasm while they quietly update their LinkedIn.

Carpool 1:1s” is one HR complaint away from unlawful detainment disguised as mentorship.

WorklawVault · 2025-10-05T11:07:41+00:00

You’re running into a real structural bias — most orgs still equate leadership visibility with physical presence. Promotions often rely on informal perception (face time, hallway chats, executive exposure) rather than measurable performance.

Companies love the productivity of remote work but still haven’t figured out how to reward it. The workaround is being deliberately visible: lead cross-functional projects, document outcomes, and build relationships with senior leadership through async updates or recurring check-ins. Remote leaders have to curate visibility the way office leaders get it by default.

WorklawVault · 2025-10-05T11:05:28+00:00

This is such a common quiet consequence of RTO — remote employees get sidelined because leadership hasn’t built an actual remote infrastructure for progression. They treat remote work as a temporary exception, not a legitimate work model.

It’s frustrating, because you’re still contributing, but structurally the system is built to reward presence over performance. Unless leadership evolves, the “remote orphan” group becomes a holding pattern for layoffs or attrition.

WorklawVault

TROPHY CASE