Our Autonomy at Work Is a Privilege, Not a Right
Long before the pandemic, I learned not all bosses trust “work from anywhere”
“Remember that time Jane got pissed because your relative had cancer?”
Jane was a former boss (not her real name), but the cancer was real. An old coworker reminded me of this recently, and as much as I attempted to wipe that experience from my memory, it floods back to me regularly.
I’ve had some transformative, wonderful bosses over the past 20 years, and I’ve also had the opposite. Jane was the opposite, and the experience was notable, and a nod to the struggles that might lay ahead as the workforce considers going hybrid.
Organizational Culture Can Be Attractive
A big part of my interest in working with the company was their focus on the work itself, not working hours. There was a physical office and some sense of routine, though as long as the projects got done, few managers concerned themselves with the details of where, when, or how.
And this was years before the pandemic.
As millions of us are awkwardly trickling (or being coerced) back into physical offices, it has been interesting to think back on my “Jane experience.” I had only been with the…
