[whack]

Unpopular opinion - is the CEO really threatening her employees? Or talking more abstractly about the downsides and ramifications of people deciding to work remotely? Ie, downsides that people would face at many/most companies, not just her own. I read the original article with a more charitable assumption, and the latter is how it came across to me.

"If you park in my driveway again, I will have your car towed" - very clear threat.

"If you go around parking in people's driveways, you run the risk of having your car towed" - maybe a threat, maybe not, depending on how the person says it

"I understand that you parked in my driveway yesterday, because of an emergency. No problem. But if you continue doing it regularly, please be aware that I might need to have your car towed, if I urgently need to use the driveway myself" - I suppose this is a threat too, but probably justifiable.

Maybe others would consider this to be cynical, but I've always considered compensation and job stability to be directly correlated to the amount of value you provide as an employee. If an employer thinks that remote-working will reduce the amount of value I bring to the company, I would certainly expect that to have an impact on my career growth. If my manager tells me this directly, I would thank him for the upfront feedback. I would also consider working for a different company that has a different perspective on this topic... the exact same way I shop around for employers that offer the best work-life balance. But either way, there wouldn't be any hard feelings on my side, and I'm puzzled by the outrage around this article.

[variaga]

The Washingtonian's employees presumably know their CEO better than any of us do, and their interpretation of the op-ed resulted in them organizing a work stoppage the next day.

So maybe your reading is a bit too charitable, as it seems like all the employees heard the threat loud and clear.

[burkaman]

First of all, the pandemic is still happening. Imagine telling your neighbor about the abstract dangers of parking in your driveway when they're currently doing so because their house blew up and they don't have anywhere else to park.

Second, the CEO published this without talking to a single one of their employees about the issue. Why? "I am concerned about the unfortunately common office worker who wants to continue working at home and just go into the office on occasion." Can you imagine your colleague stating this publicly without ever speaking to you about it? It's incredibly disrespectful. Your neighbor is parked in your driveway out of necessity, and you're within earshot asking a friend "Can you believe these people who think they can park wherever they want? I hope they realize how easy it is to tow a car off your own property."

[ricardobeat]

It's the wording. There are no "risks" in not returning to the office other than whatever the leadership decides to inflict on them.

[nr2x]

Meaning exists in how language is interpreted by the intended audience, in this case, that audience identified this as a threat. No other interpretations are pertinent.

[autokad]

agree, I think tech employees should be weary of remote work. We'll probably see even harder interview process and less pay / benefits as a result.

[UncleOxidant]

Or as jay_kyburz suggests above, there will be even more contractors and less employees. The interview process is usually easier for contractors because it's not like you're vetting a new family member.

[bobbylarrybobby]

Weary or wary?