'Why Doesn't My Team Want to Go Back to the Office?'

I work at a midsize company where most of the employees are around my age and the culture resembles a start-up. We are a very social workplace, and I truly enjoy my job and my co-workers. I have been back at the office consistently for almost a year, working my way up to the optimal schedule of three days in, two days at home. Our CEO, however, has been preaching “Do whatever you want” and … well … I am really struggling to understand people’s attitudes toward coming back to the office.

With vaccines available and precautions in place (my company requires return-to-office training and proof of vaccination, and we contact trace), I personally feel people are running out of excuses not to come back. I started coming back in well before vaccines were available, and it was completely fine. So if you didn’t move outside of commuting distance and you were previously expected to come to the office five days a week, why are you acting like coming in for even one day is “too much”?

While the days of being in the office full time are over, I still think it’s a valuable place for networking, team building, and maintaining a strong company culture. Do others not feel the same? If they are choosing not to come in, does it mean they don’t value their careers? With a lack of guidance from leadership and no authority to change the situation, what can I do to make sense of all this and stay happy at work?

The Tompkins Square Halloween dog parade returned this weekend after being canceled last year because of the pandemic (see photos). Now that mix-and-match vaccine boosters have been okayed, here’s how to choose the best for you. Did you know DWTS has a horror-themed night? Well, it does, and JoJo Siwa killed it (and It). First Meghan Markle and now Mako… it doesn’t sound very fun to be a princess these days. Disney fans are calling for a ban on inappropriate garb after a couple was photographed wearing sexually suggestive T-shirts at Disney World. And happy almost Halloween to the two-in-five Americans who believe in ghosts!

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