#76: What These Back to Office Mandates Are Really About
Hint: It's also why your job search feels impossible.
Laid Off Life is a place of respite for the weary workforce. Whether you’re unemployed, underemployed, or just trying to make it through the workday, let this be your 5-minute mental break from the grind of late-stage capitalism.
What These Back to Office Mandates Are Really About
The recent push in many industries for employees to return to the office five days a week has been a head-scratcher for many—including me. After all, studies show that remote work can lead to increased productivity, higher job satisfaction, and better work-life balance. From a company’s POV, it’s a hit to productivity (I mean, DUH, are you more productive spending an extra two hours a day commuting?) So why are companies so insistent on bringing everyone back?
Plain and simple, it’s about power and control.
Right now, we’re in an employer’s market 😩, and according to a very illuminating article and explainer video by labor economist Kathryn Anne Edwards (
on Substack and Keds_Economist on IG and TikTok) these mandates are nothing more than a big, fat, corporate flex.
Why give workers something they want for free when an employer can withhold it as a bargaining tool?
Flexibility—once dangled as a way to attract and retain talent—has now become a lever for control. The ability to work from home is no longer an incentive but a privilege to be revoked when it suits those in charge.
And from a psychological perspective, working for a company isn’t just about doing a job—it’s about buying into a shared reality (or, if you prefer, a collective delusion). Companies need employees to stay immersed in their world. And anything that pulls you away from that reality—like, say, YOUR PERSONAL LIFE—risks breaking that spell. When you spend too much time outside the corporate Matrix, you start to see things differently. You wake up. You realize how much of your time, identity, and energy has been absorbed into serving a system that sees you as expendable. Or at least, I did.
The pandemic was a massive wake-up call for millions of people, myself included. That physical distance from the office made it easier to see how my job was affecting me mentally, emotionally, and physically. And that clarity? It made me realize that I wanted, no NEEDED, something different. Collectively, it sparked The Great Resignation. It fueled the Quiet Quitting era. It strengthened the push for unionization.
For a brief moment, the power dynamic shifted in favor of workers. Companies had to compete for talent, and employees had the leverage to demand better pay, benefits, and working conditions. Oh, those were the days!
But now, the tide has turned. Employers have regained control. They know that many people don’t have the same leverage they did in 2021 or 2022. And they’re using that to their advantage.
For all of us who’ve been laid off: If you’re tired of being told not to worry because the job market is great and the unemployment rate is so low, congratulations—you’re done being gaslit.
There’s a subtle implication in the statement above that you are IMAGINING how tough the job market is. You’re not! There’s #facts to substantiate your lived experience. This is how
explains it: Typically, when the economy is strong, the hiring rate trends alongside the unemployment rate. But that’s not what’s happening now. Since 2022, the hiring rate has been in freefall—reaching levels that indicate we’re in a deep recession—while the unemployment rate has remained steady.Translation? Job openings have dried up, but companies aren’t laying people off en masse. Instead, they’re just NOT HIRING. This has created what some have dubbed a White Collar Recession—where highly skilled professionals struggle to find work, even as the overall job market appears stable. That’s the part that’s a mind fuck.
If you’re unemployed right now and struggling to find a job, it’s not because you’re not trying hard enough.
It’s not because you’re unqualified. It’s not because you need to re-do your resume or write a better cover letter. It’s because companies are holding all the cards, and they’re playing a game that doesn’t favor you.
The question is: now that you see the game for what it is, what are you going to do about it?
Worthy Time Wasters
Here are my recs to combat doom scrolling.
📺 Well, I finished all 7 seasons of Younger (Nextflix) and I’m bereft. Why did it have to end? 😭 I’m attempting to fill the void with Season 2 of Colin from Accounts (Paramount+), a delightful Australian rom-com about an unlikely couple brought together by a dog.
On the non-fiction front I watched An Update On Our Family (MAX) about family channel YouTubers, the Stauffers and the scandal about the child they adopted and re-homed. It was ultimately a little disappointing, but an interesting story.
I also tuned in (shamelessly) to the Impact x Nightline: Blake vs. Justin. Hoo boy! I’m so deep into this scandal. It’s a wonderful distraction from more distressing news. Since I watched there has been even more hullabaloo with the launch of Justin Baldoni’s website, the Gossip Girl extra coming forward to expose Blake Lively’s nasty habit of farting on set, and a resurfaced clip of Lively talking about wearing blackface. 😳
🎧 I loved, loved, loved, Skyline Drive. The 8-episode podcast is part deep dive on our obsession with astrology, part personal narrative. It’s hard to explain…just listen.
📚 I’m tearing through The Favorites by Layne Fargo, an epic love story and scandals set in the world of elite ice dancing. It’s written like a tell-all documentary, which makes it extra fun.
Have a question, suggestions, or thoughts? Message me!
Have thoughts about what you read, have suggestions for future topics, or a question you want me to answer? Send me a message! I love to hear from readers.
Become a paid subscriber!
This newsletter is a reader-supported publication. If you enjoy Laid Off Life, consider becoming a paid subscriber. I’m kicking off the New Year with a 2025 Reset special. Subscribe now and get 25% off an annual subscription.