| Don't hesitate to look. There are offers out there. This was me until recently. I was at my limit of nonsense unrelated to the job... then unclear RTO policies started appearing. I put my foot out of the door and raised my concerns. Management then, in a panic, told me it's being used as a wedge. Platitudes like "Enforcement isn't likely" or "not worth thinking about". They were right... but not the way they intended. I chose new employment that doesn't play these games. The market has decided I'm worth an extra $70k/year (with 200k in RSUs) and can work remotely. I now make more money, am officially remote, and have less stress. By picking up a new job I've actually shed about seven. It's incredible how much burden one can carry. This isn't even some fancy dev role, just SRE/keeping lights on. I hope the good people I left behind (or those reading this) recognize the game. It's the cheapest way to lay people off, get them to leave. The nefarious thing is it costs you, too. Their attempts to retain were repulsing. I was assured that because of "who I am", I didn't need to worry. That validated the choice for me. |
And best of all, the hidden costs don’t show on the balance sheet for many many quarters, hopefully after the CxO has left and it’s someone else’s problem. It really is a victimless crime!