Mandatory Office Days
The discussion
Grace: Our company just announced that everyone has to be in the office three days a week from January. As a team lead I'm relieved, because onboarding the two graduates remotely last year was a disaster; they never learned how we actually work.
Nikolai: I'm the opposite. I moved two hours away when we went remote, my output is higher than ever, and a fixed three days feels like the company doesn't trust us to manage our own time.
Fatima: I'm in a middle position. I like being in the office, but I have school pick-ups, so a rigid rule is hard; what I'd want is for each team to agree its own days rather than one policy from the top.
Grace: Team-level flexibility sounds reasonable, though I'd insist that new starters overlap with experienced people, otherwise we're back to graduates learning alone.
Nikolai: I accept that juniors need in-person time, and I'd happily come in for a week each month to mentor. What I object to is the same rule for people at completely different stages.
Fatima: So the common ground is a minimum for new hires and flexibility for everyone else, decided within teams. That seems workable to me.