Companies like Google, Microsoft, and Ford know exactly what they’re doing. They force people back to the office, fully aware that many will quit rather than comply. It’s a calculated move, fewer severance payouts, no unemployment costs, and a cleaner reputation than official layoffs. If they admitted the truth, there’d be backlash but frame it as “collaboration” or “culture” and suddenly no one questions it. The worst part is that the outdated boomer narrative still lets them get away with it. It’s not about work it’s about control and cost-cutting, wrapped in buzzwords.


Google started hot-desking, so I imagine staff had to clean up all personalization (part of the soul of google) so your flair wasn’t visual clutter for the other two shifts using your desk.
Yupp, no personal items allowed in the cubicles now. Only they aren’t hot desking since everyone was mandated to come in to the office. It’s layoffs in all but name