On November 11, 2008, I posted on Facebook:
“... wait, how did I get roped into doing produce specifications analysis on my day off?”
(At this point, Facebook’s primary purpose for me is to look at my “On This Day” memories, but I digress.)
November 11th would have been a federal holiday (Veterans’ Day), which my company would have observed. Yet, I volunteered — or was voluntold — to review product documentation.
Over the years, the company changed drastically. It became an incredibly flexible workplace. I developed better boundaries.
One of the reasons I stayed with that employer so long (15 years) was workplace flexibility. A few years ago, it felt like other workplaces were catching up. Many companies were talking about work-life balance. Remote work and async communication became the norm. Some companies even piloted 4-day workweeks and loudly celebrated how well they were doing.
It felt… hopeful. I even wrote about how hopeful it was. The job market had swung in favor of workers, who could simply and easily leave if the workplace wasn’t flexible enough or was toxic.
But now? The pendulum has swung alllllll the way back. Companies across the U.S. are demanding that workers return to the office. Silicon Valley is embracing grind culture again, with the introduction of the 996 workweek (9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., 6 days per week).
We were told that work should fit into our lives. That flexibility was the future.
Instead, companies are loudly and unapologetically walking it back. Workers are left wondering: What happened?
The flexibility that wasn’t built to last
Pandemic-era flexibility wasn’t a values shift. It was a reaction to a global crisis. Companies needed people to keep working, and the only way for that to happen was to adapt, overnight, to remote work.
When my employer went fully remote in 2010, the company hired consultants to help with the transition. It was a work-in-progress for months as we learned to take advantage of flexible hours. We also had to learn to trust our colleagues in a way that we didn’t when everyone was working synchronously.
Companies embraced remote and hybrid work at the onset of the pandemic, but didn’t have a specific plan. Everything became fluid… including when people were supposed to stop working. Slack notifications at 10 p.m. No ability to “step away” from work. Flexible work turned into “always on,” without boundaries.
Now we’re in a place of economic uncertainty. Companies are fighting to maintain the record-breaking profits they saw during the pandemic, even though consumer behavior has changed. As a result, companies have retreated to what feels safe and familiar: control and structure.
The grind mindset never disappeared. It was just hiding for a few years.
Employees have felt whiplash over the past few years, because the story and promise from companies keep shifting. One year, flexibility is the future. The next year, it’s butts-in-seats or you’ll lose your job.
What has remained the same, even as workplace flexibility has expanded and contracted, is an overarching theme: do more. Do more for the same salary. Put in more hours, even if your hours are working from home. The demand to do more may have felt tolerable while employees were at home and had a modicum of control over their days. But back in the office, this is intolerable.
It has always been about boundaries
MSN recently published an interview with the managing director of a law firm. He was “miffed” by the attitude of younger workers (Gen Z) who refuse to do anything outside of contracted hours. In the interview, he also noted that Gen Z is “unimpressed” with things like after-work happy hours or the company Christmas party.
Flexibility was never the problem. It’s the perception by managers and executives that employees are less committed to their jobs. When they work from home, they can blur work and home life. In the office, they’re willing to do what they’re paid to do and nothing more.
Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report found that 79% of employees are either not engaged or actively disengaged. In the intro, Gallup points out that the drop in employee engagement cost the world economy $438 billion.
Is it disengagement? Or is it setting boundaries?
Let’s say that older generations were willing to work 10-hour days, so an additional 10 hours per week. I’ve written before that additional work without additional pay is corporate volunteerism and comes at no benefit to the employee. Now Gen Z says, “Nah, we’ll put in the work we’re paid to do and that’s it.”
Of course that’s going to cost the company money (or “productivity” as Gallup calls it). The company is squeezing fewer hours from each employee.
Some countries have recognized this. “Right to disconnect” laws have gone into effect in France, Italy, and Australia. Employers cannot contact employees outside of defined working hours, codifying the right to set boundaries between working hours and non-working hours.
A similar law was introduced in California in 2024, but died in committee. The 996 tech companies of Silicon Valley were probably horrified that it was even proposed.
Companies can swing from flexibility to grind culture as often as they want. But you don’t have to be dragged along with them.
The only way to protect yourself from corporate demands is to build your own boundaries, whether you’re in the office or working remotely. End your day at a specific time. Don’t reply to messages outside of your working hours. Companies won’t set those boundaries for you and will do everything they can to push you as far as you’re willing to go.
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