Remote Work Productivity

The thread discusses the challenges and rationale behind return-to-office (RTO) policies in tech companies, particularly Instagram and Meta. Participants debate the practicality of working remotely in one office while team members are in another, the cultural and productivity impacts of distributed versus co-located teams, and the motives behind RTO mandates, including leadership optics and potential attrition. Several contributors point out that much of the justification for RTO lacks data-driven support and is driven by managerial ego or outdated assumptions about visible productivity. The thread includes personal experiences highlighting logistical and morale issues with RTO as well as comparisons to remote and open source collaboration models. Actionable insights emphasize that companies need clearer communication of RTO goals, consideration of employee commute and team distribution, and a more honest assessment of how collaboration and productivity are affected by workplace structure.